Bactrim, an Antibiotic — Ototoxic?

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Wished I could help you here, Mike, but all I know about this drug is that it is a sulfa drug (sulfonylurea).

For what it's worth, this drug is listed as a class 2 drug (class 1 being the least ototoxic, and class 5 the most) in my ototoxic drug book. Ototoxic side effects are tinnitus and dizziness.

With that said, I guess it is crap shoot to see if it bothers you or not.

JM - can you let us know whereyou managed to get hold of a book on ototoxic drugs please?

In the UK they start at around £175!

Thanks

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[nofrets]

I have had tinnitus since a pre-teen on tetracycline--and I can specifically remember the ringing as a kid. As a musician and studio guy, I treasure my ears and have had it checked by experts, wear hearing protection ALWAYS, etc.

I took Bactrim twice daily for 14 days--not realizing it was ototoxic--and now 6+ weeks later I believe the ringing to be 20-50% worse. (I can tell when doing audio "fade to nothing" tail ends to tracks.) I now need to take another round of antibiotics and can tell you with certainty it won't be Bactrim or one of the tetracycline family antibiotics.

As a side note, before I read up on ototoxicity, my daughter was put on a regular, longer term dose of Amoxycillin. HORRIBLE decision. Her elementary school was absolutely ready to put her in an ADHD or ADD group because the ringing was distracting her. As I come from a medical family, I'm pretty amazed--and furious--that ototoxicity really isn't mentioned. And to think I was scolded by a nurse for researching ototoxic drugs online!