Tinnitus treatment options: what helps and what does not

There is no cure for tinnitus yet, but several approaches can make it less intrusive and less distressing. Cognitive behavioural therapy has the strongest evidence, hearing aids are recommended when there is also hearing loss, and clear information is the starting point for everything else. Guidelines advise against drugs and supplements for tinnitus itself.

Last reviewed: 28 October 2026

By the Tinnitus Haven editorial team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. If your tinnitus is new, one-sided, pulsing or comes with hearing loss or dizziness, see a doctor.

Is there a cure for tinnitus?

Not yet. There is no cure for tinnitus itself, and no medicine has been approved specifically to treat it^[1]. When there is a clear cause, such as earwax or a jaw joint problem, dealing with that cause can remove the sound or greatly reduce it^[1].

For tinnitus that lasts, the aim of treatment is to make it less intrusive and to reduce the distress it causes. The UK guideline asks clinicians to explain that a variety of management strategies help many people live well with tinnitus^[2].

Which treatments have the best evidence?

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

CBT has the most robust evidence of any approach. A 2020 Cochrane review of 28 trials with 2,733 adults found that CBT may reduce the impact of tinnitus on quality of life compared with no treatment, and probably reduces it more than audiology-based care^[3]. The US guideline recommends CBT for persistent, bothersome tinnitus^[4], the UK guideline sets out a stepped approach that starts with digital CBT^[2], and the German guideline gives behavioural therapy a strong recommendation^[5]. Our guide to CBT for tinnitus explains how it works.

Hearing aids, if you also have hearing loss

Most people with tinnitus have some hearing loss, and hearing aids are one of the main options for them^[1]. NICE recommends offering hearing aids when hearing loss affects communication, considering them when it does not, and not offering them to people with tinnitus but no hearing loss^[2]. The German guideline also recommends hearing aids for chronic tinnitus with hearing loss^[5].

The research behind this is thinner than you might expect. A Cochrane review found only one suitable trial, with 91 people, which compared hearing aids with sound generators: both groups improved, with no difference between them^[6]. Our guide to hearing aids and tinnitus goes into more detail.

Information and counselling

Understanding tinnitus is treatment in its own right. Learning that it is rarely linked to a serious illness can reduce anxiety^[1]. NICE recommends information at every stage of care, including what can make tinnitus worse, safe listening and self-help strategies^[2], and the German guideline calls counselling the basis of treatment for chronic tinnitus^[5].

Sound therapy: an option with limited evidence

Many people find background sound comforting, but a Cochrane review found no evidence that sound devices work better than no device or information alone^[7]. The guidelines disagree: the US guideline lists sound therapy as an option^[4], NICE could not make a recommendation either way^[2], and the German guideline advises against it as a treatment^[5]. See our sound therapy guide.

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT)

TRT combines counselling with sound therapy to help the brain tune the tinnitus out. The NHS notes that it is unclear whether it works for everyone^[8]. The German guideline says TRT can be considered as a long-term approach of at least 12 months, based on weak evidence, and that wearable noise generators add nothing^[5]. Our TRT guide looks at the trials.

Care for sleep, anxiety and low mood

Problems that often come with tinnitus, such as anxiety, depression and poor sleep, should be assessed and treated in their own right, with medicines where appropriate^{[5, 2]}. See our guides to tinnitus and sleep and tinnitus, stress and anxiety.

What do guidelines advise against?

Drugs for tinnitus itself. The German guideline strongly advises against prescribing drugs for chronic tinnitus, because none has proven benefit and some have significant side effects^[5]. NICE says betahistine should not be offered for tinnitus^[2], and the US guideline advises against antidepressants, anticonvulsants, anti-anxiety drugs and medicines injected into the ear for routine treatment^[4]. Medicines for depression, anxiety or sleep problems are a separate question^{[5, 1]}.
Supplements. The US guideline recommends against ginkgo biloba, melatonin, zinc and other dietary supplements for tinnitus^[4], and the German guideline strongly advises against them^[5]. Our supplements guide looks at each one.
Magnetic and electrical brain stimulation. The US guideline recommends against transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for routine treatment^[4], and the German guideline advises against it, as well as against transcranial electrical stimulation and low level laser therapy^[5]. NICE made no recommendation for practice and asked for more research^[2].
Acupuncture. The German guideline advises against it for chronic tinnitus^[5]; the US guideline made no recommendation either way^[4].

Sudden hearing loss is different. If tinnitus comes with hearing loss that developed over three days or less, you should be seen within 24 hours^[2], because sudden hearing loss is treated differently, usually with steroids^[5].

When should I see an audiologist or ENT doctor?

NICE recommends offering a hearing assessment to everyone with tinnitus^[2], and the US guideline calls for a prompt, full hearing test when tinnitus is in one ear, has lasted six months or more, or comes with hearing difficulties^[4]. Ask your GP for a referral if:

tinnitus still bothers you after a first conversation with a health professional^[2]
it still affects your mood or your daily life after that first support; NICE advises being seen within two weeks in that case^[2]
it is in one ear only, or your hearing is worse on one side^{[2, 4]}
it beats in time with your pulse; ask for an urgent appointment^[8] and see our guide to pulsatile tinnitus
your hearing is getting worse over days or weeks^[2]

Get help straight away if tinnitus follows a head injury, or comes with sudden hearing loss, weakness in your face or a spinning feeling^[8]. Our guide to what tinnitus is lists all the warning signs.

How can I judge a new treatment claim?

Vitamins, herbal extracts and supplements are often advertised as cures for tinnitus, yet none has been proven to work^[1]. Be cautious with anything that promises to silence tinnitus for good, ask what kind of study supports it, and talk it through with your doctor or audiologist before paying for it.

Tinnitus Haven brings sound therapy, a hearing check and CBT-based lessons together in one calm iPhone app, coming soon to the App Store. Learn more about Tinnitus Haven.

Sources

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), NIH. Tinnitus. 2023.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Tinnitus: assessment and management (NG155), Recommendations. NICE guideline, 2020.
Fuller T, Cima R, Langguth B, et al. Cognitive behavioural therapy for tinnitus. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020.
Tunkel DE, Bauer CA, Sun GH, et al. Clinical practice guideline: tinnitus. Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, 2014 (AAO-HNSF).
Mazurek B, Hesse G, Sattel H, et al. S3 Guideline: Chronic Tinnitus. German Society for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery (DGHNO-KHC). HNO, 2022. English version of the German AWMF guideline 017/064 (2021).
Hoare DJ, Edmondson-Jones M, Sereda M, Akeroyd MA, Hall D. Amplification with hearing aids for patients with tinnitus and co-existing hearing loss. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014.
Sereda M, Xia J, El Refaie A, et al. Sound therapy (using amplification devices and/or sound generators) for tinnitus. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018.
NHS. Tinnitus. NHS website, 2024.