Tinnitus sound or noise levels can lead to tinnitus. Ear plugs or other measures can help with prevention. Several medicines have ototoxic effects, and can have a cumulative effect that can increase the damage done by noise. If ototoxic medications must be administered, close attention by the physician to prescription details, such as dose and dosage interval, can reduce the damage done. If there is an underlying cause, treating it may lead to improvements. Otherwise, the primary treatment for tinnitus is talk therapy and sound therapy; there are no effective medications. The best supported treatment for tinnitus is a type of
Tinnitus masker efficacy of a tinnitus masker may depend on the wearer's capacity to experience "residual inhibition," the temporary suppression of tinnitus in response to particular sound patterns. The mechanism of sound masking can be explained by analogy with light. In a dark room where someone is turning a lamp on and off, the light will be obviously noticeable. However if the overhead lights are turned on, turning on the lamp will no longer be as distracting because it has been "masked". The concept that an external sound could suppress perception of an internal one was first realised clinically in the mid