Can Medications Cause Hearing Loss?

Any medication has potential side effects and many carry the slight risk of causing hearing loss. If you are worried about hearing loss from your medication speak to your audiologist before stopping the treatment. It’s also important your hearing care provider knows what medications you take, in case they have the potential to affect your hearing health.

Is My Medication Damaging my Hearing?

It is important to keep a sense of proportion when looking at the risks and benefits of a specific medication. When taken appropriately and within the recommended dose, the risks are often tiny. Often, the benefit gained from the treatment is likely to greatly outweigh the small chance of it causing hearing loss.

Also be aware, that suddenly stopping a medication can actually worsen the underlying health issue, so seek professional advice before making any changes with your medications. Speak to the person who prescribed the drug, as an alternative may be available. If there is no suitable substitute, then have a balanced discussion about the benefits and risks with your doctor.

Is Aspirin a Problem for my Hearing?

Aspirin is widely available and used to treat many common conditions, from colds to sprains and strains. At the recommended dosage, aspirin is extremely safe, but at high or even overdose levels, it has been associated with tinnitus (as well as nausea, gastric ulcers and dizziness.)

Be careful to stay within the recommended dose and negative impacts on your hearing are unlikely.

Are Antibiotics a Problem?

As a whole, antibiotics are unlikely to cause hearing problems, with the exception of the aminoglycoside family, consisting of gentamycin, streptomycin and neomycin. However, these are usually reserved to combat serious (potentially life-threating) infections that have not responded to other antibiotics.

As such, the risk posed by the infection is more serious than the potential for hearing loss. The risk varies depending on the dose of medication, route of administration (intravenous is a greater risk than oral) and the length of the course of treatment. These factors should all be discussed fully with your medical practitioner.

Are Cytotoxic Drugs a Problem?

Many of the drugs used to combat cancer fall under the “cytotoxic” umbrella, because they kill cells. Unfortunately, these drugs can’t tell the difference between healthy and cancerous cells, so the delicate cilia in the inner ear can inadvertently become damaged.

The drugs most likely to cause a problem include cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin. Your medical team will closely monitor for side effects, but inform them immediately if you experience dizziness, tinnitus or loss of hearing.

When it comes to medication, it’s important to realize the risk of side effects is low, but always inform your hearing care professional of any changes in treatment. This allows them to assess if any hearing problems could be related to medication. Likewise, report hearing deterioration to your doctor, so they can decide if another therapy is more appropriate for you.