Curing tinnitus through prescription medication is tough.
It's not impossible, but it certainly only seems to work for a handful of individuals.
And sometimes, when a medication is discovered, its effects are anything but long lasting.
However, I will discuss a few medications your doctor may use in your treatment.
The first type of drug is the barbiturate.
Normally used as a sedative to relieve insomnia and to reduce anxiety it has been known to improve the sounds of tinnitus in some instances.
How it works, though, is a mystery, even to the best of medical minds.
It may help because the barbiturate is good at reducing the effects of stress.
Or it may actually reduce the perception of the tinnitus.
Your doctor may be reluctant to prescribe it -- and with good reason.
It's far too easy for a person become dependent on it.
Not only that, but the drug's beneficial effects soon diminish as your body builds a tolerance to the drug.
Many people, additionally, experience serious withdrawal symptoms when they attempt to stop using it.
And if those reasons weren't enough to have second thoughts about this drug, its long-term use may cause some serious adverse side effects, not the least of which is liver damage.
Ever hear of lignocaine? You may have seen it referred to as lidocaine.
Some physicians prescribe this to relieve tinnitus.
It's more commonly used as a local anesthetic.
And in some cases you may find it being used to relieve the itching and burning from a skin inflammation.
This drug is also used to regulate an erratic heart rhythm.
As a tinnitus cure, it's unfortunately only a short-term cure.
And I mean short-term.
It seems that the noises abate for several hours at best.
That, combined with potentially serious side effects, including convulsions and confusion have just about curtailed its use as a tinnitus treatment.
Tranquilizers, though, still retain their popularity as a tinnitus treatment.
It's doubtful that the drug itself has any direct effect on the disorder.
The value of the treatment lies in the fact that it allows the individual to better cope with its symptoms.
The use of tranquilizers for this purpose divides the medical community.
Some research reveals that two thirds of those taking a tranquilizer for tinnitus were helped.
Yet other studies indicate the risks outweighed any potential benefits.
Two facts, however, appear fairly certain.
Tranquilizers work best when the tinnitus symptoms are severe.
And it works best when the individual has other problems related to stress or anxiety.
Now here's a paradox.
Some antidepressants, like tricyclics, are well known for their ability to exacerbate tinnitus.
Yet for some using this drug, they actually improve the condition.
Once again, medical science can't tell us why these drugs work (or don't work!).
Some experts theorize their success lies in their anticonvulsive efforts.
Other experts simply point to the links which seem to bind stress, anxiety and depression.
Still another theory, some promote, is that antidepressants actually reduce facial and oral pain.
This leads some to believe that the drugs have some influence on the nerves involved in the hearing process.
It's difficult then to depend solely on drugs to quickly and easily solve your tinnitus problem.
It's more logical to examine what really does cause the noises in your ears.
If you knew the cause, then you can take at least some initial steps to relieving the damage.