The ringing 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 persistent) that buzzing has become. Sometimes, it sounds like ringing or other sounds. You’re considering coming in to see us, but you’re wondering: how is buzzing in the ears treated?
The treatment of tinnitus (that’s what that ringing is called) will vary from person to person and depend greatly on the origin of your hearing problems. But there are some common threads that can help you get ready for your own tinnitus treatment.
What kind of tinnitus are you experiencing?
Tinnitus is extremely common. The buzzing or ringing (or any number of sounds) in your ear can be caused by a number of underlying problems. That’s why tinnitus is normally split into two categories in terms of treatment:
- Medical Tinnitus: Some tinnitus symptoms are caused by an inherent medical problem, like an ear infection, excessive earwax, or a growth, among other ailments. Medical providers will typically try to treat the root issue as their first priority.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is usually reserved for tinnitus caused by damaged hearing or hearing loss. Severe, constant, and chronic tinnitus can be the outcome of hearing damage caused by long term exposure to loud noise (like at your construction site). Non-medical tinnitus is usually more challenging to manage.
The best way to treat your symptoms will be determined by the underlying cause of your hearing issue and the kind of tinnitus you have.
Treating medical tinnitus
If your tinnitus is caused by a root medical condition, it’s likely that managing your initial illness or ailment will alleviate the ringing in your ears. Treatments for medical tinnitus could include:
- Antibiotics: If your tinnitus is caused by an ear infection (that is, a bacterial ear infection), your doctor might prescribe antibiotics. Your tinnitus symptoms will most likely disappear when the infection clears.
- Surgery: When your tinnitus is a result of a tumor or other growth, doctors could do surgery to remove the mass that’s causing your tinnitus, particularly if your symptoms are diminishing your quality of life.
- Hydrocortisone: Not all infections can be addressed with antibiotics. Viral infections, for instance, never respond to antibiotic solutions. Hydrocortisone may be prescribed in these cases to manage other symptoms.
You’ll want to schedule an appointment to get a consultation so we personalize a tinnitus treatment plan, particularly if you’re dealing with medical tinnitus.
Non-medical tinnitus treatment options
The causes of non-medical tinnitus are frequently a lot harder to identify and treat than is typically the case with medical tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus has no cure particularly if it’s related to hearing loss. Treatments, instead focus on treating symptoms and improving the quality of life.
- Medications: Tinnitus is in some cases managed with experimental medication. As an example, tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be reduced by mixtures of anti-anxiety medication and steroids. But before you make any decisions, you’ll want to speak with us.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices hide your tinnitus noises by creating enough white noise to allow the buzzing or ringing to fade into the background. These devices can be attenuated to produce specific sounds designed to offset your tinnitus symptoms.
- Hearing aids: A hearing aid can help if your tinnitus is becoming worse as your hearing worsens. The tinnitus symptoms probably seem louder because everything else gets quieter (due to hearing impairment). A hearing aid can help hide the sound of your tinnitus by raising the volume of everything else.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: In some situations, you can be trained to ignore the sounds of your tinnitus. This commonly utilized strategy has helped lots of individuals do just that.
Find what works
In order to successfully treat your hearing issues you will probably need to try out several strategies as the exact cause of your tinnitus probably won’t be clear. In most cases, tinnitus can’t be cured. But numerous different treatments are available that could reduce the symptoms. Finding the right one for you is the trick.