Tinnitus takes place as the excitatory neurotransmitters more specifically the glutamate is overcome the effects of gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) inhibitory transmitters and lessens the activity of glutamate.
There have been numbers of tinnitus drug treatment but almost all of them with weak results. Systemically weak and the complexity on the extent of tinnitus may be pointed out to its failures. For the previous years, drugs that functions in brain neurotransmitters such as glutamate which comprises these specific elements like acamprosate, memantine, flupirtine, gacyclidine and neramexane. GABA does also have its own composition most likely similar to glutamate. What usually contain in GABA are acamposate, clonazepam, alprazolam, and baclofen. Serotonin is also considered to be part of it especially on fluoxetine, acetylcholine and dopamine. All of these are added together and become the bulk of drug therapies for the problem.
There has been series of studies done using some of this tinnitus drug treatment but some weren’t a success. Though showing positive results in a test done in 2005, acamprosate was phase out of the market in 2006 resulting in an undone case. The memantine showed poor results during a three month of therapy. There has been a poor result also with flupirtine. Neramexane and gacyclidine are useful drugs in the years ahead. A positive result came out of a Phase II experiment of neramexane in tinnitus done this June during a certain meeting in Sweden. It has been a promising drug to be used for tinnitus drug treatment.
Using serotinergic system could be of help in tinnitus treatment since serotonin has been associated with hyperactivity. For tinnitus patients, their blood vessels were known to be in a maximized level. The blockage of 5-HT receptors could give improvement to a few patients. The first results in using piribedil with using electrochocheography and acoustic otoemissions got the idea that electrophysiological methods can improve rational tinnitus drug treatment.
A group of drugs which is called benzodiazepines, an anti-anxiety medication, is also used as a tinnitus drug treatment. This medication is prescribed for those patients with anxiety and pain disorders or other forms of anxiety. It has been said that benzodiazepines improves the activity of gama-amino butyric acid, an inhibitory neurotransmitters that relaxes and has a soothing effect on the brain. By improving the activity of GABA neurotransmitters, the drug diminishes fear, anxiety, emotional reactions and panic disorders. In a study conducted with 40 adult patients with tinnitus, it showed 76 percent of these patients had a significant result in the noise they notice. Although the drug’s ability to minimize the symptoms of tinnitus is undetermined, it is pointed out that it is the drug’s soothing effects and diminished the response of fear that enables the brain unaware of the perceived sounds within the human ear.
Since it is not only glutamate and GABA that are excitatory and inhibitory at auditory peripheral and central pathways but tat some neurotransmitters could also be excitatory or inhibitory depending on the part of the auditory pathways. Drawing it all, treatments must have the basis on that which of the neurotransmitters that must be treated on. Each case is to be treated uniquely.
Posted by barbarathomson 
