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 dehydration? Cause insomnia? You may not even know about some of the more impactful side effects, like hearing loss. Many different medications are known to trigger this condition which medical professionals label as ototoxicity.
Specifically how many medications are there that can result in this issue? The answer is uncertain, but there are plenty that are recognized to trigger ototoxic symptoms. So, which ones do you need to watch out for and why?
Ototoxicity – what you should know
How is it possible for your hearing to be impacted by medication? Your hearing can be damaged by medication in three different places:
- The vestibule of the ear: This is the part of the ear situated in the middle of the labyrinth that composes the cochlea. It helps manage balance. When a medication triggers an ototoxic reaction to the vestibule of the inner ear, you can experience balance issues and the sensation that the room is spinning.
- The cochlea: That’s the seashell-shaped component of the inner ear that receives sound and translates it into an electrical signal that the brain can comprehend. Damage to the cochlea affects the range of sound you can hear, typically beginning with high frequencies then expanding to include lower ones.
- The stria vascularis: Located in the cochlea, the stria vascularis makes endolymph, the fluid in the inner ear. Too much or too little endolymph has a significant effect on both hearing and balance.
What is the risk level for each drug?
The checklist of medications which can result in temporary or permanent hearing loss may 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 medications like the following top the list:
- Ibuprofen
- Naproxen
You can add salicylates to the list, better known as aspirin. The hearing issues caused by these drugs are normally reversible when you stop using them.
Antibiotics are a close second for prevalent ototoxic drugs. You might have heard of some of these:
- Tobramycin
- Streptomycin
- Kanamycin
Tinnitus can also be triggered by a number of common compounds
Hearing loss can be the result of some drugs and others might trigger tinnitus. If you hear phantom noises, that could be tinnitus and it typically shows up as:
- Popping
- A whooshing sound
- Thumping
- Ringing
Various diuretics can also cause tinnitus, including brand names Lasix, Bumex, and Diamox but the primary offenders in this category are things like:
- Tonic water
- Marijuana
- Caffeine
- Nicotine
Every single time you drink your coffee or black tea in the morning, you are exposing your body to something that could make your ears ring. Luckily, once the diuretic has cleared your system, the ringing should recede. Ironically, some drugs doctors prescribe to treat tinnitus are also on the list of possible causes such as:
- Prednisone
- Lidocaine
- Amitriptyline
Usually, the tinnitus will clear when you quit taking the medication but always consult your doctor, they will know what’s best for you.
Ototoxicity has particular symptoms
The signs or symptoms of tinnitus vary based on your ear health and which medication you get.
Here are some things to check out for:
- Poor balance
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Blurred vision
- Tinnitus
- Vomiting
- Difficulty walking
Be sure you ask your doctor about any possible side effects the medication they prescribed might have, including ototoxicity. If you experience ototoxicity we recommend immediately contacting your doctor to talk about your symptoms, they will know what’s best.
Also, contact us today to set up a hearing test to establish a baseline of your hearing health.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331
