Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 May 2011
There have been five recent studies of drug treatment in tinnitus in the UK using Class I anti-arrhythmic preparations. We present a new double-blind study of tocainide hydrochloride in severe, unmaskable tinnitus. No significant response is noted in any of the controlled trials to the active ingredient, and more work is needed on diagnostic criteria to see if those who do respond constitute a separate group. There was a surprisingly low incidence of placebo response and the importance of the side effects produced by the drugs in this group is stressed. The finding that three patients with profound hearing losses have had some continued benefit leads to the cautious conclusion that drug responders may be have a central component to their tinnitus.