You have a buzzing in your ears and it’s not getting any better, if anything it’s getting worse. It started off quietly enough, one of those “is it really there” kind of situations. But after spending all day at the construction site (for work), you’ve realized just how noisy (and how persistent) that buzzing has become. At times, it sounds like ringing or other sounds. You don’t know if you should come in and see us or how ringing in your ears could even be treated.
The management of tinnitus (that’s what that buzzing is called) will differ from person to person and depend substantially on the origin of your hearing problems. But your own tinnitus therapy will share some common threads with others that can help you get prepared.
What kind of tinnitus do you have?
Tinnitus is not unusual. The ringing or buzzing (or any number of noises) in your ear can be caused by various root problems. So when it comes to treatment, tinnitus is normally divided into one of two categories:
- Medical Tinnitus: Inherent medical issues, including ear infections, excessive earwax, a growth, or other medical issues, can be the cause of tinnitus. Medical providers will usually try to treat the root problem as their main priority.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is usually reserved for tinnitus caused by hearing damage or hearing loss. Severe, 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 normally very challenging to treat non-medical tinnitus.
The type of tinnitus you have, and the root cause of the hearing condition, will establish the best ways to treat those symptoms.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
Your medical tinnitus symptoms will usually improve when the root medical issue is treated. Treatments for medical tinnitus may include:
- Antibiotics: If your tinnitus is caused by an ear infection (that is, a bacterial ear infection), your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Once the infection clears up, it’s likely that your hearing will go back to normal.
- Hydrocortisone: Some types of infections will not react to antibiotics. Viral infections, for instance, never respond to antibiotic solutions. In these cases, your doctor might prescribe hydrocortisone to help you control other symptoms.
- 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, particularly if your symptoms are decreasing your quality of life.
If your tinnitus is related to a medical issue, you’ll want to contact us to receive individualized treatment options.
Treatments for non-medical tinnitus
The causes of non-medical tinnitus are frequently a lot harder to diagnose and treat than is typically the case with medical tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus has no cure especially if it’s caused by hearing impairment. Instead, treatment to improve quality of life by alleviating symptoms is the normal course of action.
- Medications: Tinnitus is sometimes treated with experimental medication. For instance, steroids and anti-anxiety medication mixtures can sometimes help reduce tinnitus symptoms. But before you make any decisions, you’ll want to talk to us.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices hide your tinnitus sounds by creating enough white noise to allow the buzzing or ringing to fade into the background. Specific sounds can be programmed into these devices depending on what sounds your tinnitus is generating.
- Hearing aids: A hearing aid can help if your tinnitus is getting worse as your hearing gets worse. The tinnitus symptoms will likely seem louder because everything else becomes quieter (because of hearing impairment). When you utilize a hearing aid it raises the volume of the external world making your tinnitus noises seem quieter.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: In some cases, you can be trained to disregard the noises of your tinnitus. This commonly used strategy has helped many people do just that.
Find what works
In order to effectively treat your hearing problems you will probably need to explore several strategies as the exact cause of your tinnitus most likely won’t be obvious. In most cases, tinnitus can’t be cured. But many different treatments are available that could reduce the symptoms. Finding the right one for you is the trick.
