Corsodyl (Chlorhexidine Digluconate) Mouthwash's Effect on Tinnitus

[Kriszti]

My wisdom tooth or my gum there, can't really detect where the pain is coming from, started to ache. Not awfully, but it's very noticeable.

I don't want to rush to the dentist, I'm really afraid of them, especially with tinnitus.

I have Corsodyl at home, but I found some reports of its ototoxicity online, but it's written that it's ototoxic as an antiseptic if it reaches the middle ear.

Has anyone used this or similar mouthwash?

 

[Thuan]

Where did you find that Corsodyl is ototoxic?

My over-obsessive exotic list is usually from https://www.ata.org/sites/default/files/Drugs Associated with Tinnitus 2013_Updated2017.pdf

The active ingredient for Corsodyl is chlorhexidine and it is not in that list.

Since it's a mouth wash and as long as the liquid does not travel up to your sinuses into your Eustachian tube, I would think it will not do anything bad for your tinnitus.

If you have an ache for more than a week, you should definitely get it resolve. Do you have TMJ disorder?

Btw, if your tooth ache causes any jaw inflammation and aggravates TMJ or your sinuses, then it might affect your tinnitus.

 

[Kriszti]

Thank you very much @Thuan

I think my awful anxiety about tinnitus worsening got the best of me. I browsed the net for chlorhexidine ototoxicity, but papers I found are about chlorhexidine as an antiseptic used in ear surgeries (in animals mainly), which resulted in damage to the hearing. Probably not even the same dilution as in the mouth wash. I just asked to be safe. (Even though I'm very well aware that the only thing certain about tinnitus is that nothing is certain.)

I'm not aware that I have TMJ. Now I think, that it's more likely to have something wrong with my gums than the tooth itself, because when I used floss and it reached the gum between my two teeth, it hurt like it was burning.

I'll try to wait a bit more than if it's necessary, I'll search for a dentist.

Thank you again.

 

[Forever hopeful]

@Thuan,
I would be careful of the information on the ATA website as well. I know I was really overwhelmed trying to find information about this condition, potential causes and anything that can exacerbate it. I have learned there is a lot of misinformation out there. I first had tinnitus in 2015, which eventually resolved so I have over the years researched a lot.

I have had consults with 3 tinnitus experts who are also in the medical field and they all agree that there's a lot of misinformation on that website, particularly as it pertains to medications. The word Ototoxic is used constantly and that's not an accurate word to describe most of the medications listed on there and that's one exhaustive list!

Those of us with tinnitus, most of us are really scared. We want it to go away of course, but at the very least, we do not want to do anything to make it worse. Boy do I know that as I'm sitting here listening to my ears sing away.

The FDA is required to report ear ringing as a side effect even if one person has reported it. But that doesn't mean that the medication causes Tinnitus or that it is truly ototoxic, which is to mean that it damages the hair cells of the inner ear and causes hearing loss. There's actually far fewer medications that are truly ototoxic.

The person who compiled that list, although I am sure well-intentioned, does not have a degree in the medical field or public health. While I am sure that he has the best intentions, the information listed there is very misleading.

To quote Dr. Nagler, there's a lot of information out there about tinnitus and not all of it is good or accurate.

If you want to know if something is truly ototoxic you may want to consult with an ENT. If you're concerned about the potential for any medication to cause or exacerbate tinnitus, I would suggest you check with a medical professional who has access to PubMed or Epocrates.

I personally consult with my ENT before I start any new medication.

Best.

 

[Thuan]

@Forever hopeful Thanks for the advice. I also feel that the list is too over cautious.

 

[Kriszti]

I personally consult with my ENT before I start any new medication

My problem with this that up until now I haven't had any useful information regarding tinnitus from any ENT and I visited a bunch of them,so I just lost my faith in them.

 

[Forever hopeful]

@Kriszti

I'm really sorry to hear that. I'm not sure where you live but I do understand that I am probably pretty fortunate to live in an area where there is lots of access to medical care and I've seen a number of very good ENTs. If an ENT does not know what medications are truly ototoxic, he or she shouldn't be practicing.

Perhaps a well informed audiologist might help.

 

[Chris S.]

I am using a chlorhexidine mouthwash every now and then (works wonders for me to stop ear infections - yes, that's right, ear infections, rather than oral cavity infections!). Every time my ears begin to hurt I use the mouthwash after brushing my teeth and the next morning the ear infection is gone. Haven't noticed tinnitus spikes after using a chlorhexidine-based mouthwash.