Common Painkillers Linked to Hearing Loss

When (or if) people think of ototoxic drugs, they usually think of heavy duty painkillers.  Most people don’t think of common aspirin, acetaminophen, or other over-the-counter pain relievers as contributing to hearing loss.  However, links to hearing loss and common over-the-counter painkillers have been established.  If you regularly take over-the-counter painkillers, you may want to re-evaluate your medication choice.

What Level is Safe? 

Depending on the strength of the medication, most labels can show that it is safe to take up to eight pills a day for regular strength acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, etc.  Since these are over-the-counter medications, we assume they are safe.  But they may be harmful to your hearing.

Analgesics have been previously linked to an increased risk of hearing loss in men.  Now, a study published by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) has confirmed a similar link in women.  The study followed 62,000 women aged 31-48 for 14 years.  Dr. Sharon Curhan, lead researcher, found that women who took ibuprofen or acetaminophen two or more days per week had an increased risk of hearing loss. The more often a woman took either of these medications, the higher her risk for hearing loss. It was more about frequency, not amount of medication that seems to matter. 

Are All Medications Equal?

Aspirin: The researchers did not find a link between aspirin use and hearing loss. If your doctor gives you the “OK”, you may reach for aspirin as an alternative to ibuprofen or other NSAIDs for minor aches and pains or the pain from arthritis. 

Ibuprofen: The women that used ibuprofen two to three days per week had a 13-percent increased risk for hearing loss over those who used it less than once per week.   The more often the women took ibuprofen, the more the risk increased.  It increased to 21% for the women that took ibuprofen four to five days per week. Those that used ibuprofen six or more days per week had an increased risk of 24 percent versus those who took it less than once a week.  

Acetaminophen:  The risk associated with acetaminophen was just slightly less.  They found that women who used acetaminophen two to three days per week had an 11-percent increased risk for hearing loss.  The women who used the drug four to five days per week had a 21-percent increased risk compared with those who took it less than once per week.

If you need to take one of these medications on a regular basis, be sure to discuss possible hearing loss with your doctor.  NSAIDS might cause hearing loss due to decreased blood flow to the cochlea.  If they can be avoided with an alternative, it is worth exploring.