Treatment for Tinnitus: Instrumental masking, Medications and Surgery
Treatment for tinnitus is a highly investigated and studied field in pathology. Despite the efforts, however, there is still no one-shot treatment regimen ideal for all types of tinnitus. This is due to the fact that tinnitus in itself is not a disease but a symptom of many different types of diseases with different etiology. In other words, it is important to trace the cause of tinnitus before employing any types of treatment. However, this is not usually the case since not all causes of tinnitus are identifiable. Some forms of tinnitus do not have a single clear cut cause. Nonetheless, it is still beneficial for us to try and understand the three most commonly used treatment modalities in treating tinnitus in general.
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What is instrumental masking? How does it work?
To put it simply, instrumental masking is a method that utilizes other sources of sound in order to drown out or mask the annoying ringing noise experienced by tinnitus sufferers. Among the three forms of treatment for tinnitus, instrumental masking is the least invasive and cost effective. Unfortunately, this method is most likely being rejected by people believing that any form of sound producing technology will not help them with their problem. Despite this misconception masking is highly successful because the sound used for masking and the ringing sound naturally occurring in tinnitus is highly different. Whereas tinnitus generates disturbing high pitched ringing sound, masking sound is soothing. This method is effective since attention is directed to the masking sound. And when a person unconsciously ignores the sound, the ringing sound brought about by tinnitus is automatically ignored as well.
What medications can help resolve tinnitus?
There are no specific medications made solely for the purpose of relieving tinnitus. But existing medications made for other purpose are also being used because of their positive results after clinical trials. Unfortunately, these drugs do not provide long term relief from the condition.
- Intravenous Lidocaine was found out to be effective in 85% of the people who underwent a well controlled clinical trial for tinnitus relief. Despite this result, the relief provided last only for about 30 minutes.
- Another drug proven to be beneficial in the treatment for tinnitus is aprozalam, an anti-anxiety drug. On a study conducted, 75% of the participants reported their condition to have been reduced to about 40% in severity. Additionally, those who found relief demonstrated reduction in tinnitus loudness.
- Antihistamines, drugs used for allergies, and anticonvulsant, used for seizure disorders, are believed to relieve tinnitus. Ongoing studies are being conducted to investigate on their potential use in treating tinnitus.
What surgical interventions are available for treating tinnitus?
Surgical interventions for tinnitus are still a great issue nowadays. In itself, surgery, as a form of treatment for tinnitus, is taken only as a last resort when all other forms of treatment are unsuccessful. However, if tinnitus is caused by structural defects surgery can be a viable option. For instance, if tinnitus is caused by a existing fistula between the inner and middle, surgery can help repair this. On the other hand, if tinnitus is cause by a tumor it can be removed through surgery in order to relieve tinnitus.
