Does viagra cause deafness? This is what science says about Hugh Hefner’s last years

“Hef always said he’d rather be deaf and still be able to have sex. Queer”, said Hugh Hefner’s widow, Crystal Hefner, in an interview she conducted with the Daily Mail about her life with the founder of Playboy magazine, died in 2017 at the age of 91.

According to what was said in the English media, the consumption of sildenafil – popularly known as Viagra – an erectile dysfunction drug caused Hefner to suffer severe deafness. WhatIs it true ? How can a drug affect our ability to hear?

There are a dozen drugs, known as protein phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors , which are linked to sudden hearing loss. The most common are Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. In fact, some researchers They called this phenomenon the viagra deafness “.

In a survey conducted by the Ear, Nose and Throat Department at Charing Cross Hospital, UK Hearing loss caused by this medication has been shown to usually occur in only one ear and within a day of taking one of these medications. About a third of the time, hearing loss is temporary.

One of the first alarms was a report issued by the University of Cambridge in 2007 about the case of a man who suffered sudden hearing loss in both ears after taking Viagra . This prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to monitor similar cases of men suffering from sudden hearing loss in one or both ears.

As reported, sometimes hearing loss is accompanied by tinnitus or ringing in the ears after taking any of these medicines.

Later, larger investigations revealed a similar link. In study of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, showed that the men who reported using PDE-5 inhibitor drugs were twice as likely to also report hearing loss . And in 2018, a analysis conducted at the University of Florida showed, from medical records, a “low but significantly increased risk of sudden hearing loss”.

The above findings prompted the FDA to issue a new warning, adding more information to drug labels. For example, the patient label for Viagra understand literally, that “the sudden loss or decrease in hearing, sometimes accompanied by ringing in the ears and dizziness has rarely been reported in people taking PDE5 inhibitors, including Viagra. »

“It is not possible to determine whether these events are directly related to the PDE5 inhibitors, to other diseases or medications, to other factors, or to a combination of factors. If you experience these symptoms, stop taking Viagra and contact a doctor immediately. »

This class of drugs is also used to treat pulmonary hypertension, which is increased blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. Viagra, Cialis and Levitra and any drugs in this class they can also cause, among other things, vision problems, headaches and stomach aches. Side effects .