Clinical Trial of Acamprosate for Tinnitus

The objective of this project is to determine whether acamprosate is more effective at providing relief for tinnitus than a placebo. Acamprosate has been suggested to be effective in reducing tinnitus annoyance in a preliminary study. Study evidence indicates that tinnitus is related to increased excitatory spontaneous brain activities. Acamprosate may help restore the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the brain and thus reduce tinnitus. The current study includes three phases. The first phase is an open-label screening study used to identify tinnitus subjects responding to acamprosate. These responding subjects will enter the second phase, which is a double blind, placebo-controlled study aimed at confirming the subjects' responses to acamprosate. In the third phase, clinical parameters of both responders and non-responders will be compared using a multi-linear regression model to determine characteristics that define the sub-group of tinnitus patients that are likely to benefit from acamprosate treatment. Participation in the study requires that individuals come to Portland, Oregon at least 6 times over 16 months for evaluation and data collection.