The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States is warning consumers that popular drugs used to treat impotence, including Viagra, Cialis and Levitra can cause sudden hearing loss.
The government watchdog wants warnings about the risk to be added to the drugs labels along with advice to consumers on what to do if they experience sudden problems with their hearing.
Dr. Janet Woodcock, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for scientific and medical programs, chief medical officer, and acting director of its Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, says as some level of hearing loss is usually associated with the aging process, patients on these drugs may not mention it to their doctor.
The FDA says patients taking Cialis, Levitra, or Viagra who experience sudden hearing loss should immediately stop taking the drug and seek prompt medical attention.
The FDA plans also wants changes in labeling for the drug Revatio, another medication from the same class of drugs known as phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors.
Revatio is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) which is a serious medical condition in which continuous high blood pressure in arteries of the lungs weakens the heart muscle and often leads to heart failure and death.
The warning comes after a small number of patients taking the PDE5 inhibitors reported sudden hearing loss, sometimes accompanied by ringing in the ears and dizziness.
Viagra is made by the drug company Pfizer, Cialis by Eli Lilly and Levitra by GlaxoSmithKline.