When you begin on a course of medication, it’s natural to want to be informed about any possible side effects. Can it upset your stomach? Will it cause your mouth to dry out? Make you drowsy? You may not even know about some of the more impactful side effects, like 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 triggered by a lot of medications? Well, there are numerous medications recognized to trigger an ototoxic response, 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 portion of the cochlea that generates fluid known as endolymph. Too much or too little endolymph has a significant effect on both balance and hearing.
- 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 begin to lose some frequencies of sound, especially in the high-frequency range.
- 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 manage balance. Vestibulotoxicity drugs can cause you to become dizzy or feel like the room is spinning.
Do different drugs have different threat levels?
The checklist of drugs which can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss might surprise you. Ototoxic medications are fairly common and the majority of people have a few 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:
- Naproxen
- Ibuprofen
You can add salicylates to the list, better known as aspirin. The hearing issues due to these drugs are normally reversible when you stop taking them.
Antibiotics are a close second for well-known ototoxic medications. You may have heard of some of these:
- Tobramycin
- Streptomycin
- Kanamycin
There are also numerous other compounds that can cause tinnitus
Hearing loss can be the outcome of some drugs and others might cause tinnitus. If you hear phantom sounds, that might be tinnitus and it usually shows up as:
- A whooshing sound
- Ringing
- Popping
- Thumping
Specific diuretics will also trigger tinnitus, here are a few of the main offenders:
- Nicotine
- Caffeine
- Marijuana
- Tonic water
Every single time you drink your coffee or black tea in the morning, you are subjecting your body to something that may make your ears ring. The good news is it should improve after 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:
- Amitriptyline
- Lidocaine
- Prednisone
Normally, the tinnitus will clear when you quit using the medication but always consult your doctor, they will know what’s best for you.
Ototoxicity has specific symptoms
The signs or symptoms of tinnitus vary depending on your hearing health and which medication you get.
Be on guard for:
- Tinnitus
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Blurred vision
- Poor balance
- Difficulty walking
- Vomiting
Keep yourself informed by always asking your physician 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 detect 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 maintain good hearing health throughout your life.
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References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331
