When you start on a course of medication, it’s natural to want to be informed about any possible side effects. Can it cause digestive issues? Will it dehydrate you? Cause insomnia? There could also be a more serious potential side effect that you may not be aware of – hearing loss. Lots of different drugs are known to cause this condition which medical professionals call ototoxicity.
Exactly how many drugs are there that can cause this issue? The answer is uncertain, but there are lots that are recognized to cause ototoxic symptoms. So which medications do you personally need to be aware of?
Ototoxicity – what you should know
How can a pill damage your hearing after you swallow it? There are three distinct places certain drugs can damage your hearing:
- The cochlea: That’s the seashell-shaped part of the inner ear that takes sound and translates it into an electrical signal that the brain can comprehend. When the cochlea is damaged, you will start to lose some frequencies of sound, particularly in the high-frequency range.
- The vestibule of the ear: The cochlea is like a labyrinth, and sitting right in the middle is the vestibule of the ear. It helps regulate balance. Vestibulotoxicity medications can cause you to get dizzy or feel as if the room is spinning.
- The stria vascularis: The stria vascularis is the part of the cochlea that generates fluid known as endolymph. Both balance and hearing are affected by too much or too little endolymph.
Do different drugs have different threat levels?
The checklist of drugs that can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss may surprise you. Several of them you probably have in your medicine cabinet even now, and chances are you take them before you go to bed or when you have a headache.
At the top of the list of ototoxic medications are over-the-counter pain killers such as:
- Naproxen
- Ibuprofen
Aspirin, also known as salicylates, is on this list as well. When you stop taking these medications, your hearing will typically go back to normal.
Next on the list of common ototoxic medications would be specific antibiotics. Some of these may be familiar:
- Tobramycin
- Streptomycin
- Kanamycin
There are also several other compounds that can trigger tinnitus
Hearing loss can be the outcome of some medications and others might trigger tinnitus. If you hear phantom noises, that could be tinnitus and it normally shows up as:
- A whooshing sound
- Popping
- Ringing
- Thumping
Some diuretics can also result in tinnitus, including brand names Lasix, Bumex, and Diamox but the leading offenders in this category are things like:
- Tonic water
- Caffeine
- Marijuana
- Nicotine
You might not realize that the cup of coffee or black tea in the morning can trigger ringing in your ears. Luckily, once the diuretic has cleared your system, the ringing should go away. Ironically, some drugs doctors prescribe to manage tinnitus are also on the list of potential causes such as:
- Lidocaine
- Prednisone
- Amitriptyline
Normally, the tinnitus will clear when you quit taking the medication but always seek advice from your doctor, they will know what’s best for you.
There are very specific symptoms with an ototoxic response
Depending on what specific medications you’re taking and your hearing health, your particular symptoms will differ.
Be on guard for:
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Vomiting
- Difficulty walking
- Poor balance
- Blurred vision
- Tinnitus
Keep yourself informed by always asking your physician about the potential side effects of a medication, don’t hesitate to ask about ototoxicity. Contact your doctor right away if you experience any tinnitus symptoms that might have been caused by an ototoxic response.
Also, schedule a hearing exam with us, a baseline hearing test is a practical measure that can help you preserve good hearing health throughout your life.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331
