# Tinnitus treatments that do not work, according to the guidelines

Canonical: https://romeoapps.app/en/tacet/tinnitus-what-does-not-work/
Author: Roméo Gambino · Published: 2026-09-09 · Updated: 2026-09-09 · App: Tacet (https://romeoapps.app/en/tacet/)

Supplements, drugs and devices sold for tinnitus, and what the clinical practice guideline actually recommends against.

## Why this list matters

People with distressing tinnitus are a profitable audience precisely because they are desperate, and the market reflects that. The American clinical practice guideline on tinnitus is unusual in that it states explicitly what clinicians should recommend against, which gives you a short, citable list to check any product against before paying for it.

What the clinical practice guideline recommends against, in routine use

| Product or treatment | Guideline position |
| --- | --- |
| Ginkgo biloba | Recommend against |
| Melatonin for tinnitus | Recommend against |
| Zinc | Recommend against |
| Antidepressants for tinnitus itself | Recommend against |
| Anticonvulsants, anxiolytics | Recommend against |
| Intratympanic medication | Recommend against |


## Dietary supplements

The guideline recommends against routine dietary supplements for persistent bothersome tinnitus, naming ginkgo biloba, melatonin and zinc among them. Ginkgo in particular has been studied repeatedly and does not show a reliable effect on tinnitus. This does not mean melatonin never helps anyone sleep; it means it is not a tinnitus treatment.


## Medication

No drug is approved to treat tinnitus itself. The guideline advises against routine antidepressants, anticonvulsants, anxiolytics and intratympanic medication for persistent bothersome tinnitus. Medication may still be appropriate for an accompanying depression or anxiety disorder, which is a different clinical decision made by a doctor who knows you.


## Devices that promise silence

Any device claiming to eliminate tinnitus is claiming more than the literature supports. Sound-based approaches have been reviewed by Cochrane, which found no strong evidence that sound therapy is better or worse than other options; hearing aids are used when there is co-existing hearing loss, with limited trial evidence. Both are reasonable tools. Neither erases the sound, and price does not change that.


## Tinnitus retraining therapy, honestly

TRT combines counselling with sound generators and is widely offered. The Cochrane review of TRT found only limited evidence, based on a small number of trials. It may help, particularly the counselling part, but it should not be sold to you as an established cure with a fixed course of expensive appointments.


## What to do instead

Get a hearing test. Ask about cognitive behavioural therapy, which has the strongest evidence for reducing the distress tinnitus causes even though it does not change the loudness. Use sound at a sensible level for sleep and concentration. Protect your hearing. Give it months rather than days, because habituation is slow and quiet weeks are the sign it is working.


## Questions

### Does ginkgo biloba help tinnitus?

The clinical practice guideline recommends against routine dietary supplements for persistent bothersome tinnitus, and names ginkgo biloba among them.

### Is there a drug for tinnitus?

No medication is approved to treat tinnitus itself, and the guideline advises against routine antidepressants, anticonvulsants, anxiolytics and intratympanic drugs for it.

### Does tinnitus retraining therapy work?

The Cochrane review found only limited evidence from a small number of trials. It may help, but it is not an established cure.

## Further reading

- Tunkel et al. (2014), Clinical Practice Guideline: Tinnitus, Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery — https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599814545325
- Sereda et al. (2018), Sound therapy (using amplification devices and/or sound generators) for tinnitus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013094.pub2
- Phillips & McFerran (2010), Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) for tinnitus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007330.pub2
- Hoare et al. (2014), Amplification with hearing aids for patients with tinnitus and co-existing hearing loss, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010151.pub2
- Fuller et al. (2020), Cognitive behavioural therapy for tinnitus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012614.pub2