When you begin on a course of medication, it’s normal to want to be educated about any potential side effects. Can it give you a stomach ache? Will it cause your mouth to dry out? Cause sleeplessness? You might not even be aware of some of the more impactful side effects, like hearing loss. Lots of different medications are known to cause this condition which medical professionals call ototoxicity.
So can this issue be caused by a lot of drugs? The answer is not clear, but there are plenty that are known to trigger ototoxic symptoms. So which medications do you personally need to be aware of?
Ototoxicity – what you should know
How is it possible for your hearing to be impacted by medication? There are three different places certain drugs can damage your hearing:
- The stria vascularis: The stria vascularis is the portion of the cochlea that produces fluid known as endolymph. Too much or too little endolymph has a significant impact on both hearing and balance.
- The vestibule of the ear: The cochlea is like a labyrinth, and situated right in the center is the vestibule of the ear. Its primary function is to manage balance. Vestibulotoxicity drugs can cause you to get dizzy or feel as if the room is spinning.
- The cochlea: That’s the seashell-shaped part of the inner ear that receives sound and converts it into an electrical signal that the brain can comprehend. Damage to the cochlea affects the range of sound you can hear, usually starting with high frequencies then expanding to include lower ones.
Do different drugs have different threat levels?
The checklist of medications that can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss might surprise you. Ototoxic medications are fairly common and the majority of people have a few of them in their medicine cabinets right now.
Over-the-counter pain medication including the following top the list:
- Naproxen
- Ibuprofen
Aspirin, also known as salicylates, is on this list too. When you stop using these drugs, your hearing will typically go back to normal.
Next on the list of common ototoxic drugs would be specific antibiotics. Some of these might be familiar:
- Tobramycin
- Streptomycin
- Kanamycin
There are also a number of other compounds that can cause tinnitus
Hearing loss can be the result of some drugs and others might cause tinnitus. Here are a few ways tinnitus might present:
- Popping
- A whooshing sound
- Ringing
- Thumping
Various diuretics can also result in tinnitus, including brand names Lasix, Bumex, and Diamox but the primary offenders in this category are things like:
- Nicotine
- Marijuana
- Tonic water
- Caffeine
You may not be aware that the cup of coffee or black tea in the morning can trigger ringing in your ears. Here’s the good news, it should improve once the chemical is out of your system. The following medications are prescribed to treat tinnitus but ironically, they are themselves diuretics:
- Prednisone
- Lidocaine
- Amitriptyline
After you discontinue the medication, the symptoms should clear up, and your doctor will be there to help you with whatever you may need to know.
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:
- Poor balance
- Blurred vision
- Vomiting
- Tinnitus
- Difficulty walking
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
Keep yourself informed by always consulting your doctor about the possible side effects of a medication, don’t hesitate to ask about ototoxicity. Contact your doctor right away if you detect any tinnitus symptoms that may have been caused by an ototoxic response.
Also, schedule a hearing test with us, a baseline hearing test is a proactive step that can help you maintain good hearing health throughout your life.
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References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331