I'm sure some of you are aware of this, but I wasn't until few years ago, and I've become more educated today again.
I was prescribed Diclofenac (NSAID) few years ago after my C-section. I then suffered from tinnitus for a while, seemingly out of the blue. Luckily it subsided over time. I realised, having read the leaflet after a while, that it may have been caused by this medication as it's a known side effect of certain NSAIDs, Diclofenac in particular (and that's also Voltarel, btw). However, at that point damage was done.
Unfortunately, my tinnitus returned and I have various triggers now. It's been a battle at times.
Today I went to see an otologist who did a detailed interview with me and one of the key queries from her before I even mentioned anything was about medication and ototoxicity. It turns out I have some hearing loss, I'm on the lower cusp at the moment, but considering my age it was a bit of a shock to the system. I'm not even 40 yet and there isn't a good reason for these problems, other than my hearing has declined post this medication and tinnitus episodes.
In short, I understand lots of medications may be ototoxic and it's a risk vs benefit decision. But I also feel we aren't always told about the risks and we don't always read enough about side effects in advance.
My otologist also made recommendations regarding gut and liver health, all of which have impact on ear health - and it's been quite eye-opening. Apparently lower estrogen can also cause hearing issues (e.g.: in peri/menopause).
So I wanted to tell you today: please look after yourselves, read the medication leaflets, look after your gut health and lower your stress. I had no idea of the negative impact on hearing that some things may have and I wish I had known more and realised sooner what was going on and why.