[Milligan]

The House Ear Institute checked for drugs back in 2001. They said his hearing lost was not caused by drugs. Certain drugs will cause hearing loss. They will screen for those drugs. Maybe he was on a different painkiller which is excluded from those drugs that cause hearing loss.

[ThePythonicCow]

Yes, I've heard reports of such before. Of course, I don't know the real cause of Rush's hearing loss. My hunch is that it was the painkillers, despite public evidence to the contrary. But I'm not putting any money on that hunch.