Posted 11/9/2011 3:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Gumby!
Yes, tinnitus is a potential side effect of Pentasa. Apparently it is the only one of the 5-ASA meds that is absorbed in the small intestine, making it really useful for Crohn's but also potentially leading to salicylate overdosing which gives you tinnitus. I went to see an ENT earlier this summer at the direction of my GI; the ENT found nothing wrong with my ears aside from a boat load of wax and assured me that the tinnitus from Pentasa was not causing any lasting damage. Still, it was very annoying, and came back almost immediately upon resuming my dose of 3g/day.
So now I'm off for good. It's been a whole week and my left ear is no longer ringing. My right ear still is, faintly, and I suspect that I will have that little bit for a long time. All throughout my 2 month Pentasa sabbatical this summer that right ear never quit ringing. I live in a subtropical climate where allergies are awful, so that's another potential cause.
So if you can tolerate the ringing there's not a need to stop or reduce Pentasa. It's a conundrum, for sure. I'm a little concerned about walking away from the medicine that really helped me so much, but I couldn't stand the ringing anymore. It was getting even louder than traffic noise in my old car at 70 mph. ugh.