You have a ringing in your ears and it’s not improving, if anything it’s getting worse. At first, you could hardly hear it. But you’ve observed how loud and constant the tinnitus sounds have become after a full day on the job at a construction site. Sometimes, it sounds like ringing or other noises. You’re thinking about coming in to see us, but you’re not sure: how is buzzing in the ears managed?
The origin of your tinnitus symptoms will greatly determine what treatment will be most suitable for you. But your own tinnitus therapy will share some common threads with others that can help you get prepared.
There are a couple of different types of tinnitus
Tinnitus is very common. The ringing or buzzing (or any number of sounds) in your ear can be caused by a variety of underlying problems. That’s why tinnitus is often divided into two categories in terms of treatment:
- Medical Tinnitus: Underlying medical issues, including ear infections, too much earwax, a growth, or other medical issues, can be the cause of tinnitus. Medical professionals will typically attempt to treat the underlying problem as their first priority.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is usually saved for tinnitus caused by damaged hearing or hearing loss. Significant, constant, and chronic tinnitus can be the outcome of hearing damage related to long term exposure to loud noise (like at your construction site). It’s usually very challenging to manage non-medical tinnitus.
The type of tinnitus you have, and the root cause of the hearing affliction, will determine the best ways to manage those symptoms.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
If your tinnitus is related to a root medical condition, it’s likely that managing your initial illness or disorder will relieve the ringing in your ears. Treatments for medical tinnitus could include:
- Hydrocortisone: Not all infections can be addressed with antibiotics. For example, antibiotics never work on viral infections. Hydrocortisone may be prescribed in these cases to treat other symptoms.
- Surgery: When your tinnitus is a result of a tumor or other growth, doctors may perform surgery to remove the mass that is causing your tinnitus, particularly if your symptoms are diminishing your quality of life.
- Antibiotics: Your doctor may prescribe you with antibiotics if your tinnitus is related to a bacterial ear infection. Once the infection clears up, it’s likely that your hearing will go back to normal.
If your tinnitus is caused by a medical problem, you’ll want to see us to receive personalized treatment options.
Treatments for non-medical tinnitus
In general, medical tinnitus is a lot easier to diagnose and treat than non-medical tinnitus. There is normally no cure for non-medical tinnitus (particularly in cases where the tinnitus is a result of hearing damage). Instead, treatment to enhance quality of life by alleviating symptoms is the normal course of action.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: You can get training that will help you learn to disregard your tinnitus sounds. This commonly used method has helped lots of individuals do just that.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices mask your tinnitus noises by generating enough white noise to allow the buzzing or ringing to fade into the background. Certain sounds can be programmed into these devices depending on what sounds your tinnitus is creating.
- Hearing aids: A hearing aid can help if your tinnitus is getting worse as your hearing gets worse. When you are dealing with hearing impairment everything outside gets quieter and that can make your tinnitus sounds seem louder. A hearing aid can help mask the sound of your tinnitus by raising the volume of everything else.
- Medications: Tinnitus is sometimes managed with experimental medication. For instance, steroids and anti-anxiety medication combinations can sometimes help decrease tinnitus symptoms. But before you make any decisions, you’ll want to talk to us.
Find what works
For most of us, it won’t be completely clear what’s triggering our tinnitus, so it’s likely you’ll have to try numerous strategies in order to successfully treat your own hearing issues. In most situations, tinnitus can’t be cured. But many different treatment options are available that could reduce the symptoms. Finding the right one for you is the trick.