If you regularly take aspirin, you should know that it can cause “tinnitus,” ringing in the ears that only you can hear. In fact, this annoying and potentially very disturbing side effect was first reported soon after aspirin was initially synthesized more than a century ago. Tinnitus is now listed among the side effects on the drug’s label. While no one is exactly sure what causes tinnitus or the mechanism by which it occurs, many believe that the active metabolite of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is responsible for a number of damaging changes in the cochlea of the inner ear. Because aspirin is more likely to cause tinnitus when taken regularly at higher doses, alternative medication is advised for tinnitus sufferers.
Besides changing medication, tinnitus sufferers may want to explore wearing a “masker,” a hearing device that produces white noise to counteract the annoying sounds of tinnitus. There are many products on the market today to address the needs of the hearing impaired, from maskers to difficult-to-see open hearing instruments to assistive listening devices. To find out what’s new in better hearing today, we invite your call at The Ear Clinic, 226-909-0966. Here at 46 Nelson Street W., across from the LCBO, we offer tinnitus evaluation and counseling. Hear the sounds of your life.
P.S. Tinnitus may be related to the loss of hair cells, which are responsible for transmitting nerve signals from the inner ear to the brain.