subject: Medical Treatment Options For Tinnitus - What Do You Have? [print this page] If you are suffering from tinnitus, probably you've heard that there is no proven medical treatment - drug or surgery - that specifically targets tinnitus. However, there is still a list of possible medical treatments that offer a certain extent of relief for millions of tinnitus sufferers in all parts of the world.
1. Drugs
Medical scientists are still working hard to find an effective tinnitus-targeted medical treatment for tinnitus. So far medicines that have been used to treat ringing ears include antidepressants, drugs to treat Alzheimer's Disease, and lignocaine (a local anesthetic).
While some of those drugs appear to confer short-term tinnitus relief, some demonstrated different efficacy. So far no firm evidence is available to prove the efficacy of these agents in stopping tinnitus for good. Moreover, one is likely to suffer from side effects when taking those medicines.
2. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
CBT may offer some benefits if you want to quickly cope with ringing ears. It is often used concomitantly with noise therapy. The purpose of this form of treatment is to help the tinnitus patient to dissociate himself from the ringing sound. However, this form of medical treatment for tinnitus does not really reduce the symptoms, or do anything to treat the root causes of tinnitus.
3. Tinnitus maskers
You may find great relief using a tinnitus masker, a device worn like a hearing aid that provides a low-level sound to cover up (i.e. mask) the tinnitus, so that people with tinnitus are able to fall asleep. Indeed, for people who are disturbed by tinnitus only when they want to sleep, the noise of a fan, radio, or white noise machine is the only aid needed to get rid of the problem.
4. Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT)
TRT has also been shown to provide much needed relief to people who suffer from ringing ears.
As you can see, people are looking in many different directions for a medical treatment for tinnitus. Unfortunately, the medical science has not yet found a definite solution to ringing ears problem. The only way to overcome tinnitus permanently is by addressing the underlying factor that causes ringing ears.
