Codeine affecting your hearing?

[Hana]

My mother has been taking tylenol with codeine for 40+ years.
It's available OTC here in Canada.
It was never a thought really, until my addiction came out and she started thinking about her tylenol (Codeine) use.

She has problems with her hearing and her sense of smell.

I have heard that these symptoms/problems can be attributed to the long term use of codeine.

Is this in any way true?

Thanks in advance for any help

Peace,
Hana

 

[johanneschimpo]

Hearing is also vulnerable to damage from a number of drugs said Dr. Blakely, who listed antibiotics and chemotherapy agents as well known causes of sudden hearing loss, but he said that opioid medications including combinations of Tylenol and codeine can also damage hearing.

http://www.4hearingloss.com/archives/2005/11/many_americans.html

Random example, one of the first results in google.

Does she have ringing in her ears (tinnitus)? This is another result of chronic use of certain drugs, along with plain old hearing loss.

This is certainly true that it can be caused by codeine/APAP, though it may or may not be the cause of her ailment. It is almost certainly contributing to some extent, but it could also be due to the normal aging process. If she's taken it for 40+ years, then she must be 60+, and hearing loss comes with old(er) age.

Personally, I've had ringing in my ears as long as I can remember. Chronic use of hydrocodone/APAP for a year or two only made it worse. It scares me too, how bad my hearing and tinnitus are now in my early 20s, and I wonder how it will be 10, 20, 30 years from now.

 

[Ham-milton]

I went almost completely deaf from amphetamine.

that's a pretty common problem with dopaminergics, though.

odd from codeine, though.

 

[ifonly]

woah, never heard of this.

how on earth does this work?

ive noticed a bit of hearing loss since using codeine etc but i just chalked it up to loud music or something, why is this not a bigger issue??

someone reassure me or something, heh. is it reversable once use has stopped?

 

[Smurfeh]

Happens to me on every opiate I've tried. Could it be because of low blood pressure?

It tends to accompany the lightheaded feeling I only get on higher doses. It goes away once I come down a bit though.

 

[Hana]

http://www.4hearingloss.com/archives/2005/11/many_americans.html

Random example, one of the first results in google.

Does she have ringing in her ears (tinnitus)? This is another result of chronic use of certain drugs, along with plain old hearing loss.

This is certainly true that it can be caused by codeine/APAP, though it may or may not be the cause of her ailment. It is almost certainly contributing to some extent, but it could also be due to the normal aging process. If she's taken it for 40+ years, then she must be 60+, and hearing loss comes with old(er) age.

Personally, I've had ringing in my ears as long as I can remember. Chronic use of hydrocodone/APAP for a year or two only made it worse. It scares me too, how bad my hearing and tinnitus are now in my early 20s, and I wonder how it will be 10, 20, 30 years from now.

johanneschimpo
Thank you very much for all of the information.
i'll have to print it out and share it with her.

I wish this wasn't true.
yes, she is in her mid 60's, so it's been a bit over 40 years of taking them. She's not "addicted", but she's certainly dependant on them.

Smurfeh
Thanks kindly. I appreciate what you added to this..as you must know, this is very important to me, she's my mom.

I'm going to talk to my addiction specialist about this. After i do, i'll post what i've learned, it may help someone.

Thanks again guys, very much
Peace,
Hana

 

[sixpartseven]

Rush Limbaugh is probably the most popular case of hearing loss due to opiates. His was from Oxycodone (He was bringing the shit in like a modern day Pablo Escobar. Yes, 20 years ago was not considered modern times in my book.)

This applies to most opiates, though. Hearing loss is attributed to long term opiate use, and if I recall correctly, super high doses/over doses have lead to some degree if hearing loss in certain individuals.

 

[EnYAY]

ive noticed this ass my use has increased. ( hydrocodone) i get a "poping" sensation. or one ear will go out for a coupple seconds.

its weird.

 

[sixpartseven]

^ Thats not hearing loss, thats just a common side effect of higher doses of opiates. I get the same thing when I do a lot of heroin. Ill get that, or sometimes Ill get this static type noise.