Question: Just wanted to pass this on, I got the info from my doctor this morning...he's checking for possible harmful side effects before he gives me a script to make sure the new drug won't interfere with some other health issues I have or interfere with other meds I'm taking - always follow safety precautions before taking a new drug? In the leap to treat one malady we may make another worse - not a good thing

Answer: Acamprosate, approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating alcohol dependence, also may be effective in treating tinnitus. In a randomized, double-blind trial, a large majority of those taking the drug improved, while the placebo group did not, Andrйia Aparecida de Azevedo, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Amer ica

Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. The study included 50 patients with tinnims linked to sensorineural hearing loss. Their symptoms had lasted for a mean of 102 months. A total of 16% of patients experienced more than one sound; 58% had bilateral tinnitus; 72% had uninterrupted tinnirus; and 64% had associated symptoms, including hearing loss, dizziness, ear pressure, and abnormal hearing sensitivit said Dr. de Azevedo of Sгo Camilo

Hospital, Volta Redonda, Brazil. The test group received acamprosate (333 mg) three times a day. Any changes in tinnitus scores (based on patient ratings on a scale of 1-10) and side effects were recorded at 30, 60, and 90 days after the medication was started. At 90 days, 87% of those taking the drug reported a significant overall improvement, and 48% of them reported better than 50% improvement. The placebo group experienced no improvement.

Twelve percent of the acamprosate group and 20% of those on placebo experienced side effects. Dr. de Azevedo and her coauthor, Ricardo Figueiredo, M.D., suggested that acamprosate offers a satisfactory therapeutic option for tiimitus because it "decreases glutamate transmission [afferentexcitatory] and also increases GABA [efferent-inhibitory] transmission." The investigators disclosed no conflicts of interest.