Propofol-interrupted tinnitus later suppressed by amantadine: a case-report.

ABSTRACT

Tinnitus is a frequent condition without consistently effective remediation. Mr V. was a 64 year old man with Behcet's disease, a generalized systemic relapsing vasculitis. Tinnitus appeared in 1998 and he had been both aware and distressed by his tinnitus 80% of his awake time. After his last colonoscopic examination, he mentioned a transient interruption of his tinnitus. Mr V. only received propofol, an anesthesic drug that selectively down-regulates glutamatergic synaptic transmission. Amantadine, another glutamate antagonist, was later prescribed and durably suppressed tinnitus. Systematically inquiry about post-anesthesia effects on tinnitus may help decide if amantadine may be tried on an individual basis.