Medications Effects on Hearing

A common cause of hearing loss is ototoxicity. An ototoxic hearing loss happens when someone takes or is given a drug that causes hearing loss as one of its side effects.

Sometimes the drug-induced hearing loss is temporary and can be reversed or stopped. Other times it is permanent. People with hearing loss need to be especially aware of the potential for ototoxic effects, as an ototoxic drug can make an existing hearing loss worse.

Ototoxic side effects can damage your ears in many ways. You may experience one, several or no side effects from taking any given drug. Here are some examples:

Tinnitus, commonly known as "ringing in the ears," is the number one indicator that you may be damaging your ears from an onotoxic drug. Tinnitus can range from ringing, roaring, beating, and clicking to humming, wooshing, rumbling and hissing. Hearing Loss can range from mild to profound and may be temporary or permanent. Distorted Hearing may occur instead of hearing loss and it may become difficult to understand sounds. Hyperacusis is a condition where normal sounds are perceived as being much to loud. You may experience Feelings of Fullness in your ears. Dizziness is the most common symptom and could even progress into Vertigo. A Loss of Balance may occur while using ototoxic drugs. Some ototoxic drugs can cause Excessive Ear Wax Production. Ear Pain can also occur and is typically the result of a middle ear infection.

Your hearing aid specialist can perform hearing tests before, during, and after administration of medications to detect the progression of ototoxic hearing loss. This evaluation usually involves testing hearing in very high frequency ranges because ototoxic drugs affect these frequencies first.

Hearing tests are done before the administration of the drug to obtain baseline information. Monitoring is done at scheduled intervals to detect threshold changes as early as possible.

If you are interested in more information on ototoxic drugs or would like a list of ototoxic drugs you can visit this website and search the word ototoxic... www.tinnitusformula.com

The Funnies

Perfect Hearing

Seems an elderly gentleman has serous hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear perfectly again. The gentleman returned to the doctor's in a month for a final check on the new equipment. After some tests, the doctor proclaimed, "Your hearing is perfect!" "Thank you for helping me," replied the elderly man. "You're welcome," said the doctor. "Your family must be really pleased that you can hearing again." "Oh, I have not told them yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations I used to miss," replied the elderly gentleman. "Really?" questioned the doctor. "You must still be marveling at being able to hear again and just not ready to believe it yourself. That must be why you have not told them." "Well, no that's not it exactly, but I have changed my will three times!"

A Note From A Senior Citizen

What are senior citizens worth? They are worth a fortune, with all the silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys and lead in their feet. As for myself, I have become a little older since I saw you last and a few changes have come into my life since then. Frankly, I have become quite a frivolous old gal. I am seeing five gentleman every day. As soon as I wake up, Will Power helps me get out of bed. I immediatly go to see John. After that Charlie Horse comes along, and he really takes a lot of my time and attention. When he leaves, Arthur Ritis shows up and stays for the rest of the day. However, he doesn't like to stay in one place very long, so he just takes me from joint to joint. Finally after such a busy tiring day, I'm really glad to be able to go to bed with Ben Gay. What a life!

When I'm a Little Old Lady

When I'm a little old lady, I'll live with my children and bring them great joy. To repay all I've had from each girl and each boy I shall draw on the walls and scuff up the floor; run in and out without closing the door. I'll hide frogs in the pantry, socks under my bed, and whenever they scold me I'll just hang my head. I'll run and I'll romp, always fritter away...the time to be spent doing chores everyday. I'll pester my children when they are on the phone. As long as they are busy I won't leave them alone. Hide candy in closets, rocks in a drawer...and never pick up what I drop on the floor. Dash off to the movies and not wash a dish. I'll plead for allowance whenever I wish. When they correct me, I'll lie down and cry, kicking and screaming, not a tear in my eye. I'll spill glasses of milk to complete every meal. Eat my banana and just drop the peel. Put toys on the table, spill jam on the floor. I'll break lots of dishes as though I were four. What fun I shall have, what joy it will be to live with my children just they way they lived with me!