Desert Valley – Medications Potentially Linked to Hearing Loss (and other Side-Effects)
Most of us have taken Advil or Tylenol or aspirin for aches, pains, and fevers. These over-the-counter pain relievers are useful when we’re experiencing low-grade pain that doesn’t require immediate medical attention. If used sparingly, these medications do not have many side-effects.
However, a new study from Harvard University, Vanderbilt University, and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, along with other collaborators, recently revealed a potential link between the use of pain relievers and an incidence of hearing loss in women. While the results were quite small, and researchers believe the risk is only moderate over years of regular pain reliever use (regular defined as two or more times a week), it is important to keep in mind the side-effects of drugs we take.
How Medications Could Affect Our Senses
In a new piece from Consumer Reports, it was reported that “some 500,000 Americans face drug-related hearing loss each year. Up to 11% of those taking prescription drugs experience a reduced ability to detect flavors and food odors, or an unpleasant change in food taste. Hundreds of drugs can affect sight, some potentially permanently.”
Dr. Richard Doty of the Smell and Taste Center at the University of Pennsylvania recommends that we alert our physicians immediately if we notice changes to our senses with our prescription medications.
At the same time, it is easier to keep track of these changes if we are monitoring our senses regularly. Even if you do not notice changes in your hearing or your eyesight, it is important to take annual tests. Keeping records of your abilities makes it easier to detect changes over long periods of time. This is especially important when it comes to seeking treatment.
While eyesight may be an easier one to notice, hearing is the sense we are concerned with here at Desert Valley Audiology. Changes to one’s hearing often occurs gradually, which means you may not notice right away. This could be due in part to aging or exposure to loud noise, but ototoxic medications could also cause hearing loss.
What is Ototoxic Medication?
Ototoxic means “poisonous to the ear,” and ototoxic medications are ones that could jeopardize your hearing abilities. There are certain classes of medications, from antibiotics to anti-cancer treatment drugs, that damage the hair cells of your inner ear.
Your inner ear hair cells are small cells responsible for translating vibrations from your middle ear into neural signals that are sent to your brain to be registered as sound. Ototoxic medication harms and damages your inner ear hair cells, which do not regenerate. This could lead to sensorineural hearing loss.
As with most forms of gradual hearing loss, you may not immediately notice changes to your hearing. If you have begun to notice changes, it is important to notify our physician. It could be related to the medication you are taking.
Medications that May Affect Your Senses
According to Consumer Reports, there are a number of drugs that could affect your senses adversely. Your senses are a natural defense system for your body, to keep you safe and aware of your surroundings. When your senses begin to dull, or are not functioning properly, you may be at risk for other issues. Here are a few drugs with side-effects that harm your senses:
Vision
Alpha-blockers, which are prescribed for conditions such as high blood pressure, could blur vision or cause eye pain. Antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin could cause double vision. Drugs prescribed to treat high cholesterol, such as Lipitor, Mevacor, or Zocor could cause double vision or cataracts.
Corticosteroids are a class of medication to treat allergies or autoimmune disorders. Drugs such as Prednisone, for example, could lead to cataracts, eye infections, glaucoma, and possible permanent optic-nerve damage.
Taste/Smell
Again, drugs for high blood pressure could lead to side-effects with your senses. Benazepril, for example, could diminish or alter your sense of taste. Antibiotics such as ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, or tetracyclines could alter your sense of taste and your sense of smell, as well as cause a complete loss in both.
Hearing
Antibiotics such as amikacin, kanamycin, neomycin, and streptomycin have been found to possibly cause permanent hearing loss. Meanwhile, pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc), and naproxen (Aleve) could lead to temporary tinnitus and hearing loss.
What to Do if You’re Experiencing Changes in Your Hearing
If you’re experiencing changes in your hearing, notify your doctor. Adjustments to your medication could help. At the same time, it is important to monitor your hearing abilities with annual hearing tests. Contact us at Desert Valley Audiology to schedule an exam today!
Desert Valley Audiology
(702) 605-9133 | [email protected]