How Long Until We Can Treat Cochlear Tinnitus?

How long do you think it will take until we have indication of meaningful treatment for cochlear tinnitus? Cochlear tinnitus refers to a tinnitus generated by aberrant activity in the inner ear, which is propagated through the cochlear nerve and the central auditory pathway.

Here is my belief:

1 year: 10% probability
5 years: 25% probability
10 years: 50% probability
20 years: 80% probability

Am I too pessimistic? Too positive?

 

What do you mean by "treatment"? Do you mean getting an intratympanic injection and tinnitus forever being silenced thereafter? Or do you mean taking a pill every day or using a device daily for the rest of your life to keep the tinnitus quieter? If you mean the latter, Dr. Susan Shore's device might work for many.

Cure is far away. 20+ years.

Treatment that makes the tinnitus less loud for >80% of tinnitus sufferers I think can be available within 10 years.

But what do I know, some researchers always say we have a cure in the next 10 years. They said that in 2000 and they say it now. It's always 10 years in the future.

 

I did not mean a full cure. I was more thinking of improved formulas of intratympanic injections that will give you meaningful relief. Hopefully so good that tinnitus is only heard in silent environments or so stable that you can habituate.

It might be the OTO-313 or multiple injection of it. I guess we have a clue about that in a few months time frame when they publish their results for Phase 2.

If you help the cochlea on its own, I think there's a good possibility that the brain's plasticity will sort out the rest.

 

@Johnny Karate said his ear tinnitus has disappeared with 25 mg Naltrexone.

 

I would prefer something that targets the root cause more directly and something that you do not have to be dependent on for the rest of your life.

 

Not only dependent, but Naltrexone also won't work at that dosage for long. You need to increase dosage and then end up with side effects worse than tinnitus over time. We need long term solutions.

 

Bump.