Burning Mouth Syndrome: Open Trial of Psychotherapy Alone, Medication with Alpha-lipoic Acid (thioctic Acid), and Combination Therapy

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 two hour sessions weekly for two months; alpha lipoic acid (ALA, tioctic acid; Tiobec) 600 mg/day alone for two months; or combination therapy of psychoanalysis and 600 mg/day ALA for two months. Controls received placebo alone.

Results: Most benefit was obtained with combination therapy. Combination therapy of psychoanalysis and alpha lipoic acid (ALA, tioctic acid; Tiobec. 600 mg/day) for two months gave most benefit and significantly more than psychoanalysis alone for two 1 hour sessions weekly for two months (p<0.0005), or ALA 600 mg/day alone for two months (p<0.0005).

Conclusion: The present results suggest that alpha lipoic acid may complement psychotherapy and can be an acceptable alternative to psychoactive agents, but trials to compare the two approaches are now warranted.