Ringing Ears? Check Your Medication.
Here’s a perfect example of how trying to solve one problem creates another. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been fighting a raging case of Plantar Fasciitis – an inflammation of the tissue at the bottom of my left foot. When I wake up in the morning and take my first couple of steps, it feels like someone’s taken a baseball bat to my heel. What I’ve been trying, as well as what’s worked and what hasn’t will be the subject of another post.
One of the treatments that was suggested to me was to get on a routine of taking regular aspirin. Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation and there’s nothing better for treating inflammation than aspirin. “Just be careful,” said Teri (a registered nurse), “because the aspirin thins your blood and you’ll bruise easily.” Made sense so I gave it a go. I started taking 2 caplets of coated aspirin every 4 hours or so (morning, noon, afternoon, and bedtime).
Know what? I started getting some relief the very next day! It literally felt like the “fire” in my heel was slowly but surely being put out. I was jazzed.
However, by the second day of my aspirin routine, I noticed a fairly loud hissing sound in my ears. Although it didn’t really interfere with my hearing (that I could tell – wait, did you say something?), it was downright annoying and as time went on, it got louder and louder. It was like being next to a raging river. There was a constant hissing sound that just would not stop. It started getting too loud to ignore.
A quick Internet search told me that this condition (“ringing” in the ears) is called Tinnitus and that it’s pretty common. I also learned that medical science doesn’t really have any direct treatment for it - which means that there are all sorts of non-FDA-approved treatments and devices out there. However, I did learn that ringing ears is a common side effect of taking too much aspirin or aspirin-containing medications, a fact confirmed by Teri when I mentioned it to her. In fact, she said that other pain relievers including ibuprofen and some antibiotics can also cause tinnitus.
“Back off a bit and don’t take as much,” she advised. The trick is to balance the problem you’re trying to cure (the plantar fasciitis) with the side effects of the medication (the tinnitus) and take only enough aspirin to relieve one without aggravating the other.
After taking her advice, I’m happy to report that the ringing in my hear has been reduced significantly. It no longer sounds like I’m standing right next to a jet plane about to take off. Although my heel still feels a little tender at times, I think I’m finally beginning to get the inflammation under control.
I guess the takeaway from all of this is that all medications, even common aspirin, have some sort of side effect. It can be minute and benign or it can be significant and quite harmful so pay attention when taking any type of medication. Make note of and discuss with a healthcare professional anything that seems out of the ordinary including headaches, stomach discomfort, and yes, even ringing in the ears.
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)
P.S. Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.” This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time. Just click on the title to be taken to the download page. Enjoy!
Technorati Tags: tinnitus, plantar faciitis, aspirin, medication, pain relief, reliever, nsaids, ringing ear, hearing, side effect
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Holy Smokes! This post has been bombed by spam comments! I guess “tinnitus” is one of those terms that are targeted by the spambots.
I’m sure you know the type of comments I’m talking about. They say something generic like “Great post. Lot’s of good information.” and then include 3 or 4 links to their own sites. I’ve deleted quite a few with the exact same message so I know it’s an automated spambot.
Hey, I don’t have anything against other bloggers leaving a comment on my site along with a link back to their own site as long as their comment is relevant and what they say actually has some interest or value. Just leaving “great post” and a bunch of spam links doesn’t cut it.
If you want to contribute your opinion on any of my posts, the floor’s all yours. Just make sure it’s something other readers will benefit from as well.
Hiram