There are many who suffer from tinnitus who have tried many types of treatments and could not get the relief they desire, which leads many to wonder what to do about tinnitus and how should one start looking for a promising treatment. It is important to know that for a treatment to give you relief it should target what is causing your tinnitus, but the most recommended treatments do not target the cause of your tinnitus at all – leaving you to wonder what to do about tinnitus all over again. Down below we look at the most common methods on what to do about tinnitus and why an all-natural treatment should be considered first.
Medications
The very first thing that comes to mind for those wondering what to do about tinnitus is typically a medication. Medications are commonly known to be the ‘go to’ for those who are in pain or want quick relief from another problem they have having. Medications used to help reduce the severity of tinnitus include tricyclic antidepressants (such as amitriptyline and nortriptyline) and alprazolam (Xanax). However, just as any other medication, these do produce other side effects that could be worse than the symptoms you experience from tinnitus.
- Amitriptyline – Side effects from amitriptyline include fast heart rate, weight gain (or loss), low blood pressure while standing, blurred vision, dry mouth, constipation, sexual dysfunction, and urinary retention. Rarer side effects include hives, hepatitis, rash, and seizures.When a few doses of amitriptyline are missed, withdrawal symptoms can occur. If amitriptyline is discontinued abruptly then headaches, nausea, dizziness, and relentlessness may occur.
- Nortriptyline – In a study the use of nortriptyline for patients with chronic tinnitus, they have discovered nortriptyline significantly reduced the severity of their depression, tinnitus loudness, and the tinnitus-related disability. Although patients have found the nortriptyline treatment helpful, the patients did not show a huge interest in continuing the treatment due to nortriptyline’s side effects.Nortriptyline side effects include weakness, lack of coordination, unpleasant taste, impotence, decreased sex drive, difficulty having an orgasm, ringing in the ears, breast swelling (in both men and women), tingly feeling, constipation, dry mouth, blurred vision, fast heart rate, urinary retention, weight gain (or loss) and dizziness when standing.
- Xanax – Xanax side effects include muscle weakness, vomiting, increased sweating, trouble concentrating, irritability, memory problems, insomnia (sleep problems), dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, dry mouth, swelling in your hands or feet, appetite or weight changes, blurred vision, upset stomach, slurred speech, poor balance or concentration, stuffy nose and loss of interest in intercourse.
In addition, if you are already using any of the above medications, the above medications may also cause ringing in the ears (a sign of tinnitus). Not all the above medications will work for everyone; sometimes the symptoms are relieved while others notice they become worse. If there is no improvement after 6 months of medication use, it is recommended to stop the use of the drugs immediately.
Remember, drugs overall never work to cure the cause of the problem but are created to help provide relief until you can fix it. Because of this, these should not be the main treatment used on what to do about tinnitus.
Surgery
For those who experience severe tinnitus and wonder what to do about tinnitus they have, surgery may seem like their only option in seeing any improvement. Despite surgery being used to “rewire” the body’s system to stop frustrating symptoms, only 40% in a study of 414 patients who had tinnitus surgery have seen some type of improvement. Surgery should not be a first option and is usually considered on more rarer cases such as a tumor, cyst, or otosclerosis – a calcium deposit on the ear bone.
Noise Suppression
As for what to do about tinnitus noise, some devices are available to help suppress the noise that comes from tinnitus. Depending on the severity, these devices may help you find some relief while you wait or go through a more beneficial treatment.
- Masking Devices – Masking devices are worn in the ear and are quite similar to a hearing aid. These devices will produce a low-level, continuous white noise to help suppress the symptoms of tinnitus.
- Hearing Aids – Hearing aids are helpful for those who not only have tinnitus but a problem hearing as well.
- White Noise Machine – White noise machines produce environmental sounds to help drown out symptoms of tinnitus. The environmental sounds include ocean waves, falling rain, and other natural sounds to help the sufferer sleep and stay comfortable. If a white noise machine is out of your reach, there are also white noise apps available for those with tinnitus.
- Tinnitus Retraining – Tinnitus retraining is a wearable device that delivers tonal music specifically programmed to cover up the exact frequencies you experience with your tinnitus. The user, over time, may end up becoming accustomed to the tinnitus and no longer focusing on it.
Is There an Ideal Treatment for Targeting the Cause of Tinnitus?
Mentioned above are what many believe are the only options on what to do about tinnitus; however, there is an ideal natural treatment that goes after the underlying cause that proves to be extremely beneficial to those who suffer from tinnitus.
As stated earlier, the only way to find ideal relief is to target the underlying cause of your tinnitus. After going over the multiple causes of tinnitus and understanding where it comes from, an all-natural chiropractic treatment for tinnitus begins to make more sense. When we wonder what to do about tinnitus, we don’t necessarily think about considering any type of chiropractic (and upper cervical is not a type of chiropractic many are familiar with).
Upper cervical chiropractic may come as a surprise to be a very beneficial treatment for tinnitus, but the more we learn about upper cervical chiropractic the more we understand the underlying connection it has to tinnitus and why this natural treatment works!
An upper cervical chiropractic treatment for tinnitus targets the underlying cause and allows the patient’s body to heal and repair itself properly; during this time of repairing and healing, the symptoms of tinnitus begin to fade and eventually stop. If you are looking for an all-natural way to treat the cause of your tinnitus that is safe for all ages without worrying about possible side effects, it may be a good time for you to read over why upper cervical chiropractic treatment for tinnitus works, the connection it has to your body, and how it targets the cause of your tinnitus.
See Chiropractic Treatment for Tinnitus and Understand Why it Works.