Drugs That Cause Tinnitus
Exposure of the ears to loud noise, Meniere’s Disease, high blood pressure, and ear infection – All of these are the more common causes to tinnitus. However, do you know that you could still get to have tinnitus even if you are extremely taking care of your ears? Well, probably one of the neglected cases is that of drugs that cause tinnitus.
Yes, you can still get ringing in the ears through many drugs and medications that have certain chemicals or ingredients. Some of these drugs aren’t even considered to be dangerous. Many of them are over-the-counter medications and do not need a prescription.
Such medicines are referred to as Ototoxic medications. From the word itself, ‘toxic’ somehow jumps out. These are medicines, pills, tablets or drugs that may be really good in curing other medical conditions but are really toxic to the cochlea or vestibular parts inside the ear.
Here are some examples of drugs that cause tinnitus:
- Aspirin containing products are somehow ototoxic once consumption is increased to about 6 to 8 pills per day.
- NSAIDS or Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs are medications for pain management. Advil, Anaprox, Lodine, Poradol, and Voltarin are just some of the examples of NSAIDS.
- Antibiotics such as Aminoglycosides, Erythromycin and Vancomin are also really helpful drugs but can cause tinnitus as one of its side effects.
- Chemotherapy drugs like Cisplatin, Nitrogen Mustard and Vincristine are cancer treatment drugs that also cause tinnitus.
These are just a few of the many medications out there that we think are beneficial for our health. This is why it is important to be careful in taking up medications. If you find that you are taking some of these drugs that cause tinnitus, then consult with your doctor and find out if it is indeed safe to take up that medicine.
