When you begin on a course of medication, it’s normal to want to be educated about any possible side effects. Can it give you a stomach ache? Will it cause dehydration? Cause sleeplessness? You might not even be aware of some of the more impactful side effects, like hearing loss. Lots of different drugs are known to cause this condition which medical professionals label as ototoxicity.
So can this problem be triggered by a lot of medications? Well, there are numerous medications known to cause an ototoxic response, but exactly how many is still rather unclear. 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? Your hearing can be damaged by medication in three distinct places:
- The cochlea: That’s the seashell-shaped component of the inner ear that receives sound and translates it into an electrical signal that the brain can comprehend. When the cochlea is compromised, 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 situated right in the middle is the vestibule of the ear. Its primary function is to regulate balance. When a medication produces 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: Situated in the cochlea, the stria vascularis generates endolymph, the fluid in the inner ear. Too much or too little endolymph has a significant effect on both balance and hearing.
What is the risk level for each drug?
The checklist of medications which can result in temporary or permanent hearing loss may surprise you. Ototoxic medications are fairly common and most individuals 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 killers such as:
- Naproxen
- Ibuprofen
You can add salicylates to the list, which is aspirin. When you stop using these drugs, your hearing will usually go back to normal.
Next on the list of common ototoxic drugs would be specific antibiotics. Some of these might be familiar:
- Streptomycin
- Tobramycin
- Kanamycin
There are also a number of other compounds that can trigger tinnitus
Hearing loss can be the result of some drugs and others may trigger tinnitus. If you hear phantom sounds, that might be tinnitus and it normally shows up as:
- Popping
- A whooshing sound
- Ringing
- Thumping
Certain diuretics will also trigger tinnitus, here are a few of the primary offenders:
- Caffeine
- Marijuana
- Tonic water
- Nicotine
Every single time you drink your coffee or black tea in the morning, you are exposing your body to something that might make your ears ring. Luckily, once the diuretic has cleared your system, the ringing should go away. The following drugs are prescribed to manage tinnitus but ironically, they are themselves diuretics:
- Lidocaine
- Amitriptyline
- Prednisone
Usually, the tinnitus will clear when you quit taking the medication but always consult your doctor, they will know what’s best for you.
Ototoxicity has specific symptoms
Depending on what specific medications you’re using and the health of your hearing, your particular symptoms will differ.
Be on guard for:
- Vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Poor balance
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Tinnitus
- Difficulty walking
Make sure you ask your doctor about any side effects the medication they prescribed may have, including ototoxicity. If you experience ototoxicity we suggest that you contact your doctor to talk about your symptoms, they will know what’s best.
Also, schedule a hearing test with us, a baseline hearing test is a practical measure that can help you preserve good hearing health throughout your life.
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References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331
