Hearing Loss Help  

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A lady wrote:

I have a question regarding Restasis (for dry eyes). I have dry eyes and used to use Restasis, which was very successful. When my tinnitus increased a year and a half ago, I stopped everything that I was using including Restasis because I was not sure what was causing it, although at that time, I became very congested and felt that I had some type of sinus condition going on that lasted for months. I had been using Restasis for a few years at that point.

I am having a lot of eye problems, and very little of the over-the-counter drops really work as well as Restasis. Would you suggest that I try using it again (even with my history of tinnitus and some mild high frequency hearing loss, although that may be age related—I am 56—and not medication related, but who knows)? What I need to know is does the description in your book about Cyclosporine causing hearing loss and tinnitus also apply to drops in the eye, or does it refer to internal ingestion. I really would like to start using it again.

Cyclosporine (Restasis) is known to cause tinnitus, hearing loss and other ear problems in a number of people. That’s the bad news.

However, what you really want to know is whether the Cyclosporine is causing your tinnitus and hearing loss or not. I can’t answer that, but I can give you some pointers to help you make up your own mind whether you want to start taking it again or not.

You had been taking Restasis for a number of years in the past. Did your tinnitus get worse after you started taking it? If not, then your tinnitus likely was related to other things, not the Cyclosporine.

What happened when you quit all the drugs you were taking? Did your tinnitus go away, reduce to a lower level, or stay the same? If it reduced in volume or went away, then you can assume your tinnitus was related to one of the drugs you were taking, including the Cyclosporine. If there was no change, then its unlikely your tinnitus was caused by any of your medications, including Cyclosporine.

You can try taking the Cyclosporine again and see if your tinnitus increases. If it does, then you have to decide whether you’d rather have more problems with your eyes, or put up with increased tinnitus.

Regarding using eye drops vs. taking a drug internally, I don’t make any distinction. Who is to say that eye drops don’t cause the same side effects as ingesting the drug does? Some people are more sensitive to any given drug. Thus, what may affect one person may not affect another. That is why I just list the drug and its ototoxic side effects and let each person make up their own mind what they choose to do.

Since Restasis eye drops only contain 0.05% Cyclosporine, I’d think that such a small amount wouldn’t damage your ears—but anything is possible. Therefore, if you decide to take the Cyclosporine again, just watch for your tinnitus. If it gets worse, you know Cyclosporine affects your ears (and could also affect your hearing). If there is no change in your tinnitus, then there is a good chance it isn’t affecting your ears.

To learn which drugs are (or can be) ototoxic, see “Ototoxic Drugs Exposed“. This book contains information on the ototoxicity of 763 drugs, 30 herbs and 148 chemicals.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A concerned daughter wrote:

My mother is going deaf and also has a weak voice due to a laryngectomy. Is there a phone available that would amplify her voice so the person at the other end can hear her?

Also, a devoted husband wrote:

My wife has had breast cancer for a long time and it has spread causing a problem with her vocal cords. I would like information about a phone that allows someone with a soft whisper to communicate by phone.

Fortunately, there are phones that do exactly what you want—amplify the speaker’s voice so people at the other end can hear them.

The most powerful of these phones is the combination of the Clarity XL30 phone and a special Clarity amplified transmit handset that works with this particular phone. This phone will give your mom/wife more than 26 dB of outgoing speech gain so people can hear her better.

There is no guarantee that this phone will be strong enough for you mom/wife, but it is the loudest voice-amplified phone combination of which I’m aware. Therefore, feel free to try it for 2 weeks. If it does not do the job, simply return it within 2 weeks and get your money back. This phone/handset combination is $141.95 + shipping. You can see/order the Clarity XL30 phone and special handset here.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A lady explained:

I read your article on Musical Ear Syndrome with interest because although my hearing is normal, I suffer from insomnia because I hear music and singing through the night.

What particularly caught my attention is that a couple of the people you quote have heard exactly the same songs that I have. So my suggestion is the following. Would there be a way to test the homes of a people who claim to have the same symptoms. To me it is as if there were radio waves coming from the vents at different frequencies. If I listen from one angle, I’ll hear a choir singing the back-up. In fact, I remember that this morning I heard the words “addicted to love” and “1 2 3 4″ and “Daddy Come Home” in conjunction with the main song(s) that were playing.

I’ve been jotting them down, but I have heard distinctly Amazing Grace, Battle Hymn of the Republic, some John Phillip Sousa march, Bolero, etc. How could so many people experience the same exact songs? I wondered for a while if it wasn’t some kind of terrorist communication or music for our armed forces.

Like one of your interviewees, I had the manager contact the people above and below me to see if he could find out who was doing it. The music or waves or vibrations that I interpret as music seem to be stronger where the vents are located in our apartment.

Most people that hear these phantom sounds have a hearing loss, but a number of people with normal hearing such as yourself contact me because they also hear these phantom sounds.

The reason so many people “hear” the same phantom songs is that these songs were popular when they were younger—so these songs are in all of your collective memories already. When the conditions are right, you, like them, hear these same songs. It is nothing esoteric.

People desperately want to find a rational reason for the phantom music they are “hearing”, because to them, the only other explanation is that they are crazy. Thus they come up with some “interesting” explanations for these phantom sounds. Your explanation, “to me it is as if there were radio waves coming from the vents at different frequencies”, is actually quite near the truth, surprisingly enough.

You have likely hit the nail on the head in that you feel the sounds are coming from the furnace vents. I agree, however, your theory of why this is so is a bit off. Let me explain.

What happens to a number of people is that their brains’ for some reason modulate any continuous background sound (such as the sound produced by a furnace, air conditioner or fan) to sound like music. Then your brain takes a song out of memory and somehow melds the two together into the phantom music you now “hear”. (Other people, including myself, hear the same kind of thing when flying—our brains modulate the continuous drone of the jet engines into what sounds like various pieces of music, although sometimes it just sounds like an orchestra warming up.)

When the furnace, air conditioner or fan stops, the music stops too. Check this out and notice whether it happens in your case too.

It may seem strange that a number of people, including yourself, have contacted the manager in your building about people causing this loud music at ungodly hours.

However, it is not really as strange as it seems. You see, the sounds seem to have directionality. Thus, you “know” they are coming from above you or below you (even though, in actual fact, they are all in your head).

As you have noticed, the phantom music is loudest near the vents in your apartment because that is where the underlying sound from the furnace/air conditioner/fan is coming from.

Your brain then modulates this sound so you “hear” music or singing. I don’t know why sometimes you hear music and other times singing. I suspect it is related to the frequencies of sound and their variability that your ears are picking up at any given time. Then your brain modulates these sounds and adds its own version of “intelligence” to them—thus the music and singing.

Other people have reported “hearing” similar things to what you are experiencing. For them, when the furnace/air conditioner/fan turns itself off, the phantom music also stops. Fascinating, isn’t it?

(Note: this is just one of the many kinds and causes of the phantom sounds that comprise Musical Ear Syndrome. To learn more about this fascinating subject read “Phantom Voices, Ethereal Music & Other Spooky Sounds“.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A man explained:

A year ago, I took a single dose of Paxil, obtained from a friend; I (foolishly) wanted to see what effect it would have on me. Two days later, while sitting at my desk at work, I suddenly went deaf in one ear, and my hearing never recovered. The otologists at the University of Washington say it is permanent idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss, suggesting perhaps a vascular, viral, or autoimmune event. In your anecdotal experience, how likely is it that this was related to my single dose of Paxil?

I don’t have any anecdotal reports of Paroxetine (Paxil) causing sudden hearing loss like that. To be sure I wasn’t missing something, I looked at all the other drugs in the same SSRI class. For two of the SSRIs I have anecdotal reports of people losing some (not total) hearing after taking them for long periods—ranging from a number of weeks and up to several years. However, I couldn’t find any sudden hearing loss episodes like you experienced.

Paroxetine is listed as causing hearing loss, so some degree of hearing loss can and does happen, but there is no mention of the speed or degree of the resulting hearing loss.

In your case, based on what I know, and what you have said, I don’t think it very likely that your sudden hearing loss was caused by the Paroxetine (but I suppose anything is possible). It does seem coincidental, though, doesn’t it?

I’m with your doctors on it possibly being vascular or viral in origin. Typically, autoimmune hearing loss doesn’t happen quite so suddenly—but the other two certainly can.

To learn which drugs are (or can be) ototoxic, see “Ototoxic Drugs Exposed“. This book contains information on the ototoxicity of 763 drugs, 30 herbs and 148 chemicals.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A man wrote:

I would like to know if my audiologist has given me the right information. She has told me that I cannot use an open fit or slim tube hearing aids because my hearing loss is too bad. I am using Phonak BTE aids now. They are not open fit or slim tube aids.

I looked at your February 7, 2009 newsletter with links to many different hearing aids and I saw a half dozen or so that appear to be able to be used for severe to profound hearing loss.

I would like to go to newer technology hearing aids that aren’t as visible. Thanks for any help you can give me.

You audiologist is probably right. The open fit and slim tube models are designed for people with the milder to moderate hearing losses. For severe and greater hearing losses, these hearing aids have two problems. One is they do not have enough power, and two, if they did have enough power, they would cause feedback.

The big problem is getting the power you need without getting feedback at the same time. The manufacturer has fitting curves that show whether your hearing loss will work with their aids. Your audiologist has access to these, so you need to trust his/her judgment.

I’d love to have open fit hearing aids myself—but every audiologist I’ve talked to about it has said the same thing—my hearing loss is too severe. It’s not fair, is it? But that’s the way it is. Trust your audiologist in this.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A man explained:

I have had rheumatoid arthritis for 35 years. About a year ago I was put on 40 mg shots of Adalimumab (brand name Humira) every two weeks. My tinnitus was bad during the last few years and I attributed it to stress.

This past Saturday I took a shot after not having had one for about a month. Coincidentally, my tinnitus was getting better during that period. A few hours after the shot, my tinnitus acted up again, and has been very loud 24/7 ever since.

Do you have any information that would indicate that Adalimumab should be on your list of ototoxic drugs?

Interestingly enough, the current Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR) does not list a single ototoxic side effect for Adalimumab. However, a number of other sources list tinnitus, hearing loss, dizziness, vertigo and ear pain as side effects of this drug.

Therefore, it is very likely that your tinnitus flared up because of getting the Adalimumab shot. I have no reason to believe otherwise.

I’ll add this drug to the 3rd edition of “Ototoxic Drugs Exposed” which should be coming out in another year or so, depending on how much time I can devote to that project.

To learn which drugs are (or can be) ototoxic, see “Ototoxic Drugs Exposed“. This book contains information on the ototoxicity of 763 drugs, 30 herbs and 148 chemicals.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A concerned mother wrote:

I have a daughter who was born with congenital CMV [Cytomegalovirus], and she experienced a progressive hearing loss. She was fitted with hearing aids at 13 months, and she has had them for two months. It is great to hear her making more sounds and responding to more sounds. I am encouraged by her progress, but I am also wondering how much benefit she can get with her hearing aids versus what a cochlear implant could offer. I have difficulty trusting that my daughter’s hearing aids are giving her enough sound information! (And of course she can’t tell us!) Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Actually, your daughter is telling you that her hearing aids are working for her by paying attention when you talk, and is now talking herself. These are both good signs.

Hearing aids aren’t perfect by any means, but you typically can’t get a cochlear implant until you can no longer receive much/any benefit from wearing hearing aids. Therefore, your daughter may not be a candidate for a cochlear implant at this point.

If your daughter is progressing normally for her age, then I’d think the hearing aids are doing an adequate job. However, if she is way behind, then by all means have her evaluated for a cochlear implant. (They won’t give her a cochlear implant if she does not meet their criteria. Therefore, if you are really wondering, you could have her evaluated for a cochlear implant now—then you’d know for sure.)