The Current State of Tinnitus Medication
August 3rd, 2009There aren’t any easy answers or uniform practices when it comes to treatment options for tinnitus. Recently, researchers have conducted studies that are designed to craft tinnitus medication by focusing on the interaction between nerve cells in the brain and neurotransmitters like glutamate. This is due to the discovery that tinnitus can frequently be caused by too much glutamate that is released by damaged nerve cells in the ear. One of the causes of this nerve damage in the inner ear, as well as the excessive glutamate that results, is exposure to toxic medication or excessively-loud noises and sounds.
Glutamate is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter but an overabundance of glutamate in the body creates a dangerous imbalance that can cause the brain to function improperly. To align the neurotransmitter imbalance use anti-seizure medications like Neurontin to activate GABA receptors to stop the nonstop neurotransmitter activity caused by the excess amounts of glutamate.
Meds like Xanax and Valium are two types of drugs that have been utilized in the past to treat both anxiety and tinnitus. Many physicians prescribe these as tinnitus medication. Usually a person takes these medications in conjunction with anti-seizure meds that can help deal with a person’s anxiety and increase their tolerance to sound. Using this combination has a drawback, though; it can cause addiction over time with prolonged use.
Another method to counter the imbalance is through the use of drugs that are naturally hostile to glutamate. These glutamate antagonists have been proven to assist in providing protection for the brain, but have shown some signs of acting as a hallucinogen. Researchers have attempted to combine these antagonists with other drugs such as barbiturates to limit any potential adverse neurological effects.
One such example of a drug used in this manner as tinnitus medication is Memantinem, an oral medication that is most commonly used for Alzheimer’s disease. Recently, researchers have revealed that this drug is effective to suppress tinnitus-causing glutamate when used with a catheter inserted through the ear drum. This method is called transtympanic perfusion and is consistently able to avoid those disruptive systemic effects caused by other, more traditional methods.
Arches Tinnitus Relief Formula® is another product which contains ingredients that apparently reduce the effects of tinnitus. These ingredients – Ginkgo Biloba extract and chelated zinc – each have traits that work together to make this medication one of the most effective tinnitus medications on the market today.
Also, there are additional experimental medications that are either in the clinical approval process or are currently undervelopment. Caroverine, a glutamate antagonist, is a fixture of tinnitus medication in Austria but hasn’t yet been approved for full-scale use in the United States. AM-101 is an experimental drug that has been shown in some cases to reduce tinnitus in test animals.
One of the most effective ways to end tinnitus is by using a natural treatment plan such as Banish Tinnitus. Banish Tinnitus is fast becoming the most popular natural treatment guide and has helped 1000′s of people from all corenrs of the globe to overcome tinnitus and stop ringing in the ears once and for all. Make sure you consider using a product such as Banish Tinnitus as they can often prove extremely effective.
Again, there are no easy answers when it comes to tinnitus medications, but these developments indicate that the future for treatment of this disruptive condition is quite hopeful. We perhaps are not too far from a time in which those who suffer from this bothersome condition can enjoy life without having to worry about the annoying and irritating symptoms of tinnitus.
