Recent advances in the pharmacological treatment of tinnitus

Tinnitus is an extremely prevalent condition that impinges on the lives of sufferers to varying degrees. In some people, it is a fairly minor irritation but, for many, the tinnitus intrudes to such a degree that it affects their ability to lead a normal life, and in some very extreme cases has resulted in suicide. Insomnia, inability to concentrate and depression are commonly reported to accompany the condition. Relief can be reliably obtained using intravenous lignocaine, which indicates that pharmacology can provide a route for effective alleviation of the condition. In this article, Julie Simpson and Ewart Davies review the potential pharmacological therapies, and emphasize that clinical research has been hampered by the absence of a reliable objective assessment of the tinnitus and by the variable nature of the complaint.