When you start on a course of medication, it’s normal to want to be informed about any possible side effects. Can it cause digestive issues? Will it cause dry mouth? Make you sleepy? 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 many drugs that are known to cause it.
So can this issue be caused by a lot of medications? Well, there are numerous medications recognized to cause an ototoxic response, but just how many is still rather unclear. So, which ones do you need to watch out for and why?
What to know about ototoxicity
How is it possible for your hearing to be affected by medication? Your hearing can be damaged by medication in three distinct places:
- The vestibule of the ear: This is the portion of the ear that sits in the middle of the labyrinth that composes the cochlea. Its principal function is to manage balance. When a medication causes an ototoxic response to the vestibule of the inner ear, you can experience balance problems and the feeling that the room is spinning.
- The cochlea: That’s the seashell-shaped component 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 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 impacted by too much or too little endolymph.
Do different drugs have different threat levels?
You may be surprised by the list of drugs that can cause an ototoxic reaction. Ototoxic medications are pretty common and most 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 killers such as:
- Naproxen
- Ibuprofen
Aspirin, also called salicylates, is on this list as well. When you quit using these drugs, your hearing will typically go back to normal.
Antibiotics come in as a close second for common ototoxic drugs. Some of these may be familiar:
- Tobramycin
- Streptomycin
- Kanamycin
There are also a number of other compounds that can trigger tinnitus
Some medications might cause tinnitus and others could lead to loss of hearing. Here are some ways tinnitus might present:
- Popping
- A whooshing sound
- Ringing
- Thumping
Specific diuretics will also trigger tinnitus, here are a few of the primary offenders:
- Nicotine
- Caffeine
- Tonic water
- Marijuana
Every single time you drink your coffee or black tea in the morning, you are exposing your body to something that could make your ears ring. Luckily, once the diuretic has cleared your system, the ringing should go away. The following drugs are prescribed to treat tinnitus but ironically, they are themselves diuretics:
- Lidocaine
- Prednisone
- Amitriptyline
Once you stop using the medication, the symptoms should go away, and your doctor will be there to help you with whatever you may need to know.
There are very distinct symptoms with an ototoxic response
The signs or symptoms of tinnitus differ depending on your hearing health and which medication you get.
Be on guard for:
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Poor balance
- Vomiting
- Difficulty walking
- Blurred vision
- Tinnitus
Keep yourself informed by always consulting your physician about the possible side effects of a medication, don’t hesitate to ask about ototoxicity. If you experience ototoxicity we recommend that you contact your doctor to talk about your symptoms, they will know what’s best.
Also, schedule a hearing exam with us, a baseline hearing test is a practical step 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