The International Tinnitus Journal

Clonazepam in the Pharmacological Treatment of Vertigo and Tinnitus

Author(s): Mauricio Malavasi Ganan~a, Heloisa Helena Caovilla,Fernando Freitas Ganan~a, Cristina Freitas Ganan~a,Mario Sergio Lei Munhoz, Maria Leonor Garcia da Silva,and Flavio Serafini

We carried out a retrospective survey of 25 years of clinical experience with the use of clonazepam as a vestibular and tinnitus suppressant in the pharmacological treatment of vestibular or cochleovestibular disorders due to different causes. We reviewed the medical records of 3 ,357 outpatients treated with a 0.5- or 1.0-mg daily dosage of oral clonazepam during 60-180 days. Complete or substantial control of vertigo or nonvertiginous dizziness was achieved in 77.4% of the vertigo patients. Tinnitus was improved in 32.0% of the tinnitus patients. Light or mild drowsiness, depression, nightmares, or lowering of libido, reported by 16.9% of the patients as adverse side effects, tended to subside with continued therapy. We concluded that clonazepam is a very useful and safe drug for the symptomatic treatment of patients suffering from cochleovestibular disorders.

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