• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Contact | 360-778-1266

Center for Hearing Loss Help

Help for your hearing loss, tinnitus and other ear conditions

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Reference
    • Glossary of Ear Terms
    • Drug Pronunciation Guide
    • Looping Information
    • “Learn About Hearing”
    • Useful Links
  • Museum
  • Blog
  • Shop
    • Alerting Devices
    • Assistive Listening Devices
    • Books
    • Loop Systems
    • Speechreading CDs
    • Telephones, amplified
    • Visor Cards

Are Diabetes Medications Ototoxic in the Long Term?

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A man asked:

I take Glyburide and Glucophage for Diabetes Type II. Is there any evidence that prolonged use of Glyburide or Glucophage XL is ototoxic?

I have no information indicating that Glucophage is ototoxic, so you shouldn’t have to worry about that drug.

Glyburide can be mildly ototoxic. It has been reported to cause tinnitus and dizziness in some people. However, if it is not making you dizzy, or making your tinnitus worse, then you likely don’t have to worry about this drug either.

At the same time, don’t let your guard down. Glyburide belongs to the class of drugs called Sulfonylureas, and other drugs in this class have reported ototoxic side effects such as hearing loss, tinnitus, ataxia, dizziness and vertigo. Since drugs in the same class tend to have the same side effects, it is still in the realm of possibility that Glyburide might also cause these side effects in some people.

If you notice any of these ototoxic side effects developing, talk to your doctor. You may want to consider switching medications if this happens.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. LOWELL says

    November 7, 2010 at 3:24 PM

    I had substantial hearing loss about 4 months after starting glyburide. I mentioned it to the RXer but not response. I have read that glyburide depletes B6, B9, B12 which allows homocysteine to rise and could result in hearing loss.

    Reply
  2. Amanda says

    July 28, 2017 at 3:31 PM

    i started taking Glucophage for a week and noticed i have pain and hearing loss in my left hear. i stopped tabs . doctors who script this medication should also do a blood test for vitamin b deficiency before prescribing glucophage
    Amanda

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hearing Loss Research & Resources

Free Visor Cards

Download your free Visor Cards for hard of hearing or deaf people here.

Loop Systems

Loop your home or meeting room. Discover how you can hear wonderfully clear sound again when listening to the TV/radio, etc, or when listening to a speaker at a meeting.

Loop systems are one of the best-kept secrets in town. To learn more about Loop Systems and what they can do for you, click here.

Take Control of Your Tinnitus—Here’s How

If your ears ring, buzz, chirp, hiss, click or roar, you know just how annoying tinnitus can be. You do not have to put up with this racket for the rest of your life. This book teaches you many things you can do to help bring your tinnitus under your control so it no longer bothers you.

Learn More | Add to Cart—Printed | Add to Cart—eBook

Sounds Now Too Loud for You?

Hypersensitive to Sound front coverIf some (or all) normal sounds seem so loud they “blow the top of your head off”, or make you wince or jump, or cause you headaches or ear pain, or affect your balance, or result in fear or annoyance of sounds so you feel you have to avoid these sounds, this book is for you!

Learn More | Add to Cart—Printed | Add to Cart—eBook

Hearing Phantom Sounds?

When hard of hearing people begin hearing phantom voices or music, they immediately worry they are going crazy. It never crosses their minds that they are sane and are just experiencing Musical Ear syndrome.

To learn more about the strange phantom sounds of Musical Ear syndrome and what you can do about them, click here to read a comprehensive article about Musical Ear Syndrome.

Or get the book—Learn More | Add to Cart—Printed | Add to Cart—eBook

Glossary Navigation

  • Full List of Glossary Terms
  • A to Z Index

Footer

Center for Hearing Loss Help

Neil G. Bauman, Ph.D.

1013 Ridgeway Drive, Lynden,
WA 98264-1057 USA

Email: neil@hearinglosshelp.com

Phone: 360-778-1266 (M-F 9:00 AM-5:00 PM PST)

© 2025 Center for Hearing Loss Help – Help for your hearing loss, tinnitus and other ear conditions

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life [which also includes perfect hearing] through Jesus Christ our Lord." [Romans 6:23]

"But know this, in the last days perilous times will come" [2 Timothy 3:1]. "For there will be famines, pestilences, and [severe] earthquakes in various places" [Matthew 24:7], "distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring"—tsunamis, hurricanes—Luke 21:25, but this is good news if you have put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, for "when these things begin to happen, lift up your heads [and rejoice] because your redemption draws near" [Luke 21:28].