You have a buzzing in your ears and it’s not improving, if anything it’s getting worse. At first, you could hardly notice it. But you’ve observed how loud and constant the tinnitus noises have become after an entire 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 buzzing in the ears addressed?
The treatment of tinnitus (that’s what that ringing is called) will vary from person to person and depend considerably 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 not uncommon. The ringing or buzzing (or any number of sounds) in your ear can be caused by a variety of underlying problems. So when it comes to treatment, tinnitus is often divided into one of two categories:
- Medical Tinnitus: Some tinnitus symptoms are caused by an underlying medical problem, like an ear infection, too much earwax, or a growth, among other ailments. Managing the root medical problem will normally be the priority of your medical professional.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: Tinnitus that is related to hearing damage or hearing impairment is usually known as “non-medical” tinnitus. Over time, exposure to damaging noise (like the noise at your construction site) can cause constant, severe, and chronic tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus is often more difficult to treat.
The best way to treat your symptoms will be determined by the underlying cause of your hearing problem and the type of tinnitus you have.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
If your tinnitus is caused by an underlying medical ailment, it’s likely that treating your original illness or ailment will alleviate the ringing in your ears. Here are a few treatments for medical tinnitus:
- Surgery: When your tinnitus is a result of 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.
- Hydrocortisone: Some kinds of infections will not respond to antibiotics. Viral infections, for instance, never respond to antibiotic treatments. In these situations, your doctor might 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 probably disappear when the infection clears.
If your tinnitus is related to a medical issue, you’ll want to see us to receive personalized treatment options.
Treatments for non-medical tinnitus
Usually, medical tinnitus is much easier to diagnose and treat than non-medical tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus has no cure particularly if it’s related to hearing loss. Instead, treatment to enhance quality of life by alleviating symptoms is the normal strategy.
- Noise-masking devices: Often referred to as “white noise machines,” these devices are created to supply enough sound to minimize your ability to hear the buzzing or ringing caused by your tinnitus. Certain sounds can be programmed into these devices depending on what noises your tinnitus is generating.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: You can obtain training that will help you learn to ignore your tinnitus sounds. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a commonly utilized strategy created to help you reach just that.
- Medications: Tinnitus is in some cases treated with experimental medication. For example, steroids and anti-anxiety medication combinations can sometimes help reduce tinnitus symptoms. But before you make any decisions, you’ll want to talk to us.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus turns out to be more dominant as your hearing wanes, a hearing aid could help you control the symptoms of both ailments. When you are dealing with hearing impairment everything externally gets quieter and that can make your tinnitus sounds seem louder. A hearing aid can help hide the sound of your tinnitus by amping up the volume of everything else.
Find what works
In order to successfully treat your hearing issues you will most likely need to explore several approaches as the exact cause of your tinnitus probably won’t be obvious. In most cases, tinnitus can’t be cured. But there are various treatments available. Finding the best one for you is the trick.
