Can Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) Cause Tinnitus?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
A lady asked:
Can HCTZ cause the constant roar I now hear in my ears?
Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) is about the least ototoxic of all the diuretics. It is listed as sometimes causing dizziness or vertigo, but is not listed (as far as I have ever seen) as causing tinnitus.
However, one lady told me that whenever she takes HCTZ, her tinnitus gets louder. Thus, it could be the cause your constant roar (tinnitus) too.
Think back to when you started taking HCTZ. If you didn’t have the loud roar before you began this drug, and your tinnitus started soon after (in the following 14 days or so), then this is strong circumstantial evidence that Hydrochlorothiazide is indeed causing your tinnitus.
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.
February 24th, 2012 at 7:40 am
Around six months ago (2011), I was prescribed Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) for hypertension and after around 2-3 weeks of being on this medication (I take no other meds), I started suffering from a very powerful and strong case of tinnitus. It took me a week or so to figure out what tinnitus was as I’d never experienced it before (nor would I like to again!) and it wasn’t until I tried stopping the medication, that the symptoms went away very quickly.
As a test, I tried taking the tablet once more the day after the symptoms disappeared and the tinnitus came roaring back within hours.
My doctor also said it wasn’t a side effect but I think very rarely it can be.
The tinnitus has never resurfaced since stopping the HCTZ.
I hope this helps someone out there having the same problem.