Hi Lacy2. No problem jumping in. So many of these topics overlap. It's hard to keep track of them all. Ototoxicity is a real issue. I don't know why it's not considered when doctors are prescribing medication. It seems like many good physicians just don't know enough about hearing issues to understand this. About 8 years ago I had an eye infection. My physician, an Ophthalmologist, prescribed a medication that I knew to be ototoxic. I told him that I was not comfortable taking that medication. It was like I punched him in the gut. He did not like my saying that, and argued with me about my hearing loss issues. It was awful. At the time, I had a brochure that included a long list of ototoxic medications. Thus, I was able to show him that brochure. Bottom line was that he had never considered this an issue. Thankfully, I was prescribed something different that worked for me.

Unfortunately, in some situations ototoxic medications are the only available options for a particular health issue. Mostly chemotherapy. It's a tough one. Tinnitus

Sadly, hearing loss has been disregarded in many medical situations over time.

According to information I've read over time, tinnitus can be caused by some medications. Most often though, it is caused by excess noise. There is so much to learn, and we are all different.

Yes, it is shocking. In the early 2000s HLAA circulated a brochure on this topic that had been developed by a medical organization that is no longer in existence. At some point this brochure was no longer available. It would be nice if this info was more readily available.

Some drs don’t know about connection. They know their field and decide what they believe is best for you. It is up to us to look out for issues; esp now w technology. Then bring it up to dr. They just can’t be everything to everyone. My oncologist said after the fact that I prob list some hearing after chemo. For me, even though I am hearing impaired, I wouldn’t have asked for different chemo. That’s just me though. Good luck.