Ringing in the ears that will not go away (tinnitus support)

Common symptoms

• A sound in your ears or head with no outside source, often ringing
• It can also sound like buzzing or hissing
• Most people with tinnitus also have some hearing loss
• It can fade with time, stay, or get worse

May fit online care

• Adults 18 and older
• You are 18 or older
• The ringing has been there most days for 6 months or more, and it bothers you
• You hear it in both ears or in your head
• A doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant examined your ears in person in the last 12 months
• You had a full hearing test (audiogram) in the last 12 months, and you have the report
• You have none of the warning signs below
• You know that we do not look in your ears, do or order hearing tests or scans, or send a prescription

Look for another care setting

• A drooping face, or weakness or numbness in your face, arm, or leg (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• Trouble speaking, understanding speech, or swallowing (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• Sudden confusion (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• Double vision, or a change in your vision (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• Trouble walking, or not being able to stand without help (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• A new, very bad headache, or sudden bad neck pain (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• A seizure, or fainting (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• A severe headache with a stiff neck (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• Spinning (vertigo) that starts by itself, even if it passes in a few minutes (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• Spinning or dizziness that stays strong when you hold still, for 1 hour or more (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• After a hit to your head in the last 3 months: vomiting more than once, becoming very sleepy, confusion or acting in a strange way, a headache that is severe or getting worse, a stiff neck, or one pupil (the dark center of the eye) bigger than the other (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• You hit your head in the last 4 weeks, and you take a blood thinner (call 911 or go to the ER now).
• Call 911 or go to the ER now if you have, or had in the last 2 days, any of the first eleven signs above, even if they went away. Signs of a head injury can start over several hours or days.
• Blood thinners include warfarin, Eliquis, Xarelto, and Plavix.
• If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or go to the nearest emergency department immediately.
• This also applies if you had thoughts of ending your life or harming yourself in the last 2 weeks, even if they have passed.
• Your hearing dropped suddenly in the last 6 weeks, all at once or over a few days, even if it came back (go to the ER or urgent care today). For a drop in hearing, say it started suddenly, and ask about steroid treatment and a hearing test with an ear doctor (ENT). Quick care can help you keep your hearing.
• You hit your head in the last 3 days (go to the ER or urgent care today). Signs of a head injury can start over several hours or days after a hit.
• Ear pain, now or in the last 7 days (see a doctor in person today).
• Fluid, pus, or blood draining from an ear, now or in the last 7 days (see a doctor in person today).
• A fever of 100.4 F (38 C) or higher, now or in the last 7 days (see a doctor in person today).
• You hit your head in the last 4 weeks (see a doctor in person today).
• The ringing started to beat in time with your pulse, or sound like your heartbeat, in the last 6 months, or you are not sure when it started or whether it keeps time with your pulse (see a doctor in person today).
• The ringing has beaten in time with your pulse, or sounded like your heartbeat, for 6 months or more (see a doctor in person within 7 days, an ENT doctor is a good choice).
• Your hearing dropped suddenly after your hearing test, more than 6 weeks ago (see a doctor in person within 7 days, an ENT doctor is a good choice).
• Your hearing has slowly gotten worse since your hearing test (see a doctor in person within 7 days, an ENT doctor is a good choice).
• An ear feels plugged or full, or sounds are muffled, and this is new since your last ear exam (see a doctor in person within 7 days, an ENT doctor is a good choice).
• You had spinning dizziness (vertigo), or felt unsteady on your feet, in the last 3 months (see a doctor in person within 7 days, an ENT doctor is a good choice).
• The ringing is in one ear only, or much louder in one ear (see a doctor in person within 14 days, an ENT doctor is a good choice).
• Your hearing test or a clinician showed that one ear hears worse than the other, or you are not sure (see a doctor in person within 14 days, an ENT doctor is a good choice).
• You hear voices or talking, or music or singing, that other people cannot hear (see a doctor in person within 14 days).
• The ringing causes you so much distress, worry, or sadness that you cannot work, take care of yourself, or do tasks at home on most days (see a doctor in person within 14 days).
• The ringing has been there most days for less than 6 months (see your own doctor). You can use this visit once it has lasted 6 months.
• The ringing comes only in short spells that last minutes (see your own doctor).
• The ringing does not bother you (see your own doctor).
• You did not have an in-person ear exam by a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant in the last 12 months (see your own doctor).
• You do not have a report of a full hearing test (audiogram) from the last 12 months (see your own doctor).
• A doctor told you the ringing comes from something other than hearing loss or noise, such as Ménière's disease, a growth on the hearing nerve, a problem with the small ear bones, or a jaw joint problem (see your own doctor).
• The ringing started, or got worse, after you started a new medicine (see your own doctor). Do not stop a medicine on your own.
• The sound is a click, a flutter, or a tap, not a ring, a buzz, or a hiss (see your own doctor, an ENT doctor is a good choice).
• You are under 18 (see your own doctor).
• If more than one fits, follow the first one.