Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are medications used to lower blood pressure. But they may also cause ringing in the ears. These drugs typically end in “-il” (common examples are lisinopril, enalapril, and ramipril).
Blood pressure medications - ACE inbihibitors (Lisinopril and Enalprel) have been known to cause tinnitus. Beta Blockers like Propranolol and Nebivolol (Bystolic) can rarely cause tinnitus. Propranolol is also used for anxiety disorders including performance anxiety.
If your tinnitus symptoms include a beating, pulsing or pumping sound, it could be related to your blood pressure. We recommend that you speak to your primary healthcare physician.
Medications known to cause tinnitus include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and certain antibiotics, cancer drugs, water pills (diuretics), antimalarial drugs and antidepressants.
Blood Pressure Medication
Blood pressure medications are diuretics, and they are usually prescribed as a quick way to lower blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to stroke and heart attacks. If you are prescribed diuretics with higher dosages, there is a chance that it can cause ringing in the ears.
Sometimes, tinnitus is a sign of high blood pressure, an allergy, or anemia. In rare cases, tinnitus is a sign of a serious problem such as a tumor or aneurysm. Other risk factors for tinnitus include temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), diabetes, thyroid problems, obesity, and head injury.
“Pounding” in your ears
If you have a sensation of pulsing or pounding in your ears when you haven't been exercising vigorously, this could indicate an elevated blood pressure. It could also be related to drinking too much caffeine, so try cutting back on the coffee and soda.
While large doses by injection can cause permanent damage, most of the time the ringing in the ears and hearing loss are temporary. These symptoms usually go away once use of the medication has stopped.
Quinine, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine
All of these drugs—and some others—are known to cause temporary hearing loss and tinnitus, usually after long-term treatment, according to the American Academy of Audiology.
Although rare, some statins like atorvastatin can lead to or worsen tinnitus.
Tinnitus can be caused by beta-blockers such as Propranolol and Nebivolol. Anxiety disorders, such as performance anxiety, are treated with propranolol. Tinnitus can be caused by loop diuretics like Lasix, although this is usually at higher doses.
Conclusion: Statin group of drugs can have a positive effect on the hearing functions and subjective tinnitus. In particular, it is seen that rosuvastatin group of statins has a more notable effect on tinnitus.
Tight neck muscles may cause pulsatile tinnitus. Many people who have pulsatile tinnitus also experience frequent tension headaches, which tight neck muscles can cause.
High pressure in the vascular system may cause inner ear hemorrhage, which is supplied by the anterior inferior cerebellar artery, which supports the inner ear artery and is divided into cochlear artery and anterior vestibular artery [4], which may cause progressive or sudden hearing loss [3, 5].
Hearing loss has been linked to hypertension for the following reasons: Hypertension makes blood overwhelm blood vessels in the ear, causing temporary hearing. Repeated cases of hypertension accelerate the degeneration of vital hearing organs, causing permanent hearing loss.
Loop diuretics
The most commonly used loop diuretics are Lasix (furosemide), Bumex (bumetanide) and Demadex (torsemide). Experts believe these medications interfere with the ionic composition of the fluids in the ear, contributing to hearing loss.
What does the research say? Serum magnesium levels are lower in people with tinnitus than the general population[3]. Increased susceptibility to noise damage, ototoxicity and auditory hyperexcitability have also been linked to magnesium deficiency[4].
You should see your GP if you continually or regularly hear sounds such as buzzing, ringing or humming in your ears. They can examine your ears to see if the problem might be caused by a condition they could easily treat, such as an ear infection or earwax build-up.