Why Combination Therapies Are the Future of Tinnitus Treatment

New research reveals a major shift in how tinnitus should be treated — and why a single therapy is no longer enough for many people.

Tinnitus affects more than 14% of adults worldwide, and for millions, the constant ringing, buzzing, or hissing can feel miserable. For years, treatment has been fragmented: clinicians would choose one option, like cognitive-behavioral therapy, hearing aids, or sound therapy and hope it worked well enough on its own.

But a groundbreaking new international randomized controlled trial suggests something different:
Combining therapies may produce better outcomes than relying on just one.

This is the first major study to directly compare single vs. combination tinnitus treatments head-to-head, and its results could reshape the standard of care.

Single treatments

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Hearing aids (HA)

Structured counselling (SC)

Sound therapy (ST)

Or combinations of these treatments

CBT + hearing aids

Hearing aids + structured counselling

Sound therapy + CBT, etc 

What the Study Found

1. Everyone improved but combination therapy did better.

Both groups showed significant reductions in tinnitus distress after 12 weeks. But the numbers weren’t equal:

Single treatments: average improvement of 11.7 points

Combination treatments: average improvement of 14.9 points

That may sound small, but in tinnitus research, even moderate improvements can translate to meaningful relief in daily life — better sleep, improved concentration, reduced anxiety, and fewer intrusive episodes.

2. CBT and hearing aids were the strongest single options.

When used alone, CBT and hearing aids provided the biggest improvements. This reinforces what clinicians have seen in practice:

CBT helps reduce emotional and attentional distress.

Hearing aids help when tinnitus is linked to hearing loss (which is incredibly common).

 

What This Means for People With Tinnitus

Personalization is now essential, There is no one-size-fits-all treatment.

Certain patient profiles respond better to certain therapies:

Emotional distress → CBT

Tinnitus + hearing loss → hearing aids

Sound sensitivity → sound therapy

Overwhelm & lack of guidance → structured counseling

Once the core need is identified, adding a second therapy can produce extra relief.

2. Combination therapy is the new standard — but it must be targeted.

Throwing two or three treatments together at random won’t guarantee better outcomes.
But choosing the right primary treatment and pairing it intentionally can create meaningful improvements.