You have a ringing in your ears and it’s not getting any better, if anything it’s getting worse. At first, you could hardly notice it. But after being at the construction site all day (for work), you’ve realized just how loud (and how relentless) that buzzing has become. These sounds can take many forms, like ringing, buzzing, or any number of sounds. You don’t know if you should contact 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 significantly on the source of your hearing issues. But there are certain common threads that can help you get ready for your own tinnitus therapy.
There are a couple of different kinds of tinnitus
Tinnitus is not uncommon. There can be a variety of causes for the ringing (or whatever tinnitus noises you’re hearing). So when it comes to treatment, tinnitus is usually split into one of two categories:
- Medical Tinnitus: Some tinnitus symptoms are caused by an inherent medical issue, such as an ear infection, excessive earwax, or a growth, among other conditions. Medical providers will usually try to treat the root issue as their first priority.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is generally reserved for tinnitus caused by hearing damage or hearing impairment. As time passes, exposure to damaging noise (like the noise at your construction site) can cause persistent, significant, and chronic tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus is usually more challenging to manage.
The type of tinnitus you have, and the underlying cause of the hearing ailment, will determine the best ways to manage those symptoms.
Treating medical tinnitus
If your tinnitus is a result of a root medical ailment, it’s likely that managing your original illness or ailment will alleviate the ringing in your ears. Here are some treatments for medical tinnitus:
- Hydrocortisone: Not all infections can be addressed with antibiotics. Viral infections, for instance, never respond to antibiotic solutions. Hydrocortisone may be prescribed in these situations to treat other symptoms.
- Antibiotics: Your doctor might prescribe you with antibiotics if your tinnitus is related to a bacterial ear infection. Your tinnitus symptoms will probably disappear when the infection clears up.
- Surgery: Doctors might decide to perform surgery to eliminate any tumor or growth that might be causing your tinnitus symptoms.
If your tinnitus is caused by a medical problem, you’ll want to contact us to get personalized treatment options.
Treatments for non-medical tinnitus
In general, 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 impairment. Instead, treatment to enhance quality of life by relieving symptoms is the normal strategy.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices mask your tinnitus noises by producing enough white noise to allow the buzzing or ringing to fade into the background. These devices can be calibrated to generate certain sounds designed to offset your tinnitus symptoms.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: In some instances, you can be trained to ignore the sounds of your tinnitus. This frequently utilized strategy has helped lots of individuals do just that.
- Medications: Tinnitus is in some cases managed with experimental medication. For instance, steroids and anti-anxiety medication combinations can sometimes help decrease tinnitus symptoms. Still, you’ll want to speak with us before making any decisions about medications.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus becomes more dominant as your hearing wanes, a hearing aid may help you control the symptoms of both conditions. When you have hearing impairment everything outside becomes quieter and that can make your tinnitus noises seem louder. A hearing aid can help hide the sound of your tinnitus by raising the volume of everything else.
Find what works
In order to successfully treat your hearing issues you will most likely need to try out several approaches as the exact cause of your tinnitus probably won’t be obvious. In most situations, tinnitus can’t be cured. But there are many treatments available. Finding the best one for you is the trick.
