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 relentless) that buzzing has become. These sounds can take many forms, such as ringing, buzzing, or any number of sounds. You’re considering coming in to see us, but you’re not sure: how is buzzing in the ears addressed?
The treatment of tinnitus (that’s what that buzzing is called) will differ from person to person and depend substantially on the source of your hearing issues. But your own tinnitus therapy will share some common threads with others that can help you get ready.
There are a couple of different kinds of tinnitus
Tinnitus is not unusual. The ringing or buzzing (or any number of noises) in your ear can be caused by a variety of underlying problems. So in terms of treatment, tinnitus is normally split into one of two categories:
- Medical Tinnitus: Inherent medical problems, including ear infections, too much earwax, a growth, or other medical problems, can be the cause of tinnitus. Treating the underlying medical issue will normally be the priority of your medical professional.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is generally saved for tinnitus caused by hearing damage or hearing impairment. Severe, persistent, and chronic tinnitus can be the outcome of hearing damage related to long term exposure to loud noise (like at your construction site). Non-medical tinnitus is often more difficult to treat.
The kind of tinnitus you have, and the root cause of the hearing affliction, will establish the best ways to treat those symptoms.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
Your medical tinnitus symptoms will usually clear up when the underlying medical issue is treated. Here are some treatments for medical tinnitus:
- Hydrocortisone: Certain kinds of infections will not react to antibiotics. Viral infections, for example, never respond to antibiotic solutions. In these cases, your doctor might prescribe hydrocortisone to help you manage other symptoms.
- Antibiotics: If your tinnitus is a result of an ear infection (that is, a bacterial ear infection), your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Your tinnitus symptoms will probably go-away when the infection clears.
- Surgery: When your tinnitus is related to a tumor or other growth, doctors may do surgery to remove the mass that’s causing your tinnitus, especially if your symptoms are diminishing your quality of life.
If your tinnitus is a result of a medical issue, you’ll want to see us to receive individualized treatment options.
Non-medical tinnitus treatments
The causes of non-medical tinnitus are frequently a lot more difficult to identify and manage than is typically the case with medical tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus has no cure particularly if it’s related to hearing loss. Treatments, instead highlight alleviating symptoms and improving the quality of life.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: You can get training that will help you learn to disregard your tinnitus sounds. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a commonly utilized strategy created to help you achieve just that.
- Noise-masking devices: Sometimes referred to as “white noise machines,” these devices are designed to provide enough sound to minimize your ability to hear the ringing or buzzing brought on by your tinnitus. These devices can be calibrated to produce specific sounds created to offset your tinnitus symptoms.
- Medications: Tinnitus is in some cases treated with experimental medication. As an example, tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be decreased by mixtures of anti-anxiety medication and steroids. But before you make any decisions, you’ll want to talk to us.
- Hearing aids: A hearing aid can help if your tinnitus is becoming worse as your hearing worsens. 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.
Find what works
For the majority of us, it won’t be immediately 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 issues. In most situations, tinnitus can’t be cured. But numerous different treatments are available that could decrease the symptoms. Finding the best one for you is the trick.