You have a buzzing in your ears and it’s not improving, if anything it’s getting worse. At first, you could hardly hear 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. Sometimes, it sounds like ringing or other noises. You don’t know if you should come in and see us or how ringing in your ears could even be treated.
The management of tinnitus (that’s what that ringing is called) will differ from person to person and depend substantially on the origin of your hearing problems. But there are certain common threads that can help you get ready for your own tinnitus treatment.
What kind of tinnitus do you have?
Tinnitus is very common. There can be a variety of causes for the ringing (or whatever tinnitus noises you’re hearing). So in terms of treatment, tinnitus is often divided into one of two categories:
- Medical Tinnitus: Some tinnitus symptoms are caused by an inherent medical issue, such as an ear infection, too much earwax, or a growth, among other conditions. Treating the root medical issue will usually be the priority of your medical professional.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is generally reserved for tinnitus caused by hearing damage or hearing loss. Over time, exposure to damaging noise (like the noise at your construction site) can cause constant, severe, and chronic tinnitus. It’s normally very difficult to manage non-medical tinnitus.
The type of tinnitus you have, and the underlying cause of the hearing ailment, will establish the best ways to treat those symptoms.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
Your medical tinnitus symptoms will usually improve when the root medical issue is addressed. Treatments for medical tinnitus may include:
- Antibiotics: If your tinnitus is related to an ear infection (that is, a bacterial ear infection), your doctor might prescribe antibiotics. Your tinnitus symptoms will probably go-away when the infection clears.
- Hydrocortisone: Some types of infections will not respond to antibiotics. For instance, antibiotics never work on viral infections. Hydrocortisone may be prescribed in these cases to treat other symptoms.
- Surgery: Doctors may decide to perform surgery to remove any tumor or growth that could be causing your tinnitus symptoms.
You’ll want to schedule an appointment to come see us so we customize a tinnitus treatment plan, especially if you’re coping with medical tinnitus.
Non-medical tinnitus treatment options
Typically, medical tinnitus is much easier to diagnose and treat than non-medical tinnitus. There’s usually no cure for non-medical tinnitus (particularly in cases where the tinnitus is a result of hearing damage). Treatments, instead highlight treating symptoms and improving the quality of life.
- Medications: Tinnitus is in some cases treated with experimental medication. For instance, steroids and anti-anxiety medication combinations can sometimes help reduce tinnitus symptoms. But before you make any decisions, you’ll want to speak with us.
- Noise-masking devices: Often called “white noise machines,” these devices are created to supply enough sound to minimize your ability to hear the buzzing or ringing due to your tinnitus. These devices can be attenuated to produce certain sounds designed to balance out your tinnitus symptoms.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: You can obtain training that will help you learn to ignore your tinnitus sounds. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a widely used method created to help you achieve just that.
- Hearing aids: A hearing aid can help if your tinnitus is becoming worse as your hearing gets worse. When you are dealing with hearing loss everything outside gets quieter and that can make your tinnitus sounds seem louder. A hearing aid can help mask the sound of your tinnitus by amping up the volume of everything else.
Find what works
In order to effectively treat your hearing issues you will most likely need to try out several strategies as the exact cause of your tinnitus probably won’t be obvious. In most situations, tinnitus can’t be cured. But numerous different treatment options are available that could reduce the symptoms. The trick is finding the one that works for you.
Lyric can offer 24/7 Tinnitus Relief
- 100% Invisible
- Once placed, Lyric is 100% invisible
- Effortless Hearing, 24/7
- Lyric can be used during your daily activities, such as exercising, showering, talking on the phone, and sleeping.
- There are no batteries to change, no maintenance is needed, and no daily insertion or removal is required.
- Natural Sound Quality
- Lyric’s placement deep in the ear canal allows the outer ear (the pinna) to direct sound into the ear canal naturally, resulting in reduced background noise and feedback, and exceptional sound quality
