It’s normal to want to understand the side effects of a medication when you start taking it. Can it give you a stomach ache? Will it dehydrate you? Make you sleepy? There may also be a more severe potential side effect that you may not think of – hearing loss. Ototoxicity is the medical term professionals have given this condition and there are many drugs that are known to cause it.
Specifically how many medications are there that can lead to this problem? The answer is unclear, but there are plenty that are recognized to cause ototoxic symptoms. So which drugs do you personally need to know about?
Ototoxicity – what you should know
How can a pill wreak havoc on your ears after you swallow it? Your hearing can be damaged by medication in three distinct places:
- The stria vascularis: Found in the cochlea, the stria vascularis generates endolymph, the fluid in the inner ear. Too much or too little endolymph has a substantial effect on both balance and hearing.
- The vestibule of the ear: The cochlea is like a labyrinth, and situated right in the center is the vestibule of the ear. Its primary function is to manage balance. Vestibulotoxicity drugs can cause you to become dizzy or feel as if the room is spinning.
- 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 perception of sound. When the cochlea is damaged, you will start to lose some frequencies of sound, especially in the high-frequency range.
What is the threat level for each drug?
You may be surprised by the list of medications 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.
Over-the-counter pain medications like the following top the list:
- Naproxen
- Ibuprofen
You can add salicylates to the list, which is aspirin. When you quit taking these drugs, your hearing will typically go back to normal.
Antibiotics come in as a close second for common ototoxic drugs. Some of these might be familiar:
- Streptomycin
- Kanamycin
- Tobramycin
Tinnitus can also be triggered by several common compounds
Hearing loss can be the outcome of some medications and others may cause tinnitus. If you hear phantom noises, that might be tinnitus and it usually shows up as:
- Thumping
- Ringing
- A whooshing sound
- Popping
Certain diuretics will also trigger tinnitus, here are some of the primary offenders:
- Nicotine
- Tonic water
- Caffeine
- Marijuana
You may not be aware that the cup of coffee or black tea in the morning can trigger ringing in your ears. Here’s the good news, it should improve once the drug is out of your system. The following medications are prescribed to treat tinnitus but ironically, they are themselves diuretics:
- Lidocaine
- Amitriptyline
- Prednisone
Typically, the tinnitus will clear when you stop taking the medication but always talk to your doctor, they will know what’s best for you.
Ototoxicity has specific symptoms
The signs or symptoms of tinnitus vary depending on your ear health and which medication you get.
Be on guard for:
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Tinnitus
- Difficulty walking
- Poor balance
Keep yourself informed by always consulting your physician about the possible side effects of a medication, don’t hesitate to ask about ototoxicity. Contact your doctor right away if you experience any tinnitus symptoms that might 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
