The buzzing in your ear keeps getting worse. At first, you could barely notice it. But after spending all day at the construction site (for work), you’ve noticed just how noisy (and how persistent) that buzzing has become. These sounds can take many forms, such as ringing, buzzing, or any number of noises. You don’t know if you should come in and see us or how ringing in your ears could even be addressed.
The treatment of tinnitus (that’s what that buzzing is called) will differ from person to person and depend greatly on the source of your hearing issues. But your own tinnitus treatment will share some common threads with others that can help you get prepared.
What kind of tinnitus are you experiencing?
Tinnitus is very common. There can be a number of causes for the ringing (or whatever tinnitus sounds you’re hearing). So when it comes to treatment, tinnitus is usually divided into one of two categories:
- Medical Tinnitus: Underlying medical problems, including ear infections, excessive earwax, a growth, or other medical problems, can be the cause of tinnitus. Dealing with the root medical problem will usually be the priority of your medical professional.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is usually saved for tinnitus caused by damaged hearing or hearing impairment. Over time, exposure to damaging noise (like the noise at your construction site) can cause persistent, significant, and chronic tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus is usually more challenging to manage.
The best way to manage your symptoms will be determined by the underlying cause of your hearing issue and the kind of tinnitus you’re experiencing.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
Your medical tinnitus symptoms will typically clear up when the root medical issue is treated. Treatments for medical tinnitus may include:
- Surgery: When your tinnitus is triggered by a tumor or other growth, doctors could perform surgery to remove the mass that is causing your tinnitus, especially if your symptoms are decreasing your quality of life.
- Hydrocortisone: Certain kinds of infections will not respond to antibiotics. For instance, antibiotics never work on viral infections. In these situations, your doctor might prescribe hydrocortisone to help you control other symptoms.
- Antibiotics: If your tinnitus is caused by an ear infection (that is, a bacterial ear infection), your doctor might prescribe antibiotics. Once the infection goes away, it’s likely that your hearing will go back to normal.
If your tinnitus is a result of a medical problem, you’ll want to see us to receive personalized treatment options.
Non-medical tinnitus treatment options
In general, 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 strategy.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus becomes more prominent as your hearing wanes, a hearing aid may help you manage the symptoms of both conditions. When you are dealing with hearing impairment everything externally gets quieter and that can make your tinnitus noises seem louder. When you utilize a hearing aid it boosts the volume of the external world making your tinnitus sounds seem quieter.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: In some circumstances, you can be trained to disregard the sounds of your tinnitus. This widely used method has helped many people do just that.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices mask your tinnitus sounds by generating 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.
- Medications: Tinnitus is sometimes managed with experimental medication. As an example, tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be decreased by mixtures of anti-anxiety medication and steroids. Still, you’ll want to speak with us before making any decisions about medications.
Find what works
In order to successfully treat your hearing problems you will probably need to explore several approaches as the exact cause of your tinnitus probably won’t be clear. Depending on the source of your ringing or buzzing, there might not be a cure for your tinnitus. But there are numerous treatments available. The trick is identifying the one that works for you.