Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen Linked to Hearing Loss in Women

Now I am a headache person. Always have been. And in my 30s and 40s I got sinus headaches,migraines and cluster headaches. Diagnosing the type of headache I was having, determined the specific medication I used. Imagine my dismay at this new study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston that there was an increased risk of hearing loss in women who used ibuprofen or acetaminophen two or more days per week.  Yet, there was no association between aspirin use and hearing loss.

Recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the link tended to be greater in women yonger than 50 years old, especially for those who took ibuprofen 6 or more days per week.

Interestingly, this study did not look at the amount of mediation used, only the number of days of use.

Well, I have a hearing loss. I am wearing hearing aids. But truth be known, if you’ve ever suffered from headaches, you don’t care about the outcome. All you care about is getting rid of the pain!