When you start on a course of medication, it’s normal to want to be educated about any potential side effects. Can it upset your stomach? Will it cause dehydration? Make you drowsy? You may not even know about some of the more impactful side effects, such as 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 cause this problem? The answer is not clear, but there are plenty that are known to cause ototoxic symptoms. So, which ones do you need to pay attention to and why?
What you need to know about ototoxicity
How is it possible for your hearing to be impacted by medication? Your hearing can be harmed by medication in three distinct places:
- The vestibule of the ear: The cochlea is like a labyrinth, and situated right in the center is the vestibule of the ear. It helps manage balance. Vestibulotoxicity medications can cause you to become dizzy or feel like the room is spinning.
- 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 understand. When the cochlea is damaged, you will start to lose some frequencies of sound, particularly in the high-frequency range.
- The stria vascularis: Situated in the cochlea, the stria vascularis generates endolymph, the fluid in the inner ear. Both hearing and balance 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 cause an ototoxic response. Ototoxic medications are fairly common and most people have several 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. The hearing issues caused by these drugs are normally reversible when you stop using them.
Antibiotics come in as a close second for common ototoxic drugs. You might have heard of some of these:
- Kanamycin
- Tobramycin
- Streptomycin
Tinnitus can also be triggered by several common compounds
Hearing loss can be the outcome of some medications and others may trigger tinnitus. Here are some ways tinnitus might present:
- A whooshing sound
- Popping
- Thumping
- Ringing
Specific diuretics will also cause tinnitus, here are some of the primary offenders:
- Tonic water
- Nicotine
- Caffeine
- Marijuana
You might not be aware that the cup of coffee or black tea in the morning can trigger ringing in your ears. Fortunately, once the diuretic has cleared your system, the ringing should recede. Ironically, some medications doctors prescribe to treat tinnitus are also on the list of potential causes such as:
- Prednisone
- Amitriptyline
- Lidocaine
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.
There are very specific symptoms with an ototoxic reaction
The signs or symptoms of tinnitus vary based on your hearing health and which medication you get.
Here are some things to watch out for:
- Difficulty walking
- Blurred vision
- Poor balance
- Hearing loss on one or both sides
- Vomiting
- Tinnitus
Keep yourself informed by always consulting your doctor about the potential side effects of a medication, don’t hesitate to ask about ototoxicity. Contact your doctor right away if you experience any tinnitus symptoms that may have been caused by an ototoxic reaction.
Also, contact us today to schedule a hearing test to establish a baseline of your hearing health.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985331
