The ringing in your ear keeps getting worse. At first, you could barely hear it. But you’ve observed how loud and persistent the tinnitus noises have become after a full day on the job at a construction site. These noises can take many forms, like ringing, buzzing, or any number of sounds. You don’t know if you should come in and see us or how ringing in your ears could even be addressed.
The source of your tinnitus symptoms will substantially establish what treatment will be most suitable for you. But your own tinnitus treatment will share some common threads with others that can help you get ready.
What kind of tinnitus do you have?
Tinnitus is not unusual. There can be a number 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: Inherent medical problems, including ear infections, too much earwax, a growth, or other medical problems, can be the cause of tinnitus. Managing the root medical problem will normally be the priority of your medical professional.
- 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 (such as the noise at your construction site) can cause constant, severe, and chronic tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus is often more challenging to treat.
The best way to treat your symptoms will be determined by the root cause of your hearing problem and the kind of tinnitus you have.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
Your medical tinnitus symptoms will typically improve when the underlying medical problem is treated. Treatments for medical tinnitus may include:
- Hydrocortisone: Not all infections can be treated with antibiotics. Viral infections, for instance, never respond to antibiotic treatments. Hydrocortisone may be prescribed in these cases to manage other symptoms.
- Antibiotics: If your tinnitus is related to an ear infection (that is, a bacterial ear infection), your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Once the infection clears up, it’s likely that your hearing will return to normal.
- 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 personalize a tinnitus treatment plan, particularly if you’re coping with medical tinnitus.
Treatments for non-medical tinnitus
Usually, medical tinnitus is a lot easier to diagnose and manage than non-medical tinnitus. There is usually no cure for non-medical tinnitus (especially in situations where the tinnitus is caused by hearing damage). Treatments, instead highlight relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: In some situations, you can be trained to disregard the noises of your tinnitus. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a commonly used method created to help you achieve just that.
- Medications: There are some experimental medicines available for dealing with tinnitus. For example, steroids and anti-anxiety medication mixtures can sometimes help decrease tinnitus symptoms. But before you make any decisions, you’ll want to speak with us.
- 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. Specific sounds can be programmed into these devices depending on what noises your tinnitus is producing.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus becomes more prominent as your hearing diminishes, a hearing aid could help you control the symptoms of both conditions. The tinnitus symptoms probably seem louder because everything else gets quieter (because of hearing impairment). When you use a hearing aid it raises the volume of the external world making your tinnitus noises seem quieter.
Find what works
In order to effectively treat your hearing issues you will probably need to explore several strategies as the exact cause of your tinnitus probably won’t be clear. In most cases, tinnitus can’t be cured. But there are numerous treatments available. The trick is identifying the one that works for you.
