Just as there are many causes of tinnitus, there are also many treatment options. Here are a few that are currently available:
Neuromonics: The treatment utilizes a customized neural stimulus combined with specific music, delivered according to a coordinated program. The treatment is designed to interact, interrupt, and desensitize tinnitus disturbance for long term benefit. Neuromonics has been shown to reduce symptoms quickly and provide significant, long-term relief. This treatment has been shown to be effective for 90% of suitable tinnitus cases.
Hearing Aids: Many people notice tinnitus only when they are in a quiet environment. This happens because the ambient noise prevalent in day to day life covers up tinnitus. When something happens to cause hearing loss, there is less ambient noise to cover the tinnitus, thus making it appear louder. For many people, treating the cause of the hearing loss can completely or partially cover up the tinnitus. Hearing aids are often a good option to treat certain types of hearing loss. A hearing exam performed by an audiologist can determine what type of hearing loss is occurring and he or she can recommend appropriate treatment.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy: Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) teaches the brain to recognize that tinnitus is not a threat and can be ignored. TRT in conjunction with maskers if often an effective treatment.
Sound Therapy: Oftentimes, external sound can “mask” the tinnitus and help the brain to not pay so much attention to it. This can be something as simple as turning on a fan, a radio or a simple sound generator. Sometimes, an audiologist will prescribe a masking device which creates a constant sound in the ear. A simple analogy behind this treatment is that of getting a new refrigerator. You notice the sound the refrigerator makes for a few days until your brain learns to ignore the sound. A masker works in much the same way. As the brain learns to ignore the sound being generated by the masker, it also begins to ignore the tinnitus.
Alternative Treatments: There are many “natural” remedies for tinnitus. However, at the present time, the American Tinnitus Association has the following to say about these treatments:
“Some people have taken minerals such as magnesium or zinc, herbal preparations such as Ginkgo biloba, homeopathic remedies, or B vitamins for their tinnitus and found them to be helpful. Others have experienced tinnitus relief with acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy, magnets, hyperbaric oxygen, or hypnosis. A few of these therapies have been researched in an attempt to verify the anecdotal claims. But the results have not conclusively identified these treatments as helpful for tinnitus. Your doctor might give you clearance to try them for tinnitus anyway given that they generally carry little risk to health and some people find them helpful.” (American Tinnitus Association, http://www.ata.org/professionals/tinnitus-treatments November, 2009)
Drug Therapy:Many drugs have been researched and used to relieve tinnitus, but there is not a drug that has been designed specifically to treat tinnitus. Some drugs that have been studied include anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax, antidepressants like nortriptyline, antihistamines, anticonvulsants like gabapentin, and even anesthetics like lidocaine. All successfully quieted tinnitus for some people.
Next post, we'll discuss some coping strategies for living with tinnitus.
