Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026
The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
Published on: July 16, 2014
Relief of idiopathic subjective tinnitus: is gabapentin effective?
Jay F Piccirillo1, Joshua Finnell, Anna Vlahiotis
1Division of Clinical Outcomes Research, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. piccirilloj@ent.wustl.edu
Objective:
To assess the therapeutic benefit of gabapentin (Neurontin) for subjective idiopathic troublesome tinnitus.
Design:
An 8-week, double-blind, randomized clinical trial.
Setting:
Academic otolaryngology clinic in St Louis, Mo.
Subjects:
One hundred thirty-five subjects with severe idiopathic subjective tinnitus of 6 months' duration or longer.
Intervention:
Gabapentin, at a maintenance dosage of 900 to 3600 mg/d for 8 weeks, or lactose placebo.
Main Outcome Measure:
Change in the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score from baseline to the study end point.
Results:
The overall change in the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score for the entire cohort from baseline to week 8 was 11.2; the change among the 59 subjects randomized to the gabapentin arm was 11.3 and the change among the 56 subjects in the placebo arm was 11.0. The difference was 0.03 (95% confidence interval, -5.5 to 6.2; P = .91).
Conclusion:
Gabapentin is no more effective than placebo for the relief of idiopathic subjective tinnitus.
Trial Registration:
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00317850.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Analgesia and Pain Management
01:18Antiepileptic Drugs: GABAergic Pathway Potentiators
The key GABA pathway potentiators used in epilepsy management are as follows.
Benzodiazepines are a well-known class of drugs used for their...