On September 9th I have an appointment with a new doctor with whom I mean to discuss my options. Preparatory to that, I'd like to summarize the experiences of those who have been able to at least get a prescription for retigabine. Please correct me if I omit anybody.
Mpt -- Our original poster has been on retigabine since June 27, 2014. His tinnitus started in January of 2014. Within two weeks, he improved to the point that he could no longer hear his noises except in a quiet room with his fingers in his ears. His dosage is 300mg x 3/day.
Christian78 -- Tinnitus since September 2013. Started retigabine July 22. Tinnitus 30-40% improved and no spikes at 200mg x 3/day. Efficacy seemed to decrease after seven days. Decided original dosing increase had been too rapid, restarted on or around August 4 at lower dosage. After 200mg x 3/day for 13 days, reported "no tinnitus" on August 24th; has had good days and bad days since then.
Viking -- Tinnitus since 2006, got worse 2013. Started retigabine July 25, big improvement by July 31. Stopped usage on August 5 due to kidney stones (pre-existing, but diagnosed early August). Plans to start again now that this condition has resolved.
jamesdk -- Onset unknown. Started before July 27. Tinnitus 70-80% improved. 100mg x 3/day. Member has not posted again on the thread, so this may not be legitimate.
Lep -- Tinnitus since June 2013. Started retigabine before August 5. Vision disturbances after three days, stopped usage after one week. Had not experienced improvement and was concerned about side effects. Side effects went away after a day without retigabine.
linearb -- Tinnitus since 1998. Obtained retigabine prescription, waiting to see if insurance will cover.
johno -- Tinnitus since June 7, 2012. Obtained retigabine as of August 24, has started/will start shortly.
SoulStation -- Tinnitus since 2012. Obtained retigabine prescription today (August 28). Looking into costs.
Bogdan -- Tinnitus since 2012. Started retigabine around August 14. 50% improvement at 100mg x 3/day. Will increase dosage in the coming week.
So, taking all these people at their word, we have six people who have taken retigabine for their tinnitus. Of those six, five experienced at least some improvement, one (Mpt) is as nearly cured as makes no difference, and three others had positive enough experiences that they are continuing on. Viking and Bogdan report early improvements after more than 1 year of tinnitus.
On the negative side, Christian78, Viking, and Lep all experienced significant side effects, though Viking did not rate his as anything to worry about. Christian78 reports side effects diminishing with time.
We're still early days, but a huge THANK YOU to all those who have taken on the risks and financial burden of this treatment.