DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I hope you can help me with a problem I have had for a year. I have a buzzing sound in my ear. My family doctor had me on antibiotics, but they didn’t work. My dentist made me a new set of dentures, but that didn’t work.
The buzzing can drive me crazy. I have had a CT scan and an MRI. I have seen an ear, nose and throat doctor and have had a hearing test, but have not gotten any suggestions for what to do. What can I do to rectify this problem? – E.K.
ANSWER: That buzzing is tinnitus (tin-NIGHT-us or TIN-it-us), a most common disorder. Some people hear a hissing in the ear, others a ringing and still others a whistling. The constant noise is distracting and annoying.
Sometimes medicines are the cause. Aspirin and anti-inflammatory drugs like Aleve or Advil are examples. Head injury, vitamin B-12 deficiency, middle-ear infections, noises arising in arteries adjacent to the ear and a lifetime of exposure to loud sounds can lead to tinnitus. Meniere’s disease consists of episodes of decreased hearing, tinnitus and dizziness.
Give up caffeine and nicotine. That might quiet the buzzing. Leave a radio playing soft music on a bedside table. The sound can neutralize tinnitus, which always worsens in the quiet of a bedroom. If music doesn’t do the trick, turn the dial to a position where static is heard. That might cancel out your tinnitus. Devices called tinnitus maskers are worn like a hearing aid, and they can sometimes quell the inner noise. Tinnitus retraining therapy consists of counseling along with desensitization to the tinnitus noise. It takes a long time, but many have found it useful.
Often, tinnitus appears when hearing starts to fade. Ordinarily, the constant sound of the world blocks tinnitus generated by all ears. When outside sound can’t be appreciated, tinnitus takes over. A hearing aid helps when this is the basis of the problem.
Do two things: See a second ear, nose and throat doctor; and get in touch with the American Tinnitus Association at 800-634-8978 or on the Web at www.ata.org.
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