How Ibuprofen can Lead to Hearing Loss

Hearing Loss BlogThere is another danger to our hearing health in the world today. According to recent studies, ibuprofen has been linked as a cause of hearing loss in people around the world. This has raised concern in people everywhere, but it must be understood that this is a long-term hearing problem and does not happen in a single dosage. We will take a closer look at the way it can cause hearing loss and what we can do to prevent it.

Conclusive Findings

The findings for the hearing loss study proved that people who take more than two doses of ibuprofen within a week long period are more likely to suffer from hearing loss. This comes after a massive study that used 60,000 different women and followed them over a period of 14 years and found that a quarter of these women suffered from hearing loss. The results and a more thorough overview of the study can be located in the American Journal for Advanced Epidemiology.

Causes

Both acetaminophen and ibuprofen can cause hearing loss in you in two different ways. The first thing that usually happens is that the medication changes the amount of blood that is allowed into the hearing structures of the ear. This results in the structures being choked off by a lack of blood and essentially makes it so that they can’t provide the same level of hearing that you have been accustomed to. Another thing that happens is that the chemicals in the medicine poison your inner ear and cause tinnitus, dizziness, and other hearing problems because of the lack of proper binders. It is not clear whether the exact same circumstances apply to men and women, but right now it looks as though that is the case.

More Research

There are still many questions that have been created by the hearing loss link with pain medicine. Mostly, people are wondering what other risk factors are common in the women who were observed to suffer from hearing loss. That is why a new study that uses 150,000 women is being started to see how things like hormones and alcohol consumption could affect hearing loss in people.

What to Do

You still have many options when it comes to managing your daily aches and pains through medicine. You can use something like aspirin and naproxen instead of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. You can even go to your doctor and have them recommend some kind of way for you to get the benefits of pain dulling without the risk of additional side effects. Of course, it is a good idea to be on the lookout for other medications that use ibuprofen in their mixture, like cold and flu medicines.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.