Hyperacusis is a troubling loudness hypersensitivity disorder occasionally involving pain around ear and face. The neural origins of hyperacusis and conditions that evoke it are poorly understood. To gain insights into the neural mechanisms that might give rise to hyperacusis, a pharmacovigilance analysis was conducted on 3833 case reports in which hyperacusis was listed as a drug-induced adverse event in the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The 10 drug classes ranked by the number of reported hyperacusis cases were selective (1) serotonin reuptake inhibitors (e.g., paroxetine), (2) fluoroquinolone antibiotics (e.g., ciprofloxacin), (3) serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (e.g., venlafaxine), (4) benzodiazepines (e.g., clonazepam), (5) anticonvulsant-mood stabilizers (e.g., valproate), (6) central nervous system stimulants, (7) atypical antipsycnotics, (8) corticosteroid/glucocorticoid (e.g., prednisolone), (9) anticonvulsant-GABA analogue (e.g., pregabalin) and (10) anticonvulsants (e.g., topiramate). Approximately 70% of hyperacusis cases were females, possibly due to a reporting bias. The most prevalent comorbidities were headache, photophobia, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, anxiety, insomnia, tinnitus and depression. The mechanisms of action and side effects of the 25 drugs in which hyperacusis was listed as an adverse event are discussed along with study limitations such as correlational analysis. The results provide a foundation for future drug-related research on hyperacusis, including studies in animal models to determining which of these drugs can dose-dependently induce hyperacusis.
Abstract
Journal Article
eng
42143865
Salvi, Richard, et al. "Hyperacusis-inducing Drug Candidates." Hearing Research, vol. 477, 2026, p. 109673.
Salvi R, Wang TC, Eddins A. Hyperacusis-inducing drug candidates. Hear Res. 2026;477:109673.
Salvi, R., Wang, T. C., & Eddins, A. (2026). Hyperacusis-inducing drug candidates. Hearing Research, 477, 109673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2026.109673
Salvi R, Wang TC, Eddins A. Hyperacusis-inducing Drug Candidates. Hear Res. 2026 May 14;477:109673. PubMed PMID: 42143865.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR
T1 - Hyperacusis-inducing drug candidates.
AU - Salvi,Richard,
AU - Wang,Tang-Chuan,
AU - Eddins,Ann,
Y1 - 2026/05/14/
PY - 2026/03/25/received
PY - 2026/05/09/revised
PY - 2026/05/13/accepted
PY - 2026/5/18/medline
PY - 2026/5/18/pubmed
PY - 2026/5/17/entrez
KW - Anticonvulsants
KW - Benzodiazepines
KW - Fluoroquinolone antibiotics
KW - Hyperacusis
KW - Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
KW - Selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
SP - 109673
EP - 109673
JF - Hearing research
JO - Hear Res
VL - 477
N2 - Hyperacusis is a troubling loudness hypersensitivity disorder occasionally involving pain around ear and face. The neural origins of hyperacusis and conditions that evoke it are poorly understood. To gain insights into the neural mechanisms that might give rise to hyperacusis, a pharmacovigilance analysis was conducted on 3833 case reports in which hyperacusis was listed as a drug-induced adverse event in the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The 10 drug classes ranked by the number of reported hyperacusis cases were selective (1) serotonin reuptake inhibitors (e.g., paroxetine), (2) fluoroquinolone antibiotics (e.g., ciprofloxacin), (3) serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (e.g., venlafaxine), (4) benzodiazepines (e.g., clonazepam), (5) anticonvulsant-mood stabilizers (e.g., valproate), (6) central nervous system stimulants, (7) atypical antipsycnotics, (8) corticosteroid/glucocorticoid (e.g., prednisolone), (9) anticonvulsant-GABA analogue (e.g., pregabalin) and (10) anticonvulsants (e.g., topiramate). Approximately 70% of hyperacusis cases were females, possibly due to a reporting bias. The most prevalent comorbidities were headache, photophobia, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, anxiety, insomnia, tinnitus and depression. The mechanisms of action and side effects of the 25 drugs in which hyperacusis was listed as an adverse event are discussed along with study limitations such as correlational analysis. The results provide a foundation for future drug-related research on hyperacusis, including studies in animal models to determining which of these drugs can dose-dependently induce hyperacusis.
SN - 1878-5891
UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/prime/citation/42143865/Hyperacusis-inducing_drug_candidates.
DB - PRIME
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -
