loss of hearing

[Guest guest]

I have read that this is probably why Rush

Limbaugh lost his hearing. Of course, he took abusive quantities

of the stuff.

Subject:

POSSIBLE PERMANENT HEARING LOSS FROM EXTENSIVE USE OF PAINKILLERS

CONCERNED PHYSICIANS AT

RENOWNED CLINIC WARN CONSUMERS OF POSSIBLE PERMANENT HEARING LOSS FROM

EXTENSIVE USE OF PAINKILLERS

CONSUMER WARNING:

In a retrospective

observation conducted at the House Ear Clinic (HEC) in Los Angeles, physicians have found a possible

correlation between permanent hearing loss and a commonly prescribed painkiller

medication that combines hydrocodone and acetaminophen. This combination

medication is distributed under various names including the brands

Vicodin®, Hydrocet®, Lorcet®, Norco® and their generic

counterparts. Over the past two years HEC physicians have identified as many as

29 patients with moderate to profound hearing loss possibly resulting from

extensive use of these painkillers. This unusually high incidence prompted the

physicians to report their observations of this side effect to the Food and

Drug Administration (FDA) and to alert consumers.

" We feel that it is our

duty to warn the public that permanent hearing loss may result from prolonged

or excessive use of painkillers that combine hydrocodone and

acetaminophen, " said W. House, M.D. " Recent media reports

indicate that many people are becoming dependent on medications originally

prescribed to treat temporary or chronic pain and we feel that their lives may

be further complicated by loss of hearing. "

In April 1999 HEC physicians

presented an initial report of the Clinic’s observations at the American Academy

of Otolaryngology Meeting in Palm

Springs, CA. An

update of this report is being prepared for presentation at the Triologic

meeting in Pasadena, CA in January 2002. Since HEC physicians

became aware that prolonged painkiller use was a common factor in several cases

of sudden hearing loss, a more detailed evaluation of similar cases possibly

involving this type of medication has become a priority.

The House Ear Clinic is one of the largest medical

practices dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss and related

disorders. This enables the eight ear specialists on staff to evaluate a

population whose disease profiles might not be immediately obvious in general

care settings. Observation of an HEC patient group who reported extensive

painkiller use suggests that these medications may cause progressive hearing

loss – even after cessation of drug use. It also appears that individual susceptibility

may play a significant role in the incidence of permanent hearing loss as a

side effect.

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