|
MENIERE\'S DISEASE: UNDERSTANDING TNNITUS
Medication
Medication may have a supportive role in management but cannot provide a cure. Anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs such as Xanax, Tryptanol, Serapax and Valium may be used and may provide assistance to some people. However, caution should be exercised in the long term use of these drugs. Use of any medication should be in consultation with, and reviewed frequently by, your doctor.
Various medications have been trialed and been briefly in vogue in the management of tinnitus. These include such things as Lignocaine, a local anesthetic administered by injection, followed by one of the anti-epileptic drugs such as Tegretol or Dilantin. Despite sensational press reports of isolated dramatic responses, none of these have really stood the test of time. They only seem to have been of benefit to a few patients, although Lignocaine is sometimes used as a test to see if there is suppression of the tinnitus.
Surgery
Surgery for the condition causing tinnitus does not necessarily help reduce the tinnitus. This is particularly relevant for people having surgical procedures for the symptoms of Meniere\'s Disease. Section of the 8th cranial nerve for tinnitus should be avoided as this can make tinnitus worse.
Counseling and support
Individual tinnitus counseling and group education programs provide information and support to help people progress from being tinnitus \'sufferers\', to being active \'managers\' of what can be a very distressing condition.
New therapies offer new hope for people who have tinnitus. The old ideas of hopelessness should be discarded and even if the sounds cannot be totally abolished, various strategies can usually help the person cope with their disability. It is vitally important however, that the person with tinnitus comes under the care of a person (usually an audiologist or psychologist following complete assessment by an ENT specialist) who can guide them through an appropriate ongoing program of tinnitus therapy.
There are no \'quick fixes\'. Good therapy will take time and commitment. The media tends to present every new therapy as the final cure which fixes everyone. Unfortunately, the reality is much more complicated, but nonetheless, help is available if it is sought.
*19/133/5*
GENERAL HEALTH
|
