You have a buzzing in your ears and it’s not improving, if anything it’s getting worse. At first, you could hardly hear it. But you’ve noticed how loud and persistent the tinnitus sounds have become after a full day on the job at a construction site. These noises can take many forms, like 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 managed?
The source of your tinnitus symptoms will significantly establish what approach will be most appropriate for you. But your own tinnitus treatment will share some common threads with others that can help you get prepared.
What type of tinnitus do you have?
Tinnitus is not uncommon. There can be a variety of causes for the ringing (or whatever tinnitus noises you’re hearing). That’s why tinnitus is normally divided into two categories in terms of treatment:
- Medical Tinnitus: Underlying medical problems, including ear infections, excessive earwax, a growth, or other medical problems, can be the cause of tinnitus. Treating the underlying medical issue will usually 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. As time passes, exposure to harmful noise (like the noise at your construction site) can cause persistent, significant, and chronic tinnitus. It’s usually very challenging to treat non-medical tinnitus.
The type of tinnitus you have, and the root cause of the hearing affliction, will establish the best ways to treat those symptoms.
Treating medical tinnitus
If your tinnitus is caused by a root medical condition, it’s likely that managing your initial illness or disorder will alleviate the ringing in your ears. Treatments for medical tinnitus may include:
- Hydrocortisone: Certain kinds of infections will not respond to antibiotics. For instance, antibiotics never work on viral infections. In these cases, your doctor may prescribe hydrocortisone to help you manage other symptoms.
- Surgery: Doctors may decide to perform surgery to get rid of any tumor or growth that might be causing your tinnitus symptoms.
- Antibiotics: Your doctor might prescribe you with antibiotics if your tinnitus is caused by a bacterial ear infection. Your tinnitus symptoms will probably go-away when the infection clears up.
If your tinnitus is a result of a medical problem, you’ll want to contact us to get personalized treatment options.
Non-medical tinnitus treatments
The causes of non-medical tinnitus are frequently much more difficult to diagnose and manage than is typically the case with medical tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus has no cure especially if it’s caused by hearing loss. Treatments, instead highlight relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus becomes more dominant as your hearing wanes, a hearing aid could help you control the symptoms of both ailments. The tinnitus symptoms will likely seem louder because everything else gets quieter (because of hearing loss). A hearing aid can help hide the sound of your tinnitus by raising the volume of everything else.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices hide your tinnitus noises 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 noises your tinnitus is creating.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: You can get training that will help you learn to ignore your tinnitus sounds. This frequently used method has helped many individuals do just that.
- Medications: There are some experimental medicines available for dealing with tinnitus. For instance, steroids and anti-anxiety medication mixtures can sometimes help decrease tinnitus symptoms. But before you make any decisions, you’ll want to speak with 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 need to try numerous approaches in order to effectively treat your own hearing problems. In most situations, tinnitus can’t be cured. But there are numerous treatments available. The trick is identifying the one that works for you.