What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a ringing in one or both ears. It can also be a hissing, humming, clicking, roaring, or buzzing. The noise is not caused by an external sound, and other people can’t hear the ringing.

Tinnitus commonly occurs due to an injury to the delicate hair cells and sensory cells in the inner ear. It can also be due to age-related hearing loss or problems with blood flow in the inner ear.

Ototoxic medications (medications that are toxic or harmful to the ears) can cause tinnitus, temporary hearing loss, or other ear problems. Sometimes, these changes can be permanent, especially with high doses of ototoxic drugs. Please continue reading to find out which medications can cause you to experience tinnitus.

What Can Cause or Worsen Tinnitus?

Common causes of tinnitus include age-related hearing loss in older adults, ear canal blockage, severe bacterial infections of the ears, head and neck injuries, and certain medications. Find out: “What Are the Different Types of Hearing Loss?”

Existing tinnitus can be made worse by exposure to loud noises, earwax, allergies, infections, health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, migraines, stress, and sleep problems, as well as tobacco, caffeine, and alcohol consumption.

Which Drug is Linked to Tinnitus?

Any drug that can damage the ear is called an ototoxic medication. Both over-the-counter medications and prescribed medications can be ototoxic. Most over-the-counter and prescription medications do not cause ear damage, but it is important to know which ones can. Speak with your doctor or pharmacist if you have specific medication questions.

Remember that not everyone who takes an ototoxic medication will develop tinnitus. People taking large doses of ototoxic medications are at a higher risk of developing tinnitus, hearing loss, and balance issues. Risk factors also include taking other ototoxic medications at the same time.

What Drug is Most Likely to Cause Tinnitus?

Pain Medications

Pain medications, including acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as high-dose aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve), celecoxib (Celebrex), and diclofenac (Voltaren) can increase the risk of developing tinnitus. The risk is higher with more frequent use or high doses of pain medications.

Aminoglycoside Antibiotics

Certain antibiotics called aminoglycosides (gentamicin, neomycin, streptomycin, tobramycin, and amikacin) can accumulate in the inner ear and cause tinnitus, hearing loss, and balance problems. Aminoglycosides are typically only given in the hospital under the supervision of a pharmacist.

Chemotherapy Drugs

Platinum-based cancer medications, such as cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and carboplatin, are ototoxic medications and can cause tinnitus and hearing loss.

Blood Pressure Medications

Diuretics such as furosemide (Lasix) and torsemide (Demadex) are commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure. They are also used to treat fluid retention in patients with edema (swelling), cirrhosis, and heart failure. Diuretics have ototoxic effects and can increase the risk of developing hearing loss and tinnitus.

Certain beta-blockers used to treat high blood pressure, such as carvedilol, are also known to cause tinnitus and hearing loss. However, other beta blockers, for example, atenolol and metoprolol, have not been found to be ototoxic.

Other medications used to treat high blood pressure, such as ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers, have also been implicated in causing tinnitus.

Antimalarial Drugs

Drugs such as quinine, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), used to treat malaria and autoimmune diseases, can cause you to develop tinnitus and hearing loss. These drugs also treat rheumatoid arthritis, certain skin conditions, and autoimmune diseases like lupus.

Antidepressants

Many antidepressants (medications used to treat depression and anxiety disorders) can cause or worsen tinnitus. These include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), and escitalopram (Lexapro), as well as tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline and nortriptyline (Pamelor).

Sometimes, antidepressants are used to treat symptoms of tinnitus because tinnitus is linked to mood and anxiety. Therefore, the relationship between tinnitus and these drugs is complex, and they may help improve symptoms in some people.

What Supplement Can Cause Tinnitus?

Studies have found that a higher calcium, iron, and fat intake is associated with a higher risk of tinnitus. On the other hand, increased vitamin B12 and protein intake are linked to a lower incidence of tinnitus.

Always check with your healthcare provider before taking any dietary supplement. If you develop tinnitus after starting a supplement, call your doctor right away.

Does Tinnitus Caused By Medication Go Away?

In many patients, drug-induced tinnitus goes away after the dose of the ototoxic medication is decreased or they are switched to a different medication. However, sometimes, drug-induced tinnitus can be long-lasting or permanent.

What Medication Will Stop Tinnitus?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any specific drugs to treat tinnitus. The mainstay of treatment for drug-induced tinnitus is the use of alternative drugs to reduce or prevent ototoxicity. However, there is no good evidence to support alternative treatments at this time.

If you are going to be treated with a drug known to cause tinnitus, your healthcare provider may order a baseline hearing test before starting treatment. They will monitor you periodically during treatment for signs of ototoxicity. Your provider may lower the dose of the medicine known to cause tinnitus or switch you to other medications if there are early signs of ototoxicity (tinnitus or hearing problems).

If it is not possible to stop taking a medication known to cause tinnitus, your healthcare provider may recommend tinnitus retraining therapy (use of sound therapy and counseling) to help you cope. In some people, hearing aids are useful because they can amplify external sounds and reduce the perception of tinnitus caused by medications.

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