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 your mouth to dry out? Cause insomnia? There may also be a more severe possible side effect that you might not think of – hearing loss. Ototoxicity is the medical term professionals have given this condition and there are lots of drugs that are known to cause it.
So can this problem be caused by a lot of drugs? Well, there are numerous medications recognized to trigger an ototoxic reaction, but just how many is still rather uncertain. So, which ones do you need to pay attention to and why?
What to know about ototoxicity
How is it possible for your hearing to be affected by medication? There are three different places certain drugs can harm your hearing:
- The vestibule of the ear: The cochlea is like a labyrinth, and sitting right in the center is the vestibule of the ear. It helps regulate balance. When a medication triggers an ototoxic response to the vestibule of the inner ear, you can experience balance problems and the sensation that the room is spinning.
- The cochlea: That’s the seashell-shaped part of the inner ear that takes sound and translates it into an electrical signal that the brain can understand. 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: The stria vascularis is the portion of the cochlea that generates fluid known as endolymph. Both balance and hearing are impacted by too much or too little endolymph.
Do different drugs have different risk levels?
You might be surprised by the list of medications that can cause an ototoxic reaction. Many of them you most likely have in your medicine cabinet even now, and chances are you take them before you go to bed or when you have a headache.
Topping the list of ototoxic medications are over-the-counter pain relievers such as:
- Ibuprofen
- Naproxen
You can add salicylates to the list, which is aspirin. When you quit taking these medications, your hearing will usually go back to normal.
Antibiotics are a close second for common ototoxic medications. You may have heard of some of these:
- Tobramycin
- Kanamycin
- Streptomycin
Tinnitus can also be induced by a number of common compounds
Hearing loss can be the outcome of some drugs and others may trigger tinnitus. Here are some ways tinnitus might present:
- Thumping
- Ringing
- Popping
- A whooshing sound
Various diuretics can also result in tinnitus, including brand names Lasix, Bumex, and Diamox but the primary offenders in this category are things like:
- Marijuana
- Tonic water
- Caffeine
- Nicotine
You may not realize that the cup of coffee or black tea in the morning can cause ringing in your ears. Here’s the good news, it should clear up once the drug is out of your system. The following drugs are prescribed to manage tinnitus but ironically, they are themselves diuretics:
- Lidocaine
- Prednisone
- Amitriptyline
Once you stop using the medication, the symptoms should improve, and your doctor will be there to help you with whatever you may need to know.
There are very distinct symptoms with an ototoxic reaction
The signs or symptoms of tinnitus differ depending on your ear health and which medication you get.
Be on guard for:
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Difficulty walking
- Tinnitus
- Poor balance
- Blurred vision
- Vomiting
Keep yourself informed by always asking your doctor about the potential 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 exam to establish a baseline of your hearing health.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331
