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ER dr said its possibility
Yes, ear ringing (tinnitus) can be a side effect of chemotherapy. A MyBCTeam member shared that they developed tinnitus in both ears that started during chemo treatments, so you're definitely not alone in experiencing this. Since your ringing is described as horrible, it's really important to follow up with your oncologist Show Full Answer
Yes, it is called Ototoxicity, and is usually associated with a platin drug (for me Carboplatin). Chemo can cause healing issues two ways- just like when we lost our hair (for me, all body hair, lashes, eyebrows- even nose hair!) it can also affect the little hairs in our ears that help us hear (the same ones that are damaged by loud noises). These hairs do not regenerate, so there can be hearing loss.
Another issue is the tinnitus, the ringing in the ears that you mentioned. It comes on suddenly. For me, I was washing dishes, and could hear cicadas! I finished the dishes then went outside to look for them (I'm a Master Naturalist and was not expecting cicadas- at least not in numbers that I would have heard from indoors!). I was surprised that the volume remained the same instead of getting louder. Placing my hands over one ear, then the other- yep, the sounds were in my head! This is a type of nerve damage, and usually does not reverse itself.
That being said, I have found that a noise machine helps with sleep at night. And I started using Taurine, It does not get rid of the tinnitis, but for some, it can decrease the severity of the symptoms. For me, it has turned down the volume. If you discontinue Taurine, the symptoms may go back to their previous levels. Fortunately, it is not an expensive supplement. Of course, check with your team to see if it is ok for you. I went through one bottle, and did not see a difference, but since it was not expensive, I bought another bottle, And it was during that bottle, I started seeing a difference.
I did found out that otolaryngologists have been recommending for years that before chemo, patients should have baseline hearing assessments, as they felt the 12% stat of tinnitis related to chemo was too low- but without a baseline, and without oncologists being consistent in reporting, it is just anecdotal evidence.
I use the Life Extension brand, 1000 mg twice daily- take 20-30 minutes before your meal, or 2 hours after you eat. I usually take the first one when I get up in the morning- and the second one when I start prepping dinner. Good luck!
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2997922/
I completed chemo August 2025. This started couple months ago this year
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