The Role of Clonazepam on the Control and Management of Tinnitus: A Cross-over randomized study, Damascus, Syria.

Abstract Background and objectives: Tinnitus is considered one of the most prevalent complaints among patients viewed at the E.N.T and neurological clinics. It’s defined as the perception of phantom sound, originated in the head. It’s estimated that 20% of population suffer tinnitus, 1% of which have severe symptoms affecting their quality of life, and may lead to suicide. In spite of that there is no “golden stander” test for tinnitus nor an agreed upon treatment or cure. Leaving practitioner trying with different protocols and medications for each patient. The paper search in the use of clonazepam as an effective treatment for tinnitus or at least as a tamer for the affects it has on patient’s quality of life. Methods: This is a cross-over study, conducted on 80 patients who completed the inclusion criterion and signed the informed consent paper. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. The 1 st group had clonazepam for 1 month as the 1 st stage then they were followed using the attached survey for 3 months, for the 2 nd stage they had gingko biloba “herbal medication usually used on tinnitus cases” for 1 month then were followed for 2 weeks with the same survey. The 2 nd group were reversed for the medications “ginkgo biloba for the 1 st stage- clonazepam for the 2 nd ”. This study was designed for each patient to serve as their own case-control. Results: A significant improvement was found during the use of clonazepam “p value 0.05” Conclusion: Clonazepam can be considered one of the effective medication for the treatment of subjective tinnitus, no matter how severe or chronic was it. It’s also advised to start to rely less on gingko biloba for the treatment of tinnitus.