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Tinnitus with proton pump inhibitors: A 46-year-old doctor reported to us of tinnitus that continued for several days each time after a single day's dose of esomeprazole (NEXIUM, generics) and pantoprazole (PANTOZOL, generics, NETWORK Reports 13.640, 13.641). A 92-year-old pensioner experienced hearing loss and extraneous noises in her ears a few days after starting treatment with omeprazole (e.g. OMEP). Her symptoms improved after stopping the treatment, but had not completely disappeared a month later (15.942). The Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb has reviewed six reports of new cases of tinnitus, or of increased tinnitus intensity, in connection with omeprazole, and four cases in connection with its left-handed isomer esomeprazole. The WHO adverse drug reaction database in Uppsala has 349 relevant reports documented concerning proton pump inhibitors, where about half of them relate to omeprazole (1). Disturbing noises in the ears under omeprazole were first noticed after its market launch. In studies with the successor drugs esomeprazole, lansoprazole (AGOPTON, generics), pantoprazole and rabeprazole (PARIET, generics) they were reported by less than 1% of the test persons in each case (2). In the light of this information, we can conclude that all proton pump inhibitors have the potential to cause tinnitus or to increase its intensity.
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