Table 1.
Clinical trials of psychotropic drugs for tinnitus.
| Drugs | Authors & year | Effect targets | Conclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabapentin | [127] | Not clear, enhances the activity of GABA | Loudness reduced by 11–13.3 dB in the acoustic trauma subgroup |
| [128] | Not effective | ||
| [130] | Not effective | ||
| [129] | Not effective | ||
| [131] | Not effective | ||
| Clonazepam | [73] | Antagonizes GABAR | VAS-A decreased by 2.9 |
| [74] | Loudness reduced by 4 dB; VAS-L/A and THI decreased by 3/4 and 4, respectively | ||
| Alprazolam | [76] | Not clear, interacts with GABAR | Loudness reduced in 76% of the treatment group |
| [77] | VAS decreased by 2.83 | ||
| Sulpiride | [81, 82] | Antagonizes DRD2 | VAS-P decreased by 1.5 |
| VAS-P decreased by 1.4 | |||
| Piribedil | [83] | Agonizes DRD2/3 | Not effective |
| Pramipexole | [80] | Activates DRD3 | Percentage of loudness reduced by 15 dB with statistical significance |
| Nortriptyline | [86] | SSRI; 5-HT2AR blocker | Loudness reduced by 10 dB |
| [87] | HAMD and ITI decreased by 3.7 and 0.6, respectively; loudness reduced by 6.4 dB | ||
| Amitriptyline | [88] | SSRI; 5-HT2AR blocker | No more effective than biofeedback |
| [89] | ATAQ decreased by 2.95 and 2.55 in the right and left ear, respectively | ||
| Sertraline | [90] | SSRI | TSQ decreased by 4.68; VAS-L decreased by 1.51 |
| Paroxetine | [91] | SSRI | Not effective |
| Trazodone | [97] | SSRI; 5-HT2A/CR blocker | Not effective |
| Tianeptine | [98] | SSRE | THI decreased by 8.6; BDI decreased by 9.18 |
| Deanxit | [95] | 5-HT2AR/DRD1/2 blocker | VAS-A/S and TQ decreased by 9.5/1.2 and 11.0, respectively |
GABAR: gamma aminobutyric acid receptor; VAS-L/A/P/S: visual analog scale of loudness/annoyance/tinnitus perception/somatization; THI: tinnitus handicap inventory;3,4-dhydroxyphenethelamine receptorD1/2/3; SSRI/E: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor/enhancer; 5-HT2A/CR: 5-hydroxytryptamine2A/C receptor; HAMD: Hamilton Depression Scale; ITI: multidimensional pain inventory of tinnitus interference; ATAQ: 10-point scale from of the American Tinnitus Association questionnaire; TSQ: Tinnitus Severity Questionnaire; BDI: Beck Depression Inventory; NMDAR: N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor; TS: Tinnitus Scale; ETC: electron transport chain; TQ: Tinnitus Questionnaire; SOD: superoxide dismutase; 11-PBS-L/A: 11-point box scale-loudness/annoyance; TSS: Tinnitus Severity Score.