Evaluation of Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine on Tinnitus

IntroductionDue to multiplicity of tinnitus etiologies and the lack of accurate knowledge about its exact mechanism, it is still a challenge to find an effective treatment. The objective of this study was an evaluation of carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine effect on tinnitus in patients’ reffered to Amiralmomenin Hospital Rasht-Iran.Materials and MethodsIn a randomized double-blind clinical trial, a total of 57 patients (23 to 71 years old) with chronic nonpulsatile tinnitus were treated in three separate groups with carbamazepine (300-600mg), oxcarbazepine (450-900 mg) and placebo for 12 weeks. In the early stages of the study, physical examination and nessecary laboratory tests, audiometry tests, complementation of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Tinnitus Severity Index (TSI) were performed. At the end of 8th and 12th weeks, VAS and TSI questionnaire were completed again.ResultsAmong 51 patients (28 male, 23 female) who completed the trial course, according to VAS, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine and placebo decreased severity of tinnitus in 56.6%, 46.2% and 38.5% of cases respectively. Decrement in tinnitus severity on the basis of TSI in the three mentioned groups were 61.1%, 58.8% and 50% respectively. Carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine were not more effective than placebo in subsiding tinnitus on the basis of VAS and TSI. ConclusionCarbamazepine and its analouge, oxcarbazepine are effective in decreasing tinnitus severity, but they are not significantly more effective than placebo.