Over-the-Counter Painkillers Could Raise Your Risk of Tinnitus

What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus isn’t a disease of its own, but a symptom of an underlying condition such as age-related hearing loss or nasal congestion. It’s commonly described as ringing in the ears, but can also sound like roaring, clicking, hissing, whistling, swooshing or buzzing. It can be soft or loud, high pitched or low pitched. And you might hear it in one or both ears.

Depending on how persistent it is, tinnitus can have a major impact on quality of life. Of the roughly 50 million people in the U.S. with tinnitus, around 3 million are “severely disabled” by the condition, says Curhan. Older people are especially vulnerable since age is a risk factor (along with noise-induced hearing loss). “Among most people with tinnitus, the cause is not known and the effectiveness of available treatments is limited,” she adds.

Complicating things? Scientists have yet to agree on what it is that’s happening in the brain to create the perception of sound when there is none.

How to find relief

Experts have long known that taking high doses of aspirin can lead to reversible tinnitus; in other words, stop taking the aspirin and the tinnitus subsides. But Curhan’s team found that frequent use of moderate-dose aspirin and typical doses of other over-the-counter painkillers is independently associated with the risk of developing chronic persistent tinnitus.

“For a number of medications that are taken short-term, discontinuation of use can lead to relief from tinnitus symptoms,” says Curhan. “Based on the findings in our study, it will be informative to examine whether avoidance of analgesics, or discontinuation of regular use, may help alleviate tinnitus symptoms.”

The study also found that taking COX-2 inhibitors such as celecoxib (brand name: Celebrex) two or more days a week was associated with a 21 percent higher risk of developing tinnitus.

The takeaway message? “For anyone who is considering taking these types of medications regularly, it is advisable to consult with a health care professional to discuss the risks and benefits and to explore whether there are alternatives to using medication,” Curhan says.

Kimberly Goad is a New York–based journalist who has covered health for some of the nation’s top consumer publications. Her work has appeared in Women’s Health, Men’s Health and Reader’s Digest.