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Tinnitus Treatments

Medical Editor:

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Doctor's View on Tinnitus Treatments

Comment by John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

If you have tinnitus, your health care professional will first treat any underlying disorders. There is usually no cure for tinnitus itself, but there are many treatments that can help you manage the condition.

Treatments and therapies that may help you Hearing aids can help with tinnitus if you have hearing loss. If medication is the cause of the tinnitus, your doctor may switch you to another type of medication (never stop taking any medication without first consulting your doctor). If tinnitus interferes with your sleep, behavioral therapies or medications may help. Discuss these therapies and medications with your doctor. Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) trains you to accept the sounds from tinnitus as normal, helping you to be less aware of it. Masking devices resemble hearing aids and produce low-level sounds that can help reduce awareness of tinnitus sounds. Biofeedback can help you manage reactions to tinnitus, and may make it less stressful. Discuss with your doctor any supplements you are taking such as vitamins (vitamin E, niacin, zinc, copper) or herbal remedies (ginkgo biloba, melatonin). Not all treatments work for all patients. Though tinnitus may worsen over time for you, most people tend to find it less bothersome as time passes. Coping with tinnitus

If you have tinnitus you also may become depressed, suffer from anxiety, or become more stressed. Discuss with your doctor medications or seek counseling because they can reduce the stress associated with tinnitus.

Read what other patients are talking about what treatments helped tinnitus!