It’s normal to want to learn about the side effects of a medication when you start taking it. Can it give you a stomach ache? Will it cause your mouth to dry out? Make you sleepy? You might not even know about some of the more impactful side effects, such as hearing loss. Many different medications are known to trigger this condition which medical professionals call ototoxicity.
So can this issue be caused by a lot of medications? Well, there are numerous medications known to trigger an ototoxic reaction, but exactly how many is still rather uncertain. So which drugs do you personally need to know about?
Ototoxicity – what you should know
How is it possible for your hearing to be affected by medication? There are three distinct places specific drugs can damage your hearing:
- The stria vascularis: The stria vascularis is the part of the cochlea that produces fluid called endolymph. Too much or too little endolymph has a significant impact on both hearing and balance.
- The cochlea: The cochlea is part of the inner ear, shaped like a seashell, that transforms sound waves into electrical signals which your brain translates into the sense of sound. 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: This is the part of the ear that sits in the middle of the labyrinth that makes up the cochlea. It helps manage balance. When a medication causes an ototoxic response to the vestibule of the inner ear, you can experience balance issues and the sensation that the room is spinning.
What is the risk level for each drug?
The checklist of medications which can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss may surprise you. Ototoxic medications are fairly common and the majority of individuals have several of them in their medicine cabinets right now.
Over-the-counter pain medication like the following top the list:
- Ibuprofen
- Naproxen
You can add salicylates to the list, which is aspirin. The hearing issues due to these drugs are generally reversible when you stop taking them.
Antibiotics come in as a close second for well-known ototoxic drugs. You may have heard of some of these:
- Tobramycin
- Streptomycin
- Kanamycin
There are also several other compounds that can cause tinnitus
Hearing loss can be the result of some medications and others may trigger tinnitus. Here are some ways tinnitus may present:
- Thumping
- A whooshing sound
- Popping
- Ringing
Specific diuretics will also cause tinnitus, here are some of the primary offenders:
- Tonic water
- Marijuana
- Caffeine
- Nicotine
Each and every time you drink your coffee or black tea in the morning, you are subjecting your body to something that might make your ears ring. Here’s the good news, it should clear up once the chemical is out of your system. Ironically, some drugs doctors prescribe to treat tinnitus are also on the list of potential causes such as:
- Lidocaine
- Amitriptyline
- Prednisone
Normally, the tinnitus will end when you stop taking the medication but always seek advice from your doctor, they will know what’s best for you.
Ototoxicity has specific symptoms
Depending on what specific medications you’re taking and your hearing health, your particular symptoms will differ.
Here are a few things to watch out for:
- Tinnitus
- Vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Difficulty walking
- Poor balance
Keep yourself informed by always asking your physician about the possible side effects of a medication, don’t hesitate to ask about ototoxicity. Get in touch with your doctor right away if you experience any tinnitus symptoms that might have been caused by an ototoxic reaction.
Also, call us today to schedule a hearing test to establish a baseline of your hearing health.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331
