Treatment

Tinnitus Treatment Options:

Treatments are presented alphabetically, not in recommended order. When trying any new treatment, remember that many therapies require an investment of time to be effective. Also, some patients find that a combination of treatments is more effective than a single therapy.

The following treatment suggestions and questions on the Tinnitus page were prepared by The American Tinnitus Association and are reproduced here with their permission. Their WEB site has the most comprehensive amount of information found anywhere on the WEB. Click on their Logo to access it.

Amplification (Hearing Aids)

Biofeedback

Cochlear Implants/Electrical stimulation

Drug Therapy

Masking

Other Alternative Treatments

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy

TMJ treatment

Amplification (Hearing Aids):
Almost all tinnitus patients with hearing loss experience total or partial tinnitus relief while wearing hearing aids. Almost 95% of hearing aid users report some form of abatement while wearing amplification while there are many variables that determine success, if a patient has a hearing loss in the frequency range of the tinnitus, hearing aids can bring back in the ambient sounds that naturally cover or mask the tinnitus. Additionally, amplification can also produce the phenomenon of residual inhibition, where the reduction or elimination of tinnitus perception continues for a short to moderate length of time after the hearing aid is removed.

Biofeedback:
Biofeedback is a relaxation technique that teaches people to control certain autonomic body functions, such as pulse, muscle tension, and brain wave activity. The goal of biofeedback is to help people manage stress in their lives not by reducing the stress but by changing the body’s reaction to it. Many people notice a reduction in their tinnitus when they are able to curtail the stress or modify their reaction to the stress in their lives.

Cochlear Implants/Electrical Stimulation:
A cochlear implant has two implanted components: 1) an electrode array that is threaded into the cochlea, and 2) a receiver that is implanted just beneath the skin behind the ear. The electrode array sends electrical sound signals from the ear to the brain. Because electrode implantation destroys whatever healthy hair cells are left inside the cochlea, these implants are prescribed to deaf or near-deaf patients only. In one study, half of those who’d had tinnitus before their cochlear implants experienced tinnitus relief after their cochlear implants.

Why do cochlear implants help tinnitus? There are two possible reasons: 1) The tinnitus might be masked by the ambient sounds that these devices bring back in. 2) The tinnitus might be suppressed by the electrical stimulation sent through the auditory nerve by the implant. Some forms of electrical stimulation to the ear can stop tinnitus briefly.

Drug Therapy:
Many drugs have been researched and used as tinnitus relief agents. Anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax, antidepressants like nortriptyline, antihistamines, anticonvulsants, and even anesthetics like lidocaine have all successfully quieted tinnitus for some people.

Because side effects can happen with any drug or drug combination, patients have to decide for themselves if an undesirable side effect is worth the trade off of tinnitus relief. ATA continues to fund research in this area.

Masking:
Masking devices resemble hearing aids and are designed to produce low-level sound that can reduce and in some cases eliminate the perception of tinnitus. Masking can also produce the phenomenon of residual inhibition, where the reduction or elimination of tinnitus perception continues for a short time after the masker is removed. Often special CD's or radios that produce more pleasant sounds like the ocean or forest sounds can help those who have trouble getting to sleep.

Other Alternative 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.

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) combines low-level, steady background sounds with one-on-one patient/clinician directive counseling. The patient enriches his or her background sound for a minimum of eight hours a day usually with in-the-ear sound generators. This combination of therapies helps people habituate (essentially grow unaware of) the sounds of their tinnitus. Tinnitus Retraining Therapy can take 12-24 months before a patient no longer needs the in-the-ear devices.

TMJ treatment:
Tinnitus can be a symptom of a jaw joint (temporomandibular joint, or TMJ) dysfunction because muscles and nerves in the jaw are closely connected to those in the ear. Dental treatment or bite realignment can help relieve TMJ pain and associated tinnitus. See your dentist if you think you have this problem.

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