You get up in the morning, and your ears are ringing. They were fine yesterday so that’s strange. So now you’re wondering what the cause may be: lately, you’ve been keeping your music at a moderate volume and you haven’t been working in a loud environment. But your head was aching yesterday, and you did take some aspirin last night.
Could it be the aspirin?
You’re thinking to yourself “perhaps it’s the aspirin”. You feel like you recall hearing that some medications can bring about tinnitus symptoms. Is one of those medicines aspirin? And does that mean you should quit using aspirin?
What’s The Relationship Between Tinnitus And Medications?
The long standing rumor has linked tinnitus symptoms with numerous medicines. But what is the truth behind these rumors?
It’s commonly believed that a huge variety of medications cause tinnitus or tinnitus-like symptoms. The fact is that there are a few kinds of medications that can produce tinnitus or tinnitus-like symptoms. So why do so many people believe tinnitus is such a prevalent side effect? Here are some hypotheses:
- Tinnitus is a fairly common affliction. More than 20 million individuals cope with chronic tinnitus. When that many people deal with symptoms, it’s inevitable that there will be some coincidental timing that appears. Unrelated tinnitus symptoms can start right around the same time as medicine is taken. It’s understandable that people would mistakenly think that their tinnitus symptoms are the result of medication due to the coincidental timing.
- It can be stressful to start taking a new medicine. Or, in some instances, it’s the root cause, the thing that you’re using the medication to deal with, that is stressful. And stress is a known cause of (or exacerbator of) tinnitus symptoms. So it’s not medicine producing the tinnitus. The whole ordeal is stressful enough to cause this type of confusion.
- Your blood pressure can be altered by many medicines which in turn can trigger tinnitus symptoms.
What Medicines Are Linked to Tinnitus
There are a few medicines that do have a well-established (that is, scientifically proven) cause-and-effect connection with tinnitus.
The Link Between Powerful Antibiotics And Tinnitus
There are ototoxic (harmful to the ears) properties in a few antibiotics. Known as aminoglycosides, these antibiotics are very strong and are normally reserved for specific instances. High doses are known to result in damage to the ears (including creating tinnitus symptoms), so such dosages are usually limited.
Medication For High Blood Pressure
When you deal with high blood pressure (or hypertension, as the more medically inclined might call it), your doctor might prescribe a diuretic. Some diuretics have been known to trigger tinnitus-like symptoms, but usually at considerably higher doses than you may normally come across.
Aspirin Can Trigger Ringing in Your Ears
And, yes, the aspirin could have been what triggered your tinnitus. But here’s the thing: It still depends on dosage. Normally, high dosages are the real problem. The doses you take for a headache or to manage heart disease aren’t usually large enough to trigger tinnitus. Here’s the good news, in most situations, when you stop using the big dosages of aspirin, the tinnitus symptoms will go away on their own.
Consult Your Doctor
There are a few other medicines that may be capable of causing tinnitus. And there are also some odd medicine mixtures and interactions that may produce tinnitus-like symptoms. That’s the reason why your best option is going to be talking about any medication worries you might have with your doctor or pharmacist.
That being said, if you start to experience ringing or buzzing in your ears, or other tinnitus-like symptoms, have it checked out. Maybe it’s the medicine, and maybe it’s not. Frequently, hearing loss is present when tinnitus symptoms develop, and treatments like hearing aids can help.