It’s natural to want to know about the side effects of a medication when you begin taking it. Can it upset your stomach? Will it cause your mouth to dry out? Cause insomnia? There could also be a more severe potential side effect that you may not be aware of – hearing loss. Many different medications are known to cause this condition which medical professionals call ototoxicity.
Exactly how many drugs are there that can lead to this problem? The answer is uncertain, but there are lots that are known to trigger ototoxic symptoms. So, which ones do you need to watch out for and why?
What you need to know about ototoxicity
How can a medication damage your hearing after you take it? There are three distinct places certain drugs can damage your hearing:
- The vestibule of the ear: This is the part of the ear situated in the middle of the labyrinth that composes the cochlea. Its primary function is to regulate balance. Vestibulotoxicity drugs can cause you to get dizzy or feel as if the room is spinning.
- The cochlea: The cochlea is part of the inner ear, shaped like a seashell, that converts sound waves into electrical signals which your brain translates into the perception of sound. When the cochlea is compromised, you will start to lose some frequencies of sound, especially in the high-frequency range.
- The stria vascularis: Located in the cochlea, the stria vascularis makes endolymph, the fluid in the inner ear. Both balance and hearing are impacted by too much or too little endolymph.
Do different drugs have different risk levels?
The checklist of drugs which can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss might surprise you. Several of them you likely have in your medicine cabinet even now, and it’s likely that you take them before you go to bed or when you’re dealing with a headache.
At the top of the list of ototoxic medications are over-the-counter pain relievers including:
- Ibuprofen
- Naproxen
Aspirin, also known as salicylates, is on this list too. The hearing problems caused by these drugs are normally reversible when you quit taking them.
Antibiotics are a close second for prevalent ototoxic drugs. You may have heard of some of these:
- Streptomycin
- Kanamycin
- Tobramycin
There are also a number of other compounds that can induce tinnitus
Hearing loss can be the result of some medications and others may cause tinnitus. If you hear phantom sounds, that might be tinnitus and it normally shows up as:
- Popping
- Thumping
- A whooshing sound
- Ringing
Specific diuretics will also cause tinnitus, here are some of the primary offenders:
- Tonic water
- Caffeine
- Marijuana
- Nicotine
Each and every time you drink your coffee or black tea in the morning, you are exposing your body to something that could make your ears ring. Here’s the good news, it should clear up after the drug is out of your system. The following drugs are prescribed to treat tinnitus but ironically, they are themselves diuretics:
- Amitriptyline
- Lidocaine
- Prednisone
After you stop using the medication, the symptoms should improve, and your doctor will be there to help you with anything you may need to know.
Ototoxicity has particular symptoms
Depending on what specific medications you’re using and your hearing health, your particular symptoms will vary.
Here are some things to watch out for:
- Vomiting
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty walking
- Tinnitus
- Poor balance
Be certain that you consult your doctor about any possible side effects the medication they prescribed might have, including ototoxicity. Contact your doctor right away if you detect any tinnitus symptoms that might have been caused by an ototoxic reaction.
Also, contact us today to set up a hearing exam to establish a baseline of your hearing health.
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331