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Are there medications that cause tinnitus?

Yes. A small number of drug classes are reliably ototoxic, meaning they can damage the inner ear. The big ones are aminoglycoside antibiotics (gentamicin, tobramycin, neomycin), platinum-based chemotherapy (cisplatin, carboplatin), high-dose aspirin, certain loop diuretics at high doses, and quinine and related antimalarials. New or much worse tinnitus during one of these treatments deserves an urgent conversation with the prescribing doctor.

A much larger group of medications lists tinnitus as a possible side effect — many antidepressants, NSAIDs, some blood pressure drugs — but the real-world rate is low and the link is often unclear. It is generally not a reason to stop a medication that is otherwise helping you, especially without a plan.

The right action if you suspect a drug link is never to stop the medication on your own. Many of these drugs are not safe to stop abruptly. Speak to your prescriber, who can decide whether to switch you to an alternative, reduce the dose, or rule out other causes. Some drug-related tinnitus resolves when the drug stops; some does not.

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