When you begin on a course of medication, it’s natural to want to be educated about any potential side effects. Can it trigger digestive problems? Will it cause dry mouth? Cause sleeplessness? You might not even know about some of the more impactful side effects, such as hearing loss. Lots of different drugs are known to trigger this condition which medical professionals label as ototoxicity.
Specifically how many medications are there that can cause this problem? The answer is not clear, 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 can a medication cause problems with your hearing after you swallow it? There are three different places specific 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 produces 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: 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 sense of sound. Damage to the cochlea affects the range of sound you can hear, typically beginning with high frequencies then extending to include lower ones.
- The stria vascularis: The stria vascularis is the portion of the cochlea that generates fluid called endolymph. Both balance and hearing are affected by too much or too little endolymph.
What is the risk level for each drug?
You might be surprised by the list of medications that can result in an ototoxic reaction. Ototoxic medications are fairly common and the majority of individuals have a few of them in their medicine cabinets right now.
Over-the-counter pain medications like the following top the list:
- Naproxen
- Ibuprofen
Aspirin, also known as salicylates, is on this list as well. When you stop taking these drugs, your hearing will typically go back to normal.
Antibiotics come in as a close second for well-known ototoxic medications. You might have heard of some of these:
- Streptomycin
- Tobramycin
- Kanamycin
Tinnitus can also be induced by several common compounds
Hearing loss can be the result of some medications and others might trigger tinnitus. If you hear phantom sounds, that could be tinnitus and it usually shows up as:
- Popping
- Ringing
- Thumping
- A whooshing sound
Specific diuretics will also trigger tinnitus, here are some of the primary offenders:
- Caffeine
- Tonic water
- Nicotine
- Marijuana
Each and every time you drink your coffee or black tea in the morning, you are subjecting your body to something that might make your ears ring. Luckily, once the diuretic has cleared your system, the ringing should recede. Ironically, some drugs doctors prescribe to manage tinnitus are also on the list of potential causes such as:
- Lidocaine
- Amitriptyline
- Prednisone
Typically, the tinnitus will end when you stop using the medication but always talk to your doctor, they will know what’s best for you.
Ototoxicity has specific symptoms
Depending on what specific medications you’re using and your hearing health, your particular symptoms will differ.
Here are some things to check out for:
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Tinnitus
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty walking
- Poor balance
- Vomiting
Make sure you consult your doctor about any possible side effects the medication they prescribed may have, including ototoxicity. Contact your doctor right away if you detect any tinnitus symptoms that might have been caused by an ototoxic reaction.
Also, call us today to set up a hearing test to establish a baseline of your hearing health.
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References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331