Recent content by Dr. Ancill

Some will need to increase their dose and some will actually reduce their dose. There is a lot of political correctness out there now about benzos and narcotics and I think the pendulum has swung too far so that patients who would benefit are being denied helpful medications. I do agree that...

This is a great question but one that does not have a simple answer. Some people have a lack of intrinsic 'benzodiazepine' and, like diabetes, require a benzo medication to normalize their neurochemistry and they might well be on the benzo for life. This is, fortunately, only a small proportion...

I think that arguing about actual incidence and whether is is higher, lower or the same in tinnitus sufferers is not a useful exercise as statistical data does not help with an individual case. Any level of suicidal ideation must be taken seriously and approached with urgency. One general and...

White noise (and similar sounds) will be treated by the brain the same way it deals with tinnitus - these are disorganized sounds that repeatedly alert the brain and it cannot habituate. Masking is also not very effective, as you have found out. What I would suggest is that you try some of the...

The best treatment for OCD is medication. Behavioral treatments, if they work, are transient and the OCD will return. For many years it was known that high doses of clomipramine,a tricyclic antidepressant, was effective in many cases of OCD with full remission in some cases. Clomipramine is a...

I am aware of the research and the behavioral tool used - licking suppression. However, many (including me) are not persuaded that this relates directly to tinnitus.

How do you know when the mice have tinnitus?

Mine is more of the classic complex hissing sounds, around 9,ooo Hz. It runs about 30 decibels in volume. This is the more common form associated with age-related hearing loss.

The increase in suicidal ideation may be correct, but that does not necessarily translate into actual suicides. It is currently recognized that not all suicidal thoughts reflect intent and many may be ruminating and being more obsessive than self-destructive. Because we cannot ask them, it is...

A 'yes' or 'no' answer is not appropriate. In about 20% of tinnitus sufferers, there is no measurable hearing loss so the pathology explains the hearing loss but not the tinnitus itself. About 10% of the adult population have tinnitus but 25% have hearing loss, so while there is a link - it is...

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy works as well for tinnitus as it does for all the other indications they have pushed it for - a total of NONE. For many years, it was hyped as a treatment for stroke and brain trauma - this was shameless and cruel as it offered false hope with no Phase I or II clinical...

No. What I am saying that such a list is so extensive, that almost everything can be ototoxic (although it is never clear how a medication gets on the list) so the list is impractical and unhelpful for the treating physician and unduly stressful for the patient. However, I don't mind when a...

Thank you for your kind comments. I am a neuropsychiatrist so I hope to manage more than the mental health aspects. In fact, I agree with all those who have posted here expressing their frustration with those who only look at the mental health issues. I also agree that tinnitus is likely a...

No, not until there is reputable published evidence with the pathology, risks and benefits well-described. Stem-cell and PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections have been recommended for a wide range of conditions, mainly for the pain from osteoarthritis - but with unclear results. I am a bit...

You make some great points. It is the competitive marketplace that should result in effective treatments but absent a clear understanding of what really causes tinnitus, all the current 'treatments' are oversold and overhyped. The 'experts' on Mount Olympus have not been any better so, as a...