We used tizanidine hydrochloride, a muscle relaxant, and dihydroergotoxine mesilate, an activator of central nervous system function, as basic drugs in the treatment of 48 patients with tinnitus (25 males and 23 females, aged 25 to 82 years).
Usual amounts of the two drugs were administered daily alone or in combination with other drugs for 2 to 31 weeks, and the clinical effect was evaluated by analyzing subjective tinnitus and accompanying symptoms before and after treatment.
Loudness, continuousness and distress of tinnitus, and headache and shoulder stiffness as accompanying symptoms were reduced significantly after treatment (p<0.05 with Wilcoxon test). The therapy was markedly effective in 2 (4.2%) of the patients, moderately effective in 15 (31.2%), and slightly effective in 13 (27.1%).
Side effects of sleepiness or digestive symptoms were reported by 4 (7.4%) out of 54 patients. These and two others stopped treatment within 2 weeks.
Comparing the results of treatment of tinnitus with a muscle relaxant only, we con-clude that the present combination of the two drugs is more effective in relieving both tinnitus and accompanying symptoms.