Tinnitus and Drugs

Many people suffering from tinnitus are anxious that particular medications or drugs can cause the tinnitus.

Specific drugs and tinnitus:

Small number of drugs can cause the tinnitus. Some of these drugs are given for serious disease and no option for these drugs and once BTA would stress that no any should alter the medications without discussing with doctor.

Aspirin:

Aspirin is used for treating flu or headaches and it is unlikely to cause the tinnitus. Middle aged or elderly aged people take aspirin for preventing stroke or heart attack and unlikely to cause tinnitus. For treating some rheumatological conditions, large doses are required and so chances of occurrences of tinnitus is increasing. Some times this effect is reversible that is if doses reduced or stopped, tinnitus gets disappeared. Large doses of the aspirin should not take because alternative and effective doses are available.

Quinine:

When quinine is given in high quantity such as used for treatment of malaria then it can occasionally cause the tinnitus or damage the ear. But if it is used in small quantity then this does not happen. In very few cases it is found that small doses of quinine cause the tinnitus but it is temporary. It is finished after ending medication.

Aminoglycoside antibiotics:

Small group of antibiotics can damage the inner ear. Hearing loss is caused because of this damage and cause the tinnitus. The drugs included in this group are gentamicin and streptomycin. These drug are given through injection not available as syrups, tablets, or oral preparations.

When drug level in the blood increases above the particular level, then ear damage occurs. So manage the level of drugs. Aminoglycosides are components of the ear drops. These are available only on prescription. If ear drops are purchased without prescription there is no any aminoglycosides. But these does not cause ear damage but if any person worried about this then he should take the advice of doctor because there is no any alternative.

Cytotoxic drugs:

The group of drugs responsible for causing the ear damage is cytotoxic drugs which are used for treating the cancer. It is uncommon that these drugs cause the ear damage. Ear damaging cytotoxic drugs contain platinum, cisplatin and, lesser extent, oxaliplatin and the carboplatin. The doctors who prescribed such drugs are well known about the side effects.

Diuretics:

Occasionally ototoxic group of drugs are called as loop diuretics which are useful for increasing the urine production in high blood pressure treatment, kidney disorder and heart failure. Ototoxicity occurs only with relatively small and large doses for high blood pressure which does not cause ear damage.