Short-Term Effect of Gabapentin on Subjective Tinnitus in Acoustic Trauma Patients

Document Type : Original

Authors

Department of Otolaryngology, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction:
Although several treatment approaches have been proposed for tinnitus, there are currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved agents available to treat this condition. In this study, we evaluated the effect of gabapentin on the sensation of subjective tinnitus in patients with acoustic trauma referring to the ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinic of Taleghani Hospital during 2014.
 Materials and Methods:
In this double-blind, randomized clinical trial, 103 patients with tinnitus due to acoustic trauma who were referred to the ENT clinic of Taleghani Hospital during 2014 were randomized to the gabapentin (300 mg bid, n=55) or control (n=48) groups. The two groups were then compared before and after 6 weeks of treatment using a visual analog scale (VAS). At least a 30% reduction in VAS was considered a response to treatment.
 Results:
Differences between the two groups regarding sex, age, duration of disease, and audiometry results was not significant (P>0.05). After 6 weeks’ treatment, the VAS significantly decreased in both groups (P<0.001), but the reduction was significantly greater in the gabapentin group compared with control (P<0.001). Forty-nine patients (89%) in the gabapentin group and 28 control patients (58.3%) responded to treatment (≥30% reduction in VAS), with the difference between the two groups being statistically significant (P<0.001).
 Conclusion:
We conclude that gabapentin 300 mg bid for 6 weeks is an effective treatment for acoustic tinnitus.
In addition, the placebo effect in relieving tinnitus is remarkable.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
Volume 29, Issue 2
March and April 2017
Pages 95-100

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