Facts on Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a constant and irritating ringing or buzzing noise in your ear(s) which does not come from an outside source.

In this article:

What is tinnitus?

Diagnosis

Advice & Support

Symptoms

Treatment

Causes

How Chemist Online can help

What is tinnitus?
For some people, tinnitus can be so bad that is severely affects their quality of life.

For those with the condition, the symptoms generally worsen with age. The ringing, whistling or buzzing sounds in your ear(s) can suddenly flare-up and last for a relatively short period, or they can be constantly there. Also, the volume of these sounds you hear inside your ear can fluctuate.

For some people, tinnitus can be easier to cope with if they are in an environment that is relatively noisy, such as: a shopping centre, a busy workplace or a leisure centre. However, in quiet environs, where there is little other noise to mask symptoms of tinnitus, the condition can become almost unbearable.

The good news is that, although tinnitus cannot be cured, there are treatments available and self-help measures you can take to help cope better with the condition.

Symptoms
Symptoms of tinnitus include:

a ringing or buzzing sound in the ear(s)

sleeping problems

depression

poor concentration


Also, people with tinnitus can often develop depressive illness as a result of struggling to cope with the condition. (Please see contact details for the Depression Alliance at the Advice & Support section at the foot of this article).

Causes
The exact cause of tinnitus is as yet unknown. However, there has been intense worldwide medical research into the tinnitus which has bought forward possible causes of the condition. These include:

Ear infection

A balance problem, such as Ménière’s disease, vertigo or labyrinthitis causing tinnitus to also develop, due to the brain having to reconfigure itself in order for balance to be eventually resorted

A confusion of signals within the brain which results in the brain misinterpreting nerve activity sent from the ear down to the hearing part of the brain – resulting in actual inner noise

A fault in the nerve pathways within the brain – again resulting in the ringing or buzzing sound you hear

Mental illness, such as: depression, stress, anxiety and/or panic attacks

Expose to loud noise (with in one sudden instance, or over a prolonged period)

As a side effect to some medications

As part of hearing loss during the aging process

Over-active thyroid

Anaemia

Earwax clustering

Tumours which grow around the ear’s acoustic nerve (this is rare)

Note: Tinnitus (and other conditions, such as migraine and depression) can also develop as a result of a head injury. If you have recently been involved in an accident or have received a blow to head, seek medical advice immediately.

Diagnosis
If you are suffering from the aforementioned symptoms, and are struggling to cope with your condition, make an appointment to see your GP. After taking your medical history, he or she will ask you some questions, carry out ear tests and an ear examination, and then recommend an appropriate course of treatment.

Treatment
Treatment for tinnitus can differ according to the severity of symptoms each person suffers. These treatments can include:

Sedatives – to reduce stress (a common trigger of the condition)

Anti-depressants – to diminish tinnitus’s impact on a the sufferer’s life, by improving their overall mood

Counselling therapy (such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) by a specially trained hearing specialist

Help in developing powerful concentration techniques which are intended to remove the focus away from tinnitus symptoms and project them onto something else instead

Hearing aids and Masking Devices which are purpose-built to cover up the ringing or buzzing noise in the ear, by allowing other sounds to dominate almost fully

How Chemist Online can help
As we saw in the Symptoms section of this article, people with tinnitus can also sometimes experience other symptoms such as headaches and sleeping problems. Through this website we have a range of treatments available to buy which can help, such as: Anadin Extra Tablets and Nurofen Express Caplets which can both provide fast, effective relief from headaches and other aches and pains.

Also, to help you to get a good night’s sleep, we can also offer you a selection of sleeping aids, such as Kalms Sleep Tablets and Natrasleep Tablets. We also have Soft Foam Earplugs which can protect your hearing from potentially damaging noise, in the workplace, for example.



www.chemistonline.co.uk


Advice & Support
The British Tinnitus Association
Ground Floor
Unit 5
Acorn Business Park
Woodseats Close
Sheffield
S8 0TB
Tel: 0800 018 0527 (Freephone)
Website: www.tinnitus.org.uk
E-mail: info@tinnitus.org.uk

RNID Tinnitus Helpline
19-23 Featherstone Street
London
EC1Y 8SL
Tel: 0808 808 0123 (voice), or 0808 808 9000 (text)
Website: www.rnid.org.uk
E-mail: informationline@rnid.org.uk

Depression Alliance
212 Spitfire Studios, 63–71 Collier Street, London N1 9BE
Tel 0845 123 23 20
Website: www.depressionalliance.org
E-mail: information@depressionalliance.org


This information and advice is not intended to replace the advice of your GP or chemist. Chemist Online is also not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based upon the content of the Chemist Online website. Chemist Online is also not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites.


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