Lenire®
Here we look at the claims for Lenire®.
Treatment details
Type
Device (bimodal stimulation)
Safety
Some potential for harm
Efficacy
No or limited evidence that it is effective
Recommended?
Speak to your GP
The makers claim
Lenire “works to retrain neurons in the brain to reduce its attention and sensitivity to the tinnitus sound.”[1]
What is the treatment?
“Lenire® delivers mild electrical pulses to the tongue combined with sound played through headphones”.[2]
The device is used for 60 minutes daily for a minimum of 12 weeks.
What are the downsides of this treatment?
In the clinical trials, about one third of people reported exacerbation of tinnitus but for most this seemed to resolve by the end of the study[3],[4].
Cost – this can be around £3,600[5].
Has there been research into this treatment?
Five papers have been published which looked at this treatment.
What does the research say?
In the clinical trials, after 12 weeks, 95% of treatment-compliant participants had a reduction in Tinnitus Handicap (THI) scores and 84% had a reduction in Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) scores.[4]
These initial studies are promising, but further research is needed. Independent clinical trials, with a waiting list control group or similar will be required before bimodal neuromodulation could be established as a clinically recommended treatment for tinnitus.
Comments
Lenire® is available in the UK (through private practice only) and Europe. It has FDA approval allowing it to be sold in the USA.
Neuromod Devices Limited (the makers of Lenire®) are Corporate Members of Tinnitus UK, and have previously sponsored our Annual Conference and Tinnitus Week
Help us review more treatments
We review treatments like this so you are more informed about what's out there to treat tinnitus. Keep this service free by donating today.
Give what you canAll online references accessed 18 October 2022 unless noted.
1. Neuromod Devices Ltd. The Science of Lenire. www.lenire.com/the-science-of-lenire
2. Neuromod Devices Ltd. What is Lenire? www.lenire.com/what-is-lenire
3. Conlon B, Langguth B, Hamilton C, et al. Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study. Science Translational Medicine. (2020) 12:564. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb2830
4. Conlon B, Hamilton C, Meade E. et al. Different bimodal neuromodulation settings reduce tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized trial. Nature Scientific Reports (2022). 12, 10845 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13875-x
5. The Tinnitus Clinic. Tinnitus Lenire® TherapyTM. www.thetinnitusclinic.co.uk/tinnitus-treatment/tinnitus-lenire-therapy