The role of melatonin in the management of patients with Tinnitus

The therapeutic approach in tinnitus is still an open subject. Perhaps, the correct approach would be the management of a patient with a chronic suffering that occurred at the active ageand who, in the absence of an adequate intervention, may be incapacitated. Sound therapy, counseling and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy are the widely accepted by specialized physicians in tinnitus. Patients are still looking for medical treatment and the physician is required to integrate new drugs into his or her therapeutic arsenal. Melatonin is a relatively recently introduced substance in Romania and its primary therapeutic use is in sleep disorders. The present paper describes our experience with melatonin as treatment for selected patients with tinnitus. The melatonin treatment has shown an efficacy of 80% in our study, as secondary treatment in tinnitus after initially counseling. The obtained results can also be a prerequisite for the integrative approach of the patients with tinnitus in the context of the pathological conditions and not as an isolated clinical picture. Considering the etiopathogenetic mechanisms of tinnitus and the other therapeutic effects of melatonin (central nervous system modulator and antioxidant), more extensive and multicenter studies are needed.