is the hearing loss in my left ear caused by lithium?
james p asked:
i’ve been taking lithium for 4 days and for a couple hours the hearing in my left ear has become dampened and there’s a ringing noise. i wasn’t listening to anything loud. could this be caused by the lithium and what should i do if it was
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i’ve been taking lithium for 4 days and for a couple hours the hearing in my left ear has become dampened and there’s a ringing noise. i wasn’t listening to anything loud. could this be caused by the lithium and what should i do if it was
March 7th, 2009 at 6:19 am
It could be, but it’s extremely rare. I’m on lithium carbonate, myself, and have been for well over a year. What you should probably do since it is a listed symptom is just phone your doctor’s office tomorrow and say you have a question - could the lithium be the culprit? And ask if you’re doctor could phone you back. He/She will let you know whether you need to be concerned or not.
Try keeping a journal of any changes you notice side-effects-wise. Never hurts to just present it to your doctor. Just keep an open mind - you’ll get used to the medication and not even notice you’re on it anymore.
March 10th, 2009 at 2:52 am
you may be right the ring is from your own aura and the drug may have enhanced it
March 12th, 2009 at 4:55 am
As the other poster said, it’s probably not the lithium. Chemicals of any kind usually affect both ears the same. You should schedule a hearing test to get a baseline just in case.