You notice a ringing in your ears when you get up in the morning. This is weird because they weren’t doing that yesterday. So you begin thinking about likely causes: 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?
And that prospect gets your brain working because perhaps it is the aspirin. You feel like you recall hearing that certain medicines can produce tinnitus symptoms. Could aspirin be one of those medicines? And if so, should you stop using it?
What’s The Connection Between Tinnitus And Medications?
Tinnitus is one of those conditions that has long been rumored to be associated with a number of medications. But what is the reality behind these rumors?
Tinnitus is commonly seen as a side effect of a diverse range of medications. The reality is that there are a few types of medications that can trigger tinnitus or tinnitus-like symptoms. So why do so many people believe tinnitus is such a prevalent side effect? Well, there are a couple of hypotheses:
- Your blood pressure can be altered by many medications which in turn can cause tinnitus symptoms.
- Tinnitus is a fairly common affliction. Persistent tinnitus is a problem for as many as 20 million people. Some coincidental timing is unavoidable when that many people deal with tinnitus symptoms. Unrelated tinnitus symptoms can start right around the same time as medication is taken. It’s understandable that people would incorrectly think that their tinnitus symptoms are being caused by medication because of the coincidental timing.
- It can be stressful to begin taking a new medication. Or, in some cases, it’s the root cause, the thing that you’re taking the medication to deal with, that is stressful. And stress is commonly linked to tinnitus. So in this case, the tinnitus symptoms aren’t being produced by the medicine. The whole ordeal is stressful enough to cause this sort of confusion.
What Medicines Are Connected to Tinnitus
There is a scientifically established link between tinnitus and a few medications.
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 quite powerful and are usually saved for specific instances. High doses tend to be avoided because they can lead to damage to the ears and trigger tinnitus symptoms.
Blood Pressure Medicine
Diuretics are frequently prescribed for people who have hypertension (high blood pressure). Creating diuretics are known to trigger tinnitus-like symptoms, but usually at substantially higher doses than you may normally encounter.
Ringing in The Ears Can be Produced by Taking Aspirin
And, yes, the aspirin may have been what triggered your tinnitus. But here’s the thing: Dosage is once again extremely significant. Usually, high dosages are the significant problem. Tinnitus symptoms usually won’t be produced by standard headache doses. The good news is, in most situations, when you quit taking the large doses of aspirin, the tinnitus symptoms will dissipate.
Consult Your Doctor
There are some other medicines that may be capable of triggering tinnitus. And the interaction between some combinations of medications can also create 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 said, if you begin to experience ringing or buzzing in your ears, or other tinnitus-like symptoms, get it checked out. It’s hard to say for certain if it’s the medication or not. Tinnitus is also strongly linked to hearing loss, and some treatments for hearing loss (like hearing aids) can help.