Wow. I'm surprised I don't have any issues yet (knock on wood). I've pretty much lived on alcohol, nicotine, Tylenol, loud music and loud cars for 30 years.
I have, however, considered using ear plugs on stage the last year.
I want to share some info I recently discovered that are known facts in the medical profession but as a drummer, I was totally oblivious to these facts. Tinnitus can occur by taking many common drugs.
Ototoxicity (oto=ear) (toxicity=poison) as it’s called, can occur from taking every single over the counter pain reliever and include and may not be limited to; Advil, Excedrin, Aleve, Motrin, Tylenol.
There are at least 1000 medications and chemicals that cause ototoxicity.
There are other known drugs with ototoxic side effects such as nicotine, alcohol, streptomycin, Valium, Paxil, Xanax and many more.
The most ototoxic drugs are mostly antibiotics and diuretics (high blood pressure medication) and NSAID (ibuprofen, acetaminophen). These ototoxic drugs target the inner ear, specifically, the cochlea and the vestibulo-cochlear nerve, impairing hearing and affecting balance.
In the past few years, I've noticed my tinnitus has gotten worse, even by using hearing protection while drumming. To confirm my suspicions, I went to an audiologist and they confirmed that I have mild hearing loss in the right ear and it could be from being on a high blood pressure medication for the past 8 years? They don't know.
Here's a positive note. The hearing test shows NO indications of hearing damage due to prolonged loud noise (drumming), so wearing ear protection for the past 30+ years has helped preserve my hearing.
2009 hearing test (mild hearing loss in right ear at 4k frequency)
2014 hearing test (same results as the 2009 test):
I have experienced these symptoms that indicate early signs of ototoxicity:
- Dizziness
- Onset, change in type or worsening of my tinnitus
- Pressure in my ears
- My hearing gets worse or fluctuates
- Vertigo (not too frequent but I have experienced this)
Factors that may have contributed to my hearing loss:
- Long-term, exposure to ototoxic chemicals (my high blood pressure meds 8+ years at 25 miligrams a day)
- Impaired kidney function (kidney failure in 2009 due to allergic reaction to diabetic meds)
- Simultaneous ingestion of multiple ototoxic drugs (pain relievers when needed plus high blood pressure meds)
- Age- (I'm 57)
- Existing hearing loss (2009 and 2014 hearing test)
Ototoxicity is hard to diagnose and is often a diagnosis given when all other factors have been ruled out. But there are a handful of risk factors that you can watch out for but there is currently no cure for permanent ototoxicity. I hope by sharing this information that it may have helped some of you out there understand what other factors that may cause tinnitus. It has certainly opened my ears (sorry) to what may have increased my tinnitus. As far as the audiologist is concerned, my hearing loss does not qualify me for hearing aids....yet.
Wow. I'm surprised I don't have any issues yet (knock on wood). I've pretty much lived on alcohol, nicotine, Tylenol, loud music and loud cars for 30 years.
I have, however, considered using ear plugs on stage the last year.
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
I'm with you (for the most part), I lived on alcohol, Burger King and pizza, nicotine (2 packs a day for almost 50 years), aspirin, loud music and loud cars (although my Mustang is the quietist car I've ever had, I'll take 390HP out of 140ci. Amazing what they can do now) for 50 years.
Thanks for that information. Interesting.
Acoustic & Electronic:
Pearl Prestige World Series WLX 1988
Tama Swingstar 1983
Tama Superstar Hyper-Drive (Birch) 2007
Ludwig Acrolite Snare 1976
Ludwig Supraphonic 6.5x14" 2021
Pearl Sensitone Elite Aluminum 5.5" and 6.5" Snare
Pearl COB Custom Deluxe [Gladstone] (75-76) Snare
Love Drum Co. Hammered Steel 5.5" Snare
Roland TD-1KV
Paiste
Accent 8"
Paiste Signature:
6", 10" Splash
14" Dark Crisp Hi-Hats
14" Sound Edge Hi-Hats
16", 17", 18",19", 20" Full Crash
22" Symphonic Med-Heavy (use as a Ride)
Paiste Formula 602:
22" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Ride
Paiste 2oo2:
22" Ride
16" Crash
8",10" Splash
Paiste 2oo2 Big Beat:
15" Hi-Hats
19", 20", 21" Big Beat Multifunctional
Paiste Sound Formula:
16" Crash
20" Full Ride (Frankenstein)
Paiste Twenty:
16" China
Paiste Alpha (original Swiss made):
12" Splash
Paiste PST7:
Medium
16", 18" Crash
20" Ride
14" Hi-Hats
Sabian:
XS20 18" China
AA 14" Fusion Hi-Hats
Ashy! Now I'm scared! I take a bunch of high blood pressure meds for migraines and also live off ibuprofen and the like!
I don't put a face on God. So he would probably look like Jimi Hendrix.
- Chad Smith
Everyone's screwed up in their own special way.
Joey Ramone
I'm not sure how to react to this. Very informative (thank you!) but I'm getting so used to just about everything being bad for us - and then good for us again depending on what the latest findings are. From sugar to milk to meat to butter and so on and so on. We need pain meds when we're in pain so I don't know how we're supposed to avoid them. Everything we eat most often has some of the aforementioned ingredients. I've concluded that maybe we should just stop eating so that we can live!
Obviously I'm being sarcastic. It just gets depressing after awhile. I'm almost convinced that we should just eat whatever the hell we want. Isn't it a crap shoot anyway? There are extremely healthy people that keel over with a heart attack and then we all know some of those smoking alcoholics that live to be 80. I just don't get it! So with regard to ears, you put ear plugs in all those years (I didn't) and you have the same ear damage as me? That just doesn't seem fair.
Rant over. Of course life isn't always fair. That's just the way it is. And balance... yea, it all comes back to balance - and luck. Do your best to do what's good for you and maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones.
I SAY that I have no hearing damage, but my wife says I'm deaf. In reality, I'm just not paying attention.....or AM I????
I've learned to never say anything when a smile & nod will suffice.
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
What???????????????????
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
I think I heard what you thought.
Thanks for the info, Rich. I'm kinda with drummer, too, in that one day "it" is good for you but upon further study it no longer is but then this newest study debunks that so what's a person to believe these days?
I guess since we are all a bit different, everything will affect us differently, to some extent, too.
Good luck to us all since we are in a 'potential for harm' hobby.
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good information every once in awhile I lose my balance, not like falling down but enough that it makes me take a quick step to correct it. Wasn't aware that it could be because of the ringing.
RDM/Damage Poets
UFiP TAMAHA Zildjian
REGAL TiP
AQUARIAN
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