When you start on a course of medication, it’s normal to want to be educated about any potential side effects. Can it cause digestive issues? Will it cause dry mouth? Cause sleeplessness? You might not even know about some of the more impactful side effects, including hearing loss. Lots of different drugs are known to cause this condition which medical professionals label as ototoxicity.
Exactly how many drugs are there that can lead to this problem? Well, there are a number of medications recognized to trigger an ototoxic response, but exactly how many is still rather uncertain. So, which ones do you need to pay attention to and why?
What to know about ototoxicity
How can a pill damage your ears after you swallow it? Your hearing can be damaged by medication in three different places:
- The cochlea: That’s the seashell-shaped component of the inner ear that takes sound and converts it into an electrical signal that the brain can understand. When the cochlea is damaged, you will start to lose some frequencies of sound, especially in the high-frequency range.
- The vestibule of the ear: The cochlea is like a labyrinth, and situated right in the middle is the vestibule of the ear. It helps regulate balance. When a medication triggers an ototoxic reaction to the vestibule of the inner ear, you can experience balance problems and the sensation that the room is spinning.
- The stria vascularis: Situated in the cochlea, the stria vascularis produces endolymph, the fluid in the inner ear. Too much or too little endolymph has a substantial effect on both balance and hearing.
Do different drugs have different risk levels?
You might be surprised by the list of drugs that can cause an ototoxic response. Ototoxic medications are fairly common and most people have several of them in their medicine cabinets right now.
At the top of the list of ototoxic medications are over-the-counter pain relievers such as:
- Ibuprofen
- Naproxen
You can add salicylates to the list, better known as aspirin. When you stop using these medications, your hearing will typically go back to normal.
Antibiotics come in as a close second for prevalent ototoxic medications. Some of these may be familiar:
- Kanamycin
- Tobramycin
- Streptomycin
There are also a number of other compounds that can induce tinnitus
Some medications might cause tinnitus and others could lead to loss of hearing. Here are a few ways tinnitus may present:
- Popping
- Thumping
- A whooshing sound
- Ringing
Certain diuretics will also trigger tinnitus, here are a few of the main offenders:
- Marijuana
- Nicotine
- Caffeine
- Tonic water
You might not be aware 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 recede. Ironically, some drugs doctors prescribe to treat tinnitus are also on the list of potential causes such as:
- Amitriptyline
- Lidocaine
- Prednisone
After you stop using the medication, the symptoms should go away, and your doctor will be there to help you with anything you may need to know.
There are very specific symptoms with an ototoxic response
The signs or symptoms of tinnitus differ depending on your ear health and which medication you get.
Here are some things to check out for:
- Tinnitus
- Blurred vision
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Difficulty walking
- Vomiting
- Poor balance
Be sure you ask your doctor about any side effects the medication they prescribed may have, including ototoxicity. Contact your doctor right away if you experience any tinnitus symptoms that may have been caused by an ototoxic reaction.
Also, schedule a hearing test with us, a baseline hearing test is a practical step that can help you preserve good hearing health throughout your life.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331