When you begin on a course of medication, it’s natural to want to be educated about any possible side effects. Can it upset your stomach? Will it cause your mouth to dry out? Make you sleepy? You might not even know about some of the more impactful side effects, such as hearing loss. Ototoxicity is the medical name professionals have given this condition and there are lots of drugs that are known to cause it.
Specifically how many drugs are there that can cause this problem? The answer is unclear, but there are plenty that are known to trigger ototoxic symptoms. 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 certain drugs can harm your hearing:
- The vestibule of the ear: This is the portion of the ear situated in the middle of the labyrinth that composes the cochlea. Its primary function is to manage balance. When a medication triggers an ototoxic response to the vestibule of the inner ear, you can experience balance issues and the sensation that the room is spinning.
- The stria vascularis: The stria vascularis is the portion of the cochlea that generates fluid called endolymph. Too much or too little endolymph has a significant impact on both balance and hearing.
- The cochlea: That’s the seashell-shaped part of the inner ear that receives sound and translates it into an electrical signal that the brain can comprehend. When the cochlea is damaged, you will begin to lose some frequencies of sound, particularly in the high-frequency range.
Do different drugs have different risk levels?
The checklist of medications which can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss might surprise you. Ototoxic medications are fairly common and the majority of individuals 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:
- Naproxen
- Ibuprofen
Aspirin, also known as salicylates, is on this list too. When you stop using these medications, your hearing will usually go back to normal.
Antibiotics are a close second for common ototoxic medications. Some of these may be familiar:
- Tobramycin
- Streptomycin
- Kanamycin
Tinnitus can also be induced by several common compounds
Some drugs might cause tinnitus and others could result in loss of hearing. Here are a few ways tinnitus may present:
- A whooshing sound
- Popping
- Thumping
- Ringing
Certain diuretics will also cause tinnitus, here are a few of the primary offenders:
- Marijuana
- Nicotine
- Caffeine
- Tonic water
Each and every time you drink your coffee or black tea in the morning, you are subjecting your body to something that may make your ears ring. Fortunately, 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
- Prednisone
- Lidocaine
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.
Ototoxicity has particular symptoms
The signs or symptoms of tinnitus differ based on your ear health and which medication you get.
Be on guard for:
- Difficulty walking
- Blurred vision
- Vomiting
- Poor balance
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Tinnitus
Make sure you consult your doctor about any possible side effects the medication they prescribed might have, including ototoxicity. Contact your doctor right away if you experience any tinnitus symptoms that may have been caused by an ototoxic response.
Also, schedule a hearing test with us, a baseline hearing test is a proactive step that can help you preserve good hearing health throughout your life.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331