Treatment of tinnitus involves diagnosing and treating the underlying cause, treatments to mask or reduce the noise, coping mechanisms, and lifestyle medications. There is no single best treatment for tinnitus. Tinnitus can be difficult to treat and often requires more than one treatment modality. Treatment options include:
- Treating the underlying cause: Treating underlying may include:
- Earwax removal
- Treating blood vessel abnormalities with medication or surgery
- Discontinuing or changing the medication that may cause tinnitus
- Noise suppression: The doctor may recommend using an electronic device to suppress the noise, such as white noise machines.
- Hearing aids: These are used to correct hearing loss.
- Masking devices: These are worn in the ear, which is similar to hearing aids, and they produce a continuous, low-level white noise that suppresses tinnitus symptoms.
- Tinnitus retraining: This is a wearable device that delivers individually programmed tonal music to mask specific frequencies of the tinnitus experienced by the patient.
- Medications: Medications cannot cure tinnitus, but medications such as tricyclic antidepressants and alprazolam may help reduce the severity of symptoms or complications.
- Nutritional supplements: These containing ginkgo Bilbao, zinc, and vitamin B may help reduce tinnitus.
What causes tinnitus?
Numerous health conditions can cause or worsen tinnitus. In many cases, an exact cause is never found.
Some common causes of tinnitus include:
- Hearing loss
- Ear block
- Exposure to loud noise
- Damage to the middle ear bones
- Meniere's disease, which is an inner ear disease that presents with tinnitus, loss of hearing, and giddiness
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders
- Head injuries or neck injuries can affect the inner ear, hearing nerves, or brain function linked to hearing, and such injuries generally cause tinnitus in only one ear
- Acoustic neuroma, which is a tumor arising from the nerve that runs from the brain to the inner ear that controls balance and hearing
- Eustachian tube dysfunction
- Muscle spasms in the inner ear
- Atherosclerosis (plaque buildup) of the blood vessels in the inner ear
- Head and neck tumors
- High blood pressure
- Turbulent blood flow in the neck
- Malformation of capillaries (tiny blood vessels) in the ear
- Certain medications
SLIDESHOW
The 14 Most Common Causes of Fatigue See SlideshowLifestyle modifications and home remedies
Tinnitus can't be completely cured. Hence, certain coping mechanisms and lifestyle modifications can help make the condition more manageable. These include:
- Avoid possible irritants that worsen tinnitus.
- Masking the noise: Tinnitus is usually worse in a quiet setting. Hence, soft music or the sound of a fan can help mask the noise due to tinnitus.
- Manage stress because stress can make tinnitus worse.
- Reduce your alcohol consumption because alcohol increases blood flow, dilating the blood vessels in the inner ear.
- Alternative therapies such as acupuncture or hypnosis may be tried, but there is not sufficient scientific evidence that they work for tinnitus.
- Counseling, education, and emotional support are often required to help the individual cope with the stress, anxiety, or depression associated with the condition. Tinnitus can affect the quality of life, ability to focus, and ability to sleep, which can result in frustration.
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Endolymphatic sac decompression surgery is done to drain excess fluid from the inner ear. After this surgery, the operated ear is covered with a Glasscock dressing, which is a special dressing applied to keep the pressure on the site to reduce swelling. There is usually some tenderness and discomfort in the operated ear and throat (from the breathing tube inserted during surgery), which may be controlled by painkillers.
Common Medical Abbreviations & Terms
Doctors, pharmacists, and other health-care professionals use abbreviations, acronyms, and other terminology for instructions and information in regard to a patient's health condition, prescription drugs they are to take, or medical procedures that have been ordered. There is no approved this list of common medical abbreviations, acronyms, and terminology used by doctors and other health- care professionals. You can use this list of medical abbreviations and acronyms written by our doctors the next time you can't understand what is on your prescription package, blood test results, or medical procedure orders. Examples include:
- ANED: Alive no evidence of disease. The patient arrived in the ER alive with no evidence of disease.
- ARF: Acute renal (kidney) failure
- cap: Capsule.
- CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. A treatment for sleep apnea.
- DJD: Degenerative joint disease. Another term for osteoarthritis.
- DM: Diabetes mellitus. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- HA: Headache
- IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease. A name for two disorders of the gastrointestinal (BI) tract, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- JT: Joint
- N/V: Nausea or vomiting.
- p.o.: By mouth. From the Latin terminology per os.
- q.i.d.: Four times daily. As in taking a medicine four times daily.
- RA: Rheumatoid arthritis
- SOB: Shortness of breath.
- T: Temperature. Temperature is recorded as part of the physical examination. It is one of the "vital signs."
Does Tinnitus Ever Go Away?
Tinnitus is when you hear ringing or other noises — like roaring or humming — in one or both ears. Many times tinnitus lasts for a few seconds to minutes, but other times it may be permanent.How Can I Stop Tinnitus Immediately?
Tinnitus — sometimes called ringing in the ears — is when you perceive sound even though there's no actual external source making that sound. You can stop tinnitus by treating the underlying cause, but there is no quick guaranteed method of curing tinnitus.How Do I Make My Ears Stop Ringing?
Tinnitus is when you hear unexplained sounds in your ears even though there's no actual noise externally. You make your ears stop ringing by addressing the underlying cause.
Who Is Most Affected by Tinnitus?
Learn what medical treatments can help ease your tinnitus symptoms and help you manage this condition. What is tinnitus and what are the main causes of tinnitus? Learn more about this tinnitus and what you can do about tinnitus.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is described as a throbbing, ringing, clicking, or buzzing in one or both ears. Tinnitus is caused by trauma to the ear, over exposure to loud noises, medication, and diseases or infections of the ear such as multiple sclerosis, TMJ, autistic neruoma, Meniere's disease, hearing loss, and aging. Treatments include medication, tinnitus masking, retraining therapy, and relief therapy.
Tinnitus Quiz
Is tinnitus just a nuisance or a symptom of a serious medical condition? Take the Tinnitus Quiz to find out!
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How Do You Get Rid of Ringing in the Ears (Tinnitus)?
Tinnitus is not a condition in itself, but a symptom of some other condition that causes a high-pitched whine, a ringing, buzzing or clicking in the ears. It can come from any number of problems starting with the eardrum and cochlea – the organs that turn sound waves into electrical signals for the brain to interpret as sound.
What Is an Endolymphatic Shunt?
An endolymphatic shunt is a surgical procedure that involves placing a small silicone tube in the inner ear to drain excess fluid. This procedure can reverse damage to the ear due to fluid buildup.