The buzzing in your ear keeps getting worse. 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. At times, it sounds like ringing or other sounds. You’re considering coming in to see us, but you’re not sure: how is buzzing in the ears addressed?
The management of tinnitus (that’s what that ringing is called) will differ from person to person and depend substantially on the source of your hearing problems. But there are some common threads that can help you prepare for your own tinnitus therapy.
There are a couple of different kinds of tinnitus
Tinnitus is not uncommon. There can be numerous causes for the ringing (or whatever tinnitus sounds you’re hearing). 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 issue, such as an ear infection, excessive earwax, or a growth, among other conditions. Medical professionals will usually attempt to treat the underlying problem as their primary priority.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is generally reserved for tinnitus caused by damaged hearing 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). It’s normally very challenging to treat non-medical tinnitus.
The kind of tinnitus you have, and the underlying cause of the hearing affliction, will establish the best ways to treat those symptoms.
Treating medical tinnitus
Your medical tinnitus symptoms will typically go away when the underlying medical issue is treated. Here are a few treatments for medical tinnitus:
- Hydrocortisone: Certain types of infections will not respond to antibiotics. Viral infections, for example, never respond to antibiotic solutions. In these situations, your doctor might prescribe hydrocortisone to help you control other symptoms.
- Surgery: Doctors might decide to perform surgery to eliminate any tumor or growth that might be causing your tinnitus symptoms.
- Antibiotics: Your doctor might prescribe you with antibiotics if your tinnitus is caused by a bacterial ear infection. Once the infection goes away, it’s likely that your hearing will return to normal.
You’ll want to make an appointment to get a consultation so we personalize a tinnitus treatment plan, particularly if you’re dealing with medical tinnitus.
Managing non-medical tinnitus
Usually, medical tinnitus is a lot easier to diagnose and manage than non-medical tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus has no cure especially if it’s related to hearing loss. Treatments, instead highlight treating symptoms and improving the quality of life.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices hide your tinnitus noises by generating enough white noise to allow the buzzing or ringing to fade into the background. Certain sounds can be tuned into these devices depending on what noises your tinnitus is creating.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: You can obtain training that will help you learn to ignore your tinnitus sounds. This frequently utilized strategy has helped lots of individuals do just that.
- Medications: There are some experimental medications available for dealing with tinnitus. For example, steroids and anti-anxiety medication combinations can sometimes help reduce tinnitus symptoms. However, you’ll want to talk to us before making any decisions about medications.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus becomes more prominent as your hearing diminishes, a hearing aid could help you control the symptoms of both conditions. When you have hearing loss everything externally gets quieter and that can make your tinnitus noises seem louder. When you utilize a hearing aid it raises the volume of the outside world making your tinnitus noises seem quieter.
Find what works
For the majority of us, it won’t be completely clear what’s causing our tinnitus, so it’s likely you’ll have to attempt numerous strategies in order to effectively treat your own hearing problems. Depending on the source of your ringing or buzzing, there may not be a cure for your tinnitus. But there are various treatments available. Finding the right one for you is the trick.
