The buzzing in your ear keeps getting worse. At first, you could barely hear it. But after spending all day at the construction site (for work), you’ve realized just how noisy (and how persistent) that buzzing has become. These sounds can take many forms, like ringing, buzzing, or any number of noises. You don’t know if you should contact us or how ringing in your ears could even be treated.
The origin of your tinnitus symptoms will greatly determine what treatment will be most appropriate for you. But there are certain common threads that can help you prepare for your own tinnitus treatment.
What kind of tinnitus do you have?
Tinnitus is extremely common. There can be a variety of causes for the ringing (or whatever tinnitus noises you’re hearing). So in terms of treatment, tinnitus is usually split into one of two categories:
- Medical Tinnitus: Some tinnitus symptoms are caused by an inherent medical problem, like an ear infection, too much earwax, or a growth, among other ailments. Managing the underlying medical issue will usually be the priority of your medical professional.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is usually saved for tinnitus caused by hearing damage or hearing impairment. Over time, exposure to harmful noise (like the noise at your construction site) can cause constant, significant, and chronic tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus is usually more challenging to manage.
The best way to treat your symptoms will be determined by the root cause of your hearing issue and the kind of tinnitus you have.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
If your tinnitus is related to a root medical condition, it’s likely that managing your original illness or disorder will alleviate the ringing in your ears. Here are some treatments for medical tinnitus:
- Hydrocortisone: Not all infections can be treated with antibiotics. For example, antibiotics never work on viral infections. In these situations, your doctor may prescribe hydrocortisone to help you manage other symptoms.
- Antibiotics: Your doctor might prescribe you with antibiotics if your tinnitus is caused by a bacterial ear infection. Your tinnitus symptoms will most likely go-away when the infection clears.
- Surgery: Doctors may decide to perform surgery to get rid of any tumor or growth that might be causing your tinnitus symptoms.
If your tinnitus is caused by a medical problem, you’ll want to contact us to get individualized treatment options.
Non-medical tinnitus treatments
Typically, medical tinnitus is a lot easier to diagnose and manage than non-medical tinnitus. There is usually no cure for non-medical tinnitus (especially in cases where the tinnitus is a result of hearing damage). Instead, treatment to enhance quality of life by relieving symptoms is the normal course of action.
- Medications: There are some experimental medications available for dealing with tinnitus. For instance, steroids and anti-anxiety medication combinations can sometimes help minimize tinnitus symptoms. Still, you’ll want to talk to us before making any decisions about medications.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus turns out to be more dominant as your hearing wanes, a hearing aid may help you manage the symptoms of both ailments. When you have hearing loss everything externally becomes quieter and that can make your tinnitus noises seem louder. A hearing aid can help mask the sound of your tinnitus by amping up the volume of everything else.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: You can get training that will help you learn to ignore your tinnitus sounds. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a commonly utilized method designed to help you achieve just that.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices mask your tinnitus sounds by producing enough white noise to allow the buzzing or ringing to fade into the background. Specific sounds can be tuned into these devices depending on what sounds your tinnitus is creating.
Find what works
In order to effectively treat your hearing problems you will most likely need to try out several strategies as the exact cause of your tinnitus probably won’t be obvious. In most cases, tinnitus can’t be cured. But numerous different treatments are available that could reduce the symptoms. The trick is finding the one that works for you.