several drugs try to help tinnitus

Several New Treatments Tried To Stop Tinnitus
Tinnitus is a constant ringing in the ears that affects millions of people. Now, new treatments are getting closer to quieting the noise for good.
Every second of every day, Joyce Lajeunesse has ringing in her right ear.
"Just kind of a humming, like an electrical humming, and it's constant," said Laieunesse.
The ringing, called tinnitus, came on suddenly five years ago.
"I truly did expect it to go away," she said. "Just figured it was something connected with the ear plugging up or something."
But it stuck around and now follows her everywhere.
"I hear it right now while we are talking," she said.
Dr. Jay Piccirillo says at least 50 million Americans have tinnitus.
"There is no drug that we can give them," said Dr. Piccirillo of Washington University. "There is no surgery that we can do or device that we can put in the ear to cure the tinnitus."
But there is help for people with sleep problems as a result of their tinnitus. A new study shows melatonin lessens the ringing and significantly improves sleep.
"I would definitely think that patients with tinnitus who are having problems sleeping should consider melatonin," said Dr. Piccirillo.
Another small study shows injecting botox around the ear might also help. Dr. Piccirillo is also Studying a procedure called transcranial magnetic stimulation in which a magnetic device stimulates certain areas in the brain. Early studies are promising.
Joyce was in a study on melatonin to help the ringing and her sleep.
"I had more energy in the mornings," said Joyce. "I woke up more refreshed than I had been, and that was wonderful."
source- wftv.com
Dr. Piccirillo says other sufferers could easily get the same benefit because melatonin is available over the counter.
Though all three methods are showing success in helping lessen the ringing, Dr. Piccirillo says there is still no cure for the condition.
But, some patients have had success using anti-anxiety drugs.