The buzzing in your ear keeps worsening. At first, you could barely notice it. But after being at the construction site all day (for work), you’ve realized just how noisy (and how persistent) that buzzing has become. These noises can take many forms, such as ringing, buzzing, or any number of noises. You’re considering coming in to see us, but you’re wondering: how is ringing in the ears treated?
The source of your tinnitus symptoms will significantly establish what approach will be right for you. But your own tinnitus therapy will share some common threads with others that can help you get prepared.
What type of tinnitus do you have?
Tinnitus is extremely common. The buzzing or ringing (or any number of sounds) in your ear can be caused by a variety of root issues. That’s why tinnitus is often split into two categories in terms of treatment:
- Medical Tinnitus: Some tinnitus symptoms are caused by an inherent medical issue, like an ear infection, excessive earwax, or a growth, among other conditions. Managing the root medical problem will normally be the priority of your medical professional.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is generally reserved for tinnitus caused by hearing damage or hearing impairment. Significant, constant, and chronic tinnitus can be the outcome of hearing damage caused by long term exposure to loud noise (like at your construction site). It’s normally very difficult to treat non-medical tinnitus.
The best way to manage your symptoms will be determined by the root cause of your hearing problem and the type of tinnitus you’re experiencing.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
If your tinnitus is a result of a root medical condition, it’s likely that managing your original illness or disorder will alleviate the ringing in your ears. Here are a few treatments for medical tinnitus:
- Antibiotics: If your tinnitus is related to an ear infection (that is, a bacterial ear infection), your doctor might prescribe antibiotics. Once the infection clears up, it’s likely that your hearing will return to normal.
- Surgery: Doctors might decide to do surgery to get rid of any tumor or growth that might be causing your tinnitus symptoms.
- Hydrocortisone: Not all infections can be addressed with antibiotics. For example, antibiotics never work on viral infections. Hydrocortisone may be prescribed in these situations to manage other symptoms.
If your tinnitus is related to a medical issue, you’ll want to contact us to receive individualized treatment options.
Non-medical tinnitus treatment options
Usually, medical tinnitus is much easier to diagnose and treat than non-medical tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus has no cure especially if it’s related to hearing loss. Instead, treatment to improve quality of life by relieving symptoms is the normal course of action.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus becomes more prominent as your hearing wanes, a hearing aid may help you manage the symptoms of both conditions. The tinnitus symptoms probably seem louder because everything else becomes quieter (because of hearing loss). A hearing aid can help mask the sound of your tinnitus by amping up the volume of everything else.
- 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 noises your tinnitus is creating.
- Medications: Tinnitus is sometimes treated with experimental medication. As an example, tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be reduced by combinations of anti-anxiety medication and steroids. Still, you’ll want to speak with us before making any decisions about medications.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: You can obtain training that will help you learn to ignore your tinnitus sounds. This commonly used method has helped many individuals do just that.
Find what works
In order to effectively treat your hearing issues 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 many treatments available. Finding the right one for you is the trick.
