The usefulness of nimodipine, an L-calcium channel antagonist, in the treatment of tinnitus.

Thirty-one patients were drawn from a tinnitus clinic, screened for other medical problems and treated for 4 weeks with 30 mg nimodipine four times daily. Before and after treatment, the intensity of their tinnitus was assessed subjectively on a scale 1-10. Five patients reported to have a great improvement in their tinnitus whilst two claimed a worsening of the condition. Of the five positive responders, four were treated further with 30 mg nimodipine per day for 4 weeks and 60 mg per day for a further 4 weeks. During this treatment they were assessed more objectively by the determination of the minimal masking level using narrow band noise. There was a good correlation between the subjective and objective assessment of their responses.