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Mel de la Cruz, MD; Manohar Bance, MB, MSc, FRCSC

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1999;125:225-227.

Carbamazepine is a commonly prescribed anticonvulsant medication that affects various levels of the nervous system. We report a case of temporary sensorineural hearing loss in a patient after overdosing with 36 g of carbamazepine. Six days after the overdose, the patient complained of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. Audiograms revealed a 30- to 40-dB sensorineural hearing loss bilaterally. Another audiogram 2 weeks later showed a complete recovery in both ears accompanied by a clinical resolution in audiovestibular symptoms. Carbamazepine is used to treat partial and generalized seizures, trigeminal neuralgia, and bipolar illness. Adverse effects are not common but most frequently include dizziness, drowziness, nausea, and skin rashes; rare complications are agranulocytosis, bradycardia, and heart block. Documented hearing loss as a side effect of carbamazepine has not been reported, to our knowledge.

From the Department of Otolaryngology, Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Dr de la Cruz), and Department of Otolaryngology, University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario (Dr Bance).

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