Tinnitus Ringing in the Ears
Tinnitus ringing in the ears can be a completely debilitating condition. Depending on how severe yours is, you may find it greatly interferes with your daily activities and responsibilities. Some people find that this ringing completely overtakes their normal life and daily functions.
Others find that it makes it hard to sleep, leading to problems that come with fatigue. This can affect work, school and interpersonal relationships. Tinnitus is actually more than just ringing in the ears. Some people hear buzzing, cracking, hissing or other similar sounds. These sounds can interfere with the daily functions of the person on a variety of levels.
Some people experience mild symptoms that are easy to ignore or tolerate where others experience loud noises that seem to drown out anything else around. Sometimes the sounds get worse over time and with age. For some people, tinnitus ringing in the ears gets worse at night.
There are different things that can cause it. Some include:
- Ear/ hearing damage
- Loud noises
- Excessive ear wax
- Ear infection
- Brain or head injury
- Menieres Disease
- High blood pressure
- Stress
- Lyme disease
Now that you know more about tinnitus ringing in the ears, you can try to manage your symptoms in a variety of ways. Your first step might be to try to determine the cause of the tinnitus. The types of sounds you hear can sometimes be a clue to help with this.
While there is no cure for ringing in the ears from tinnitus, there are natural /homeopathic treatments that many people experience great results from. Some people also believe treatment with certain vitamins and minerals can help alleviate if not completely remove the tinnitus ringing in the ears.
There are also alternative therapies such as essential oils, certain herbs or ear candling. There are also new ideas being worked on every day to find new treatments and a possible cure in the future for tinnitus. Until that happens, people need to learn to manage the symptoms they have as best they can so they do not become overwhelming by tinnitus ringing in the ears.
Tough Attitude in Tough Times
I will call tomorrow.
I’ve had the tinnitus for 8 years now. I live a very healthy life style. No high blood pressure, no diabetes. Management weight. No exposure to loud noises. I had a scan of the carotid arteries – no blockages. No ear infections. No wax buildup. ENT could find nothing – and no loss of hearing. I was handed the brochure. I do take Tegretol – can this medication be related to the ringing?
The life changing events related to stress-
Crime: Was stabbed at work by an escaped convict 23 years ago. The very real belief I was not going to survive that evening. The ensuing court case, workman’s comp. Unemployment.
A year ago, on the anniversary of this crime, my Aunt and Uncle from South Africa were harmed in a similar crime and my cousins turned to me for emotional support and to contact my Dad for them. My uncle died 6 months later due to the complications of his injuries.
My parents (live in FL, I live in MI): 11 years of my mom with Alzheimers.. My Mom has not remembered my brothers and I for over 4 years. Having to help my parents with a sweepstakes scam 2 years ago – they have given approximately 80,000 to the scams – and to this day my Dad still partitipates to a much smaller degree. My Mom is still alive. My Dad had to put her in care a year ago as he could not longer handle the incontinence. The market crashing and destroying what little savings they had left. My brother refusing to work and living off my parents. The younger brother is the one my parents added to their accounts. My older borther refuses to assist in any way.
Currently I work for a bank in computer programming. My husband retired so I get to deal with his boredom when I come home. The complaints about how if I work late I make him wait for some event. He is several years older than I. My husband maintians few friendships.
Layoff stories: About the time the tinnitus began might have been with my first layoff by Spartan stores after 13 years of employment. Then worked as a temporary worker for 4 years. Living in Michigan with the continued heart renching stories concerning work, reposessions due to loss of employement, friends having the leave Michigan.
Family life: We have no family here. I have 4 stepkids and 6 grandchilden. They pretty much maintain contact with their Mom and minimal contact with us – as she lives in CA -exciting and Michigan is where you grow corn – boring,,,,,
The odd thing is I am grateful for the job I have (how many computer jobs in this area have been lost to positions in India). Michigan is a beautiful state. I love the winter and the seasons. My husband and I have been working hard to recover our investments. I have a great Australian Shepherd dog. We have become involved in a church. And I breed daylilies – to see the new and different blossoms makes my day. My oldest stepdaughter – who we raised from 13 to 19 thinks of us – and does invite us to come visit.
I have started the treatment for Stress.
Mari
Hiya Mari,
So glad to hear from you. I salute you because of your positive attitude! Keep it up and your tinnitus will hopefully soon be a thing of the past.
Regards,
John
Cure for Tinnitus: Is There One?
As you probably already know, tinnitus is the term used to describe the sounds a person hears from within their own body. Normally, only the person affected by tinnitus can hear the sounds but certain types may be heard by your doctor. This condition can be temporary or it can be permanent. It all depends on the type of tinnitus you have and it’s cause. Since tinnitus is a symptom that is caused by something else, there is no cure. Nevertheless, you will find a number of treatments that can help.
If you hear ringing, buzzing or any other sound in your head, the first step would be to see your doctor and find out what’s causing the problem. If the cause of your tinnitus is found and treated, then it’s a possibility the sounds you hear will go away. Unfortunately, in some cases, the tinnitus lingers on. Still, there are many causes of tinnitus that can be treated and possibility cured such as infection or high blood pressure for examples. Once the cause is gone, the tinnitus often goes away as well.
If left untreated, you can begin experiencing other problems. For instance, you can become depressed and have trouble concentrating and it can interfere with your job. If the sounds are loud, you may not be able to understand what people around you are saying. When it begins to interfere with your sleep keeping you awake at night, this causes even more problems such as fatigue and irritability.
If you discover your tinnitus is permanent and it’s something you must learn to live with, it’s time to search for treatments that can help. There is no cure for tinnitus but that doesn’t mean that you can’t take steps to reduce the discomfort that you’re experiencing. If you have permanent tinnitus, then try a few of the treatments and masking options available to see if any work for you. There’s a good chance there is something that will help you cope with your tinnitus much better so you can again enjoy all or most of the things that you use to love so much.
Prescription Meds That Can Cause Tinnitus
Medications that May Cause Tinnitus
You may have already heard that there are certain medications that can cause tinnitus but maybe you didn’t know that some of them are very common or even over the counter medications that you have probably taken before.
Have you visited your doctor about your tinnitus and been told that there was no cure and a limited number of treatment options available? Before you resign the hope that you will have to learn to deal with tinnitus, look at some of the possible reasons you may have it.
If you have not had recent ear damage or another obvious reason for the onset of tinnitus, consider whether certain medications you are taking could be the cause. This is especially true if you have recently started a new medication of some type and the tinnitus just started up.
If your tinnitus is being caused by a medication, usually it can be cured by stopping the medication. There are usually alternative medications you can take instead that may not have the same side effects for you.
Here are some common medications that cause tinnitus:
- Levaquin- Often prescribed to treat bacterial infections of the skin, lungs and urinary tract.
- Imitrex Nasal Spray- Often used in the treatment of migraine headaches. It works by constricting the blood vessels to relieve pain from intense migraines.
- Pepcid- This is a histamine-2 blockers used to reduce the amount f acid in the stomach and to treat stomach ulcers.
- Lopressor- This is a beta blocker often used in the treatment of high blood pressure or angina. It is also sometimes used to treat anxiety.
There are also many other prescription and non prescription medications that can cause tinnitus. Always read the labels carefully for possible side effects and speak to your doctor right away if you feel that your medication could be causing ringing in the ears or other symptoms of tinnitus.
The sooner you look into the problem, the less damage tinnitus will have time to do to your life. You owe it to yourself to find out the truth. While the medication you are taking may be important to your health, you don’t want to take it at the risk of a lifelong battle with tinnitus. You should consult with your doctor to find out if there is an alternative medicine you can take, without the side effects of ringing in the ears.
Here’s to your health and well-being!
How to Stop Ringing in the Ears
There is only one thing the millions of people suffering from tinnitus want to know, and that is how to stop the ringing in the ears that can be such a nuisance at the least and debilitating at the worst.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound coming from the ear or inside the head without a corresponding external source. It usually manifests itself as an intermittent or constant ringing in the ear. It has also been described as a roaring, crackling, and chirping sound and can range in intensity from subtle to piercing.
It should be remembered that tinnitus is not a disease per se but may be a symptom of some other underlying medical cause. As such, there is no one way on how to stop ringing in the ears. Medical practitioners usually treat the underlying medical cause in order to make the tinnitus go away.
This is why it is important to have yourself examined by and to consult a medical specialist should you feel that you have tinnitus. In order to effectively treat the symptom and to provide you with the relief you need, the disease or condition triggering the tinnitus has to be identified and addressed.
Tinnitus can also be caused by over consumption of certain foods, substances and medication. This is especially true when one is already suffering from or taking medication for an existing medical disorder or disease. Generally, foods which make the disease worse can also make the tinnitus worse. For instance, those with Menieres disease should avoid the intake of salt and those with high blood pressure should avoid foods which have a high cholesterol content. Caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol are also known triggers and aggravators of tinnitus.
There are also medications which have ototoxic side effects and thus blamed as an ear ringing cause. Over consumption of over-the-counter medication such as aspirin and some medication for allergies can also cause tinnitus. In order to stop ringing in the ears brought about by medication, it may just be as simple a matter as to stop taking it. This may be fine for some over-the-counter medications but other medications taken to control the progression of some diseases should not be stopped without consultation with your doctor. Should you suspect your medication is what is causing your tinnitus or making your tinnitus worse, ask your doctor for an alternative.
