The appearance of sounds in the ears, when there is no reason for their perception, is a situation that can seriously alarm the patient. Sometimes patients, being in complete silence, listen for a long time to the slightest surrounding noises. This happens because they are unable to believe in the existence of an extraneous sound in the ear, which is not provoked by external influences. Various diseases can cause the appearance of noise - while the structures of the ear are not always affected exclusively, the true cause of the unpleasant symptom in some cases is pathological changes in the vessels of the brain, traumatic injuries of the neck region, and even emotional experiences. You need to know what to do with tinnitus, which doctor can help with this.
Treatment tactics
How to get rid of tinnitus? What to do when tinnitus becomes unbearable? For the treatment to be successful, it is necessary:
- To know that noise is only a manifestation. Treatment for tinnitus may not be effective enough if the cause is not known.
- Listen to your doctor's recommendations.
An example is a glomus tumor, in which the only effective way to cure tinnitus as soon as possible is to surgically remove the tumor.
- Pay attention to external factors.
Sometimes subjective acoustic phenomena are triggered by prolonged exposure to external sounds. Thinking about how to reduce tinnitus, it is necessary to remember: even successful treatment does not guarantee the absence of relapse, if the patient works in conditions of noise and vibration, is exposed to loud extraneous sounds during rest, sleep.
How to deal with tinnitus? Experts distinguish between subjective and objective types of pathology. In the second option, the sound perceived by the patient can be heard by the doctor using a phonendoscope, and the treatment should be directed to the underlying pathology. An appropriate treatment for tinnitus can only be prescribed if the characteristics of the audible sound are correctly described.
Treatment for tinnitus can be:
- conservative;
- operational;
- combined.
What to do if you have a noise in your ears? The tactics of therapy are determined by the variant of pathology, the age and general condition of the patient. If depression becomes the cause of the "sound background", the patient needs to consult a psychotherapist. There is no need to carry out manipulations in the area of the organ of hearing. However, when the examination revealed a tumor formation, the question of prompt removal by surgery is considered - with the necessary pharmacological support, the use of radiation therapy.
Subjective noise is not always possible to eliminate completely.
The phenomena of subjective tinnitus may remain constant, despite long-term therapy. This is due to many reasons, including the presence of pathologies that cannot be completely cured. Therefore, the fundamental goal of treatment is to achieve control over the "sound background". A successful result is considered if the patient ceases to perceive sound sensations as a pronounced symptom, does not focus on them.
Which doctor treats tinnitus? Both the subjective and the objective type are a multidisciplinary problem that is dealt with by otolaryngologists (ENT doctors), neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychotherapists, and psychiatrists. In this case, the therapist and general practitioner often becomes the very specialist to whom the patient turns first of all with the question: “What to do? How to treat tinnitus? "
Medications
What if there is a noise in the ear, and the sound reaches only the patient's ears, but is completely indistinguishable by others? Currently, it is impossible to name a single specific drug aimed at eliminating the "sound background". In the treatment, a variety of pharmacological agents are used, the names of which, in combination with indications for the appointment, can be presented in the table:
| Pharmacological group | Examples of drugs | Indications for use | Peculiarities |
| Drugs affecting cerebral circulation, calcium channel blockers | Betahistine, Betaserc, Nimodipine, Nicergoline, Cinnarizine, Pentoxifylline | One of the main indications is the treatment of tinnitus and hearing loss. Pentoxifylline has proven efficacy. Treatment with drugs that improve cerebral circulation is necessary for Meniere's disease, a central murmur of vascular origin. | The drugs are available not only in injections, but also in tablet form, which makes it convenient for long-term use. |
| Neuroprotectors, antihypoxants, antioxidants | Piracetam, Trimetazine | Meniere's disease, sudden sensorineural hearing loss. | One of the important notes regarding the use of Piracetam in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss is the need for exclusively intravenous administration. |
| Zinc preparations | Zinc Sulphate, Zinc Aspartate | Proven zinc deficiency (decreased plasma zinc levels), hypothesis of chronic zinc deficiency based on objective research. | Pharmacological agents containing zinc are prescribed in dosages that are many times higher than the standard daily requirement for zinc in a healthy person. |
| Anticonvulsants (anticonvulsants) | Carbamazepine, Phenytoin, Lamotrigine | The indication is excruciating tinnitus, which does not disappear with another variant of drug correction. | Anticonvulsants are suitable only for some patients, they have a large number of contraindications and side effects. |
| Psychotropic | Alprazolam, Oxazepam, Clonazepam, Amitriptyline, Doxepin, Perphenazine, Sulpiride | The presence of mental disorders present as a direct cause of subjective noise or as a consequence of its occurrence. | Requires long-term use, careful selection of the dosage. |
| Antihistamines | Promethazine, Hydroxyzine | Allergic pathology of the respiratory system, auditory organ, endolymphatic hydrops. | During the treatment period, not only the antihistamine effect is considered useful, but also the sedative effect, which allows to reduce the level of anxiety. |
| Vitamins | Nicotinic acid, vitamin A, B vitamins | Incorrectly constructed diet scheme, lack of nutrients, the occurrence of nutritional deficiencies. | The use of vitamins does not have a pronounced effect, it is shown only in combination with drugs of other groups in patients with underweight. |
When considering how to get rid of the noise in the ear, the researchers point to the effectiveness of a drug from the prostaglandin group Misoprostol. Products based on ginkgo biloba extract (Bilobil) can help eliminate tinnitus as soon as possible.
Treatment of tinnitus with hydrogen peroxide is suitable only if the "sound background" is explained by the presence of sulfur plug.
To understand how to treat tinnitus in older people, it is necessary to find out the cause - for example, with hypertension, drugs will be required to correct the level of blood pressure.
Some dangerous pathologies at the initial stage are accompanied by a strong tinnitus. What to do in this case? The more pronounced the symptom, the more severe the alleged illness may be. Therefore, it is erroneous to start drug treatment without examination, drowning out only the manifestations, but not eliminating the cause.
Sometimes the patient is worried about pain and noise in the ear.What to do in a situation when medical assistance may not be provided immediately? The described symptoms with an increase in body temperature are characteristic of otitis media. In this case, the pain syndrome is much more pronounced than noise. The purpose of first aid is to temporarily relieve the patient's suffering with the help of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen). The main therapy usually includes antibacterial agents.
Tinnitus can be a side effect of drugs such as antidepressants.
Some patients describe noise and whistling in the ears - what if the cause is not clear? As in other cases, taking medications (especially without understanding the "point of application") can be ineffective or even harmful. In the event of a "sound background" as a consequence of drug therapy, it can be dealt with by adjusting the dosage or discontinuing the drug.
When your ears are buzzing, what to do? Depends on the cause of the noise. Often this is a barotrauma resulting from a sharp change in the ratio between pressure in the external environment and pressure in the internal cavities of the structures of the organ of hearing. Pharmacological preparations are not suitable as first aid. For
prevention and elimination of pain and noise during a flight in an airplane, an adult can:
- swallow saliva;
- slowly dissolve the lollipop;
- drink water, tea, juice, trying to take small sips.
Some people find it helpful to chew gum, which should be taken along well in advance.
Using the apparatus
What to do if tinnitus persists? When a patient has noise in his left ear, how to get rid of it? If we are talking about a subjective type, combined with hearing loss, they consider the possibility of hearing aids. The advantages are:
- Improving hearing acuity.
- Improving the quality of life.
- Reducing the importance of subjective sounds under the influence of the surrounding "sound background".
Patients with the correct hearing aid experience less difficulty communicating with others. With the development of persistent hearing loss in young children, it is important to start using the device as early as possible, otherwise the formation of speech and skills necessary for full development will slow down in the future.
The hearing aid is selected individually by an otolaryngologist.
In order for the device to correct hearing without harming the patient, tone audiometry is performed before use, during which the “comfort threshold” and “discomfort threshold” are determined. The final clarification of whether the device is suitable occurs during use directly in the patient's ear.
It should be remembered about the need for re-correction after the end of the adaptation period.
How can tinnitus be treated with hearing aids? "Getting used to" the device takes from several days to several weeks. Therefore, the decrease in the intensity of the "sound background" does not always occur immediately. Moreover, hearing aid does not help all patients, and even if the result is successful, it should be combined with drug therapy. It cannot be used as the only way to improve the patient's condition, although in some cases the ability to distinguish sounds significantly reduces the brightness of the subjective sound.
Disguise method
If patients experience significant discomfort with noise in the ear, how to get rid of it? One of the options for alleviating the condition is muffling, or masking the intrusive "background sound". To do this, apply:
- audiomaskers;
- external electrical stimulation;
- external noises.
The action of audiogaskers is based on the generation of so-called "white noise", the presence of which allows you to reduce the intensity of subjective sound. It is worth noting that psychotherapy is also used along with audiogaskers.
The introduction of external noises into the spectrum of perceived sounds is considered effective with preserved hearing acuity and is used for patients who are worried about how to remove tinnitus in silence - they do not notice it during the period of active communication. In this case, it is recommended to turn on the radio - moreover, it is shown listening not only to radio broadcasts, but also to interference that occurs when the reception wave is changed and switching to different radio stations. Recordings of rustling trees, etc. are also useful.
Neither audio maskers nor external noises eliminate subjective noise forever.
