Tinnitus Headache Treatment
Tinnitus Headache Treatment. Tinnitus can be caused by various conditions, including noise-induced hearing loss, Meniere’s disease or twisted blood vessels – it may even be one of the symptoms of migraine.
First step to treating tinnitus headache is making sure that you stay hydrated – this can be accomplished by following the 8 by 8 rule.
1. Earwax Removal
Ear wax (medically known as cerumen) provides an important function – acting as a natural cleanser. Our body produces it via sweat and sebaceous glands lining the outer ear canal walls. Over time, earwax collects, dries and migrates toward its exit where it eventually falls out or flakes off, helping remove dirt, dust, dead skin cells, hair or any debris clogging the ear canal.
But when excessive earwax production or accumulation takes place, it can form a buildup that forms an earwax blockage resulting in symptoms like tinnitus. Additionally, it may reduce hearing ability making speech and other sounds harder to discern.
Health care providers may suggest various techniques for earwax removal. These could include using over-the-counter solutions like Debrox to loosen wax in one ear while tilting one side, according to Ying. Some kits also come equipped with an bulb syringe to flush the canal after using these solutions.
Syringes must be used at the appropriate temperature; too cold or too hot could damage an eardrum. An ENT doctor could irrigate the ear canal with a rubber-bulb syringe or suction for treatment of an irritated canal.
Doctors may use more mechanical methods such as inserting a curette or irrigation tool into the ear canal, according to Ying. Whatever method is chosen, however, self-cleansing the ear canal with cotton buds or self-cleansing products such as Listerine should be avoided, since they could push more earwax deeper into your ears causing blockages; those who regularly utilize such products should visit an ENT specialist who can discuss safe ways of extracting it.
2. Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Tinnitus headaches may be caused by health conditions that result in head or neck pain, including brain tumors, migraines and blood vessel disorders. Loss of balance or hearing could also be an indicator that something more serious exists such as vascular neoplasms; slow-growing tumors that press on blood vessels within the skull and neck and lead to pressure on them and eventually result in tinnitus – although they’re very rare and require specialization to identify.
Anti-inflammatory drugs may help relieve headaches. These medicines reduce pain, inflammation and blood clot formation in the head or neck region. If these remedies don’t do the trick, a neurologist may provide stronger medication that can ease any associated discomfort in the area of head or neck pain.
One study, researchers found, revealed a higher proportion of migraine sufferers reported tinnitus as one of their symptoms and reported having more intense cases, measured using the Tinnitus Functional Index than those without migraines. This trend was particularly evident for people living with severe Tinnitus Functional Indices.
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), is another form of headaches related to tinnitus that is sometimes experienced together with pulsatile tinnitus. IIH is caused by elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure around the brain, leading to elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure which in turn results in pulsatile tinnitus, double vision and headaches as well as pain behind eyes.
Migraines are more likely to strike women than men and are especially prevalent among those with a family history of migraines or those taking certain medications such as birth control pills or antidepressants.
3. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Those suffering from tinnitus headaches must find a suitable treatment strategy, which may vary from person to person but often includes medications and lifestyle modifications to help lessen its frequency and intensity. Your physician is best equipped to determine which method would be the most beneficial; so discuss this matter with them beforehand.
TMJ disorders are among the primary sources of tinnitus. This involves problems in your lower jaw joints that enable opening, chewing, and speaking – and may result from stress-induced teeth grinding/clenching/grinding as well as head trauma/neck injuries or medication side effects. TMJ issues often lead to headaches so seeking medical assistance for them should always be your top priority.
Some individuals experience tinnitus as part of a migraine, a neurological condition characterized by moderate-to-severe headaches that typically affect only one half of their head, are pulsating, last 2 to 72 hours and often include nausea, vomiting and sensitivities to light, sound and smell. People living with migraine can also have aura – brief sensory changes which indicate impending headaches – before experiencing their headache.
Tinnitus headaches may be caused by high blood pressure, which makes it harder for your heart to pump enough blood into your brain and other organs. They may also result from tumors pressing against cranial nerves that press on them; such growths may either be benign or malignant in nature and often found within the skull.
4. Ear Plugs
Ear plugs may help if your tinnitus is caused by loud noise exposure; however, excessive use may cause a temporary increase in its severity as your central nervous system adjusts to hearing less sound reaching it. Once adjusted to this reduced range of sound that reaches it, your tinnitus should eventually return back to its prior level but it may take some time for your hearing system to accept subtle sounds again.
Always wear ear plugs when exposed to loud sounds, even for short durations, to protect the ear canal and avoid wax build-up which can be very detrimental to hearing. Once out of a noisy environment it is essential that ear plugs be removed in order to let your hearing recompensate naturally as well as experience music or conversations without distortion caused by too long wearing of plugs.
If tinnitus is causing you discomfort, your doctor can offer several solutions to ease its severity. They may recommend sound therapy, maskers, or other devices which play soothing external sounds over tinnitus; such devices often resemble hearing aids and should be placed behind or in front of ears for maximum effectiveness.
Your doctor may ask a series of questions and conduct an exam to identify what’s causing the tinnitus, using tools like stethoscope listening of tympanicic membrane to pinpoint its source, as well as check vestibular system for signs of tinnitus (which helps coordinate balance, movement, and spatial orientation).
5. Medications
Antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications and sleeping aids may all provide relief from tinnitus by masking its sounds – antidepressants can reduce depressive episodes as well as anxiety medication can help alleviate sleeplessness by masking its noises. These therapies may be used alone or in combination with other treatments for tinnitus. If tinnitus is caused by excess earwax or infection, your doctor can suction out or flush out the canal to alleviate its symptoms. Surgery may be necessary if the cause of tinnitus stems from head or neck trauma, especially if a tumor or cyst is involved; in such instances it may produce pulsatile tinnitus; this phenomenon involves noises that pulse along with your heartbeat that causes the symptoms.
Migraines often co-occur with tinnitus. Migraines range from moderate to severe in intensity and usually affect one half of the head, lasting anywhere from three days up to 72. Migraines can be caused by many different things including food, beverages, stress and certain anti-seizure drugs that act as triggers.
Researchers may still not fully understand how migraines and tinnitus are connected, but they know tinnitus can be an early symptom of migraine. It could be because migraines cause changes to how your brain interprets input from your ears which create tinnitus; perhaps that explains why those suffering from tinnitus may also have migraines; medications used for migraine such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents or acetaminophen may help manage it by effectively alleviating it as well.