Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) : Open trial of psychotherapyalone, medication with alpha-lipoic acid (thioctic acid), and combinationtherapy

Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) : Open trial of psychotherapyalone, medication with alpha-lipoic acid (thioctic acid), and combinationtherapy
FEMIANO F, GOMBOS F, SCULLY C. BURNING MOUTH SYNDROME (BMS):OPEN TRIAL PSYCHOTHERAPY ALONE, MEDICATION WITH ALPHA.LIPOIC ACID (THIOCTIC ACID),AND COMBINATION THERAPY. MED ORAL 2004; 9:8-13
SUMMARY
-Objective and study design
This open study of 192 otherwise healthy persons with burning mouth syndrome,examined the efficacy on control of symptoms of psychotherapy alone with twohour sessions weekly for two months; alpha lipoic acid (ALA, tioctic acid;Tiobec) 600 mg/day alone for two months; or combination therapy ofpsychoanalysis and 600mg/day ALA for two months. Controls received placebo alone.
-Results
Most benefit was obtained with combination therapy. Combination therapy ofpsychoanalysis and alpha lipoic acid (ALA , tioctic acid; Tiobec. 600mg/day) for two months gave most benefit and significantly more than psychoanalysisalone for two 1 hour sessions weekly for two months (p<0.0005), or ALA600 mg/day alone for two months (p<0.0005) .
-Conclusion
The present results suggest that alpha lipoic acid may complement psychotherapyand can be an acceptable alternative to psychoactive agents, but trials tocompare the two approaches are now warranted.
Key words: Burning mouth syndrome, alpha lipoic acid, thioctic acid.
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