Medications that cause tinnitus can take many by surprise! Even everyday over-the-counter medicine for tinnitus and prescription treatments can be culprits. Whether you’re regularly taking NSAIDs, antidepressants, or allergy meds, it’s important to understand how they might be contributing to tinnitus (ringing, buzzing, or roaring in your ears). Let’s discuss the science behind this overlooked effect, explore specific drugs, and discuss what to do about it.
What Will Cause Your Ears to Ring?
Tinnitus is most famously caused by loud sounds exposure, aging, and blockages like earwax. But lesser-known triggers include ototoxic drugs, which damage the inner ear’s cochlea or auditory nerve, resulting in phantom sounds.
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Studies suggest that medication-related tinnitus accounts for 1–2% of all cases.This is a small but significant number given how many people are taking these meds daily.
What Are You Trying to Take For Your Tinnitus?
Ironically, while there is no FDA approved medication for tinnitus, certain drugs and supplements are used to manage the condition:
- Antidepressants/anti-anxiety drugs (SSRIs, TCAs): Help with distress, depression, anxiety.
- Anticonvulsants/muscle relaxants: Used off-label to modulate nerve firing
- Supplements: Ginkgo biloba, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B12
- Non-pharmacological options: Sound therapy, tinnitus maskers, hearing aids, CBT, retraining therapy
These aren’t treatment of tinnitus in the strict sense, but symptom-management strategies. The absence of a direct cure may push some to try unregulated over-the-counter medicine for tinnitus.
What Pills Contribute To Your Tinnitus?
Here’s a rundown of both prescription and over-the-counter medications known to trigger tinnitus, especially when dosages are high doses or usage is long-term:
Common Prescription Drugs Linked to Tinnitus:
- Aspirin: High doses of aspirin have been associated with temporary tinnitus.
- NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen): Frequent use of non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been associated with a higher risk of incident persistent tinnitus.
- Aminoglycoside antibiotics: Gentamicin and others may cause permanent cochlear damage; incidence as high as 25% in intensive care cases (American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 2017).
- Chemotherapy agents (Cisplatin and carboplatin): These agents are ototoxic, causing hearing loss and tinnitus. A meta-analysis reported a pooled prevalence of ototoxic hearing loss associated with cisplatin and/or carboplatin exposure at 43.17%.
- Loop diuretics (Furosemide): Furosemide can be ototoxic, especially with rapid injection, severe renal impairment, higher than recommended doses, or when used with other ototoxic drugs.
- Antidepressants (SSRIs like sertraline): While selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are sometimes used to treat tinnitus, they can also induce or worsen tinnitus as a side effect.
Surprising Over-the-Counter Medicines That Trigger Tinnitus
Not just prescriptions—some OTC meds come with tinnitus risk:
- Acetaminophen (paracetamol): Greater risk among frequent users
- Antihistamines/decongestants: Diphenhydramine, pseudoephedrine may worsen tinnitus by reducing cochlear blood flow
- Ginkgo biloba supplements: Often advertised for tinnitus, a Cochrane 2022 review found no benefit over placebo. Relying on such unproven remedies means no cure for ringing and can delay effective treatment.
How Do Medications That Cause Tinnitus Differ from Other Potential Causes?
Medication-induced tinnitus typically:
- Is bilateral, affecting both ears: Ototoxic drugs affect the inner ear structures, often leading to a bilateral (both ears) presentation of symptoms like tinnitus and hearing loss.
- Is more reversible—often resolves when the drug is stopped: For many ototoxic medications, especially over-the-counter ones like high-dose aspirin or NSAIDs, the tinnitus is temporary and resolves once the drug is discontinued or the dosage is reduced.
- May occur without measurable hearing loss: Tinnitus can sometimes be the first or only symptom of ototoxicity, appearing before or without a clinically evident hearing alteration.
- Has a link directly to dosage and serum levels: The risk and severity of medication-induced tinnitus often increase with higher doses, longer duration of therapy, rapid infusion rates, and accumulation of the drug in the body. Monitoring drug levels in the blood is sometimes used to prevent ototoxicity.
This contrasts with noise-induced or age related hearing loss, which tends to be gradual, irreversible, and often linked with hearing loss and tinnitus.
What to Do to Make The Ringing Stop??
If you suspect a medication is involved, these steps can help:
- Review medications: Identify OTC or Rx drugs linked to tinnitus
- Consult your doctor: Ask about safer alternatives, dosage adjustments
- Hearing test and audiologic monitoring: Baseline and follow‑up audiometry (per ASHA/AAA guidelines)
- Reduce or switch meds: Done under medical supervision
- Tinnitus management strategies:
- Sound therapy (maskers, white noise machines)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
- Hearing aids if hearing loss is present
- Sound therapy (maskers, white noise machines)
- Lifestyle adjustments: Cut down on caffeine, alcohol, nicotine; reduce stress; protect ears from loud sounds
What to Ask Your Doctor if You Suspect Medication Is the Cause?
- Is tinnitus a known side effect at my dosage?
- Are there less ototoxic alternatives?
- Could I take a lower dose or shorter course?
- Should we do root cause ID?
- How often should hearing be monitored while I’m on this med?
Ready To Stop Letting Tinnitus Run the Show?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or just tired of trying things that don’t work, you’re not alone. The truth is, real progress with tinnitus often comes from a personalized approach, it’s not just one device or one treatment.
At Treble Health, we’ve helped thousands of people experience tinnitus relief and take back control with a combination of tools like Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, sound therapy, and expert support that actually understands what you’re going through. That includes navigating medications that cause tinnitus and helping you find relief beyond unreliable quick fixes.
If you’re ready to stop letting tinnitus run the show, we’re here to help. To get started, book a 20-minute telehealth consultation on us!
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- 75% of patients reduced their tinnitus within three months after following our recommendations.
- "I feel like Treble Health literally gave me my life back." - Randy S. (verified customer)
- Join thousands of people who have reduced their tinnitus after scheduling a free consultation.
