Do You Treat Your STD or Just Let Your Body Handle It to Avoid Antibiotics?

[CDNThailand]

I've always practiced safe sex for vaginal intercourse, but not always for oral...

A lot of people have no symptoms, so I'm wondering, should I get tested and risk taking antibiotics or just let things be for now, and maybe if later on there is a cure for tinnitus, get these things fixed up?

My worry would be chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Getting a new tone could drive me to suicide, seriously... I'd rather have the claps than kill myself...

I've read over here that for chlamydia, it goes away on its own, but it takes 4 years, I suspect it's the same with gonorrhea.

Studies with shorter follow-up (within weeks or months) have reported clearance rates of 11%–44% demonstrated by NAAT, compared with 1-year follow-up reporting clearance rates of 45%–54%. Molano et al demonstrated a 94% C. trachomatis clearance rate in women after 4 years​

So the question is, had anybody left these untreated, or haven't bothered getting tested? And if tested, opted out of taking the antibiotics?

 

[Simon85]

If it's something you have reason to be worried about then I'd get tested as a first step. If that comes back without issue then you're in the clear and don't have to worry.

As for what happens if you do have something. A quick google suggests that you may get testicular pain, pain during urination, infertility, ... it's also a risk to others you have sex with. Personally I'd role the dice with antibiotics if faced with this situation.

 

[CDNThailand]

it's also a risk to others you have sex with.

I would use protection with others.

 

[CDNThailand]

If it's something you have reason to be worried about then I'd get tested as a first step. If that comes back without issue then you're in the clear and don't have to worry.

As for what happens if you do have something. A quick google suggests that you may get testicular pain, pain during urination, infertility, ... it's also a risk to others you have sex with. Personally I'd role the dice with antibiotics if faced with this situation.

The recommended treatment is ototoxic, so pretty much tinnitus is guaranteed to increase, right?

 

[Forever hopeful]

The recommended treatment is ototoxic, so pretty much tinnitus is guaranteed to increase, right?

Instead of Azithromycin (which I have taken many times w/o issue before I knew about ototoxicity), Doxycycline may be an option.

Either way, I would not let an STD go untreated.

 

[CDNThailand]

Isn't Doxycycline also ototoxic?

 

[Forever hopeful]

Isn't Doxycycline also ototoxic?

Based on my research it does not appear to be in one of the 2 classes of antibiotics that are considered ototoxic. Not all antibiotics are ototoxic.

 

[CDNThailand]

Based on my research it does not appear to be in one of the 2 classes of antibiotics that are considered ototoxic. Not all antibiotics are ototoxic.

That's not what I read... seems to be tinnitus causing, but how often... nobody knows!

According to this article, Doxycycline is part of the tetracycline family:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3138949/

They also say Doxycycline is ototoxic on this paper:
https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/956.pdf

So may I ask where you read it's not?

 

[AmericanWelder1]

There's a lot of people on here that have gotten tinnitus from Doxycycline. Just search it up so you don't make the wrong decision.

 

[Damocles]

Either way, I would not let an STD go untreated.

Antibiotics for STDs: Wrong Prescription Can Be Harmful (healthline.com)

Do I really have an STD? Antibiotics often prescribed before test results (today.com)

People are way too eager to pop antibiotics like skittles these days, and it's kicking up a sh*t-storm that is going to hit us all very hard in the near future (a quadrillion times worse than any "COVID-19", I can assure you).

Absolutely, if you have the symptoms, see your doctor (preferably your regular), but explore all the other options (with them) first, and treat antibiotics as a last resort (this would exhibit a "care" for society, far beyond receiving a "vaccine" that may or may not reduce your symptoms, to a virus that may or may not have made you very ill in the first place, and does nothing to reduce spread).

so I'm wondering, should I get tested and risk taking antibiotics or just let things be for now

The recommended treatment is ototoxic, so pretty much tinnitus is guaranteed to increase, right?

No, this is a common misconception.

In this case I am inclined to echo the man and legend Dr. Nagler (who has answered this question a lot):

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/posts/67913/

Let's step back for a minute.

The only drugs I can think of that end in "-mycin" are the aminoglycoside antibiotics. And they have ototoxic potential only when given by vein. Why would an aminoglycoside antibiotic be given by vein? They are given by vein for life-threatening infections, in which case - yes - they do have ototoxic potential.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/posts/66896/

And the antibiotics that can potentially cause permanent auditory damage are the aminoglycoside antibiotics, when administered systemically. The thing of it is, aminoglycoside antibiotics (gentamycin, amikacin, etc.) are only given systemically in the case of certain potentially life-threatening infections when there are no acceptable alternatives. In other words, the vast majority of folks in the world will never be in a position where one might be prescribed.

List of Aminoglycosides - Drugs.com

(As you can see Doxycycline is not an aminoglycoside.)

So basically, if your doctor tells you you need to take it (and there's no alternative), you take it.

If they make your tinnitus worse, you discontinue them, and your tinnitus will very likely return to normal.

Unless it's intravenous, it has a very low probability of doing any permanent damage.

In my first year of tinnitus I was prescribed Clarithromycin for a serious wound that had become infected (an antibiotic classed as ototoxic) and despite my fears, it had absolutely zero effect on me (other than cleaning up the infection and saving me from sepsis).

 

[Forever hopeful]

That's not what I read... seems to be tinnitus causing, but how often... nobody knows!

According to this article, Doxycycline is part of the tetracycline family:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3138949/

They also say Doxycycline is ototoxic on this paper:
https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/956.pdf

So may I ask where you read it's not?

I looked at PubMed and other articles. I wouldn't take any antibiotic until I talked to my otologist first. But that's me.

I looked at the first article you posted and didn't see Doxycycline listed. I didn't bother reading the second because the bottom line is it's your decision. Your body, your decision.

 

[CDNThailand]

I looked at PubMed and other articles. I wouldn't take any antibiotic until I talked to my otologist first. But that's me.

I looked at the first article you posted and didn't see Doxycycline listed. I didn't bother reading the second because the bottom line is it's your decision. Your body, your decision.

You don't see it because it's not there but they mention tetracycline, and doxycycline part of the same family. They say this:

"Tetracyclines (tetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline, tigecycline) are a class of medication used to manage and treat various bacterial infections."

If if tetracycline is ototoxic, does it automatically mean doxycycline is also?

 

[Forever hopeful]

You don't see it because it's not there but they mention tetracycline, and doxycycline part of the same family. They say this:

"Tetracyclines (tetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline, tigecycline) are a class of medication used to manage and treat various bacterial infections."

If if tetracycline is ototoxic, does it automatically mean doxycycline is also?

I would ask a knowledgeable medical professional. Dr. Nagler (well known on this site) as well as my ENT and Otologist do not consider Doxycycline ototoxic.

 

[GeorgeLG]

I did research on drugs including antibiotics for ototoxicity and stopped reading because virtually every choice is on at least one list or forum post so it suggests that any drug can carry this risk depending on the individual and therefore it needs to be worth it and really necessary.

There are two drug classes that are pretty universally considered literally ototoxic and that is Cisplatin chemo and aminoglycoside antibiotics.

Some of the rest may be largely anecdotal, where I suspect that some of the reports are not totally reliable given the ever changing nature of tinnitus for many of us. IOW, I believe that many people have observed correlation but have not proved causation. They are after all taking a drug for a medical condition.

Also, some people may be so hyper focused on the issue that the stress and anticipation spikes their condition. I know that this is not true for everyone. I have taken drugs that had reports of worsening tinnitus that did not affect me. The opposite cannot be true because as mentioned almost every drug is on a list somewhere.

Oh and be careful about not treating STDs because some can cause serious damage if left untreated including severe neurological damage and even death.

 

[ehrfried]

I did research on drugs including antibiotics for ototoxicity and stopped reading because virtually every choice is on at least one list or forum post so it suggests that any drug can carry this risk depending on the individual and therefore it needs to be worth it and really necessary.

There are two drug classes that are pretty universally considered literally ototoxic and that is Cisplatin chemo and aminoglycoside antibiotics.

Some of the rest may be largely anecdotal, where I suspect that some of the reports are not totally reliable given the ever changing nature of tinnitus for many of us. IOW, I believe that many people have observed correlation but have not proved causation. They are after all taking a drug for a medical condition.

Also, some people may be so hyper focused on the issue that the stress and anticipation spikes their condition. I know that this is not true for everyone. I have taken drugs that had reports of worsening tinnitus that did not affect me. The opposite cannot be true because as mentioned almost every drug is on a list somewhere.

Oh and be careful about not treating STDs because some can cause serious damage if left untreated including severe neurological damage and even death.

I like this post! Thank you for confirming my impression that, on Tinnitus Talk and on the Internet you can easily find almost every drug to be ototoxic - just find the right source for a specific drug

Nevertheless, we should stop focusing only on our ears when it's about health. We are still a complete human being with a full body, etc. and antibiotics are very strong medications.

I understand that you don't want to increase your tinnitus and that your ears are of utmost importance for you. This is good!

If an antibiotic would mess with something else, however, you would also not be happy I guess.

AND if an antibiotic messes with your gut or other cells and THEN your ear issues increase because of this (reduced energy supply, damaged mitochondria)... well then it was not ototoxic but still you got exactly what you didn't want.

I personally would not take an antibiotic unless it's absolutely necessary - and such occasions are very rare... May have been 0 - 1 time in the whole life.

Better get a good doctor who gives you Vitamin infusions instead (D3, C, etc.) which can be used as a viable alternative to antibiotics for several infections (including Lyme borreliosis).

And yes, as others pointed out: get tested as soon as possible.

 

[Guest48603]

I have used antibiotics many time before and had no issue. I just try to steer the doctor towards ones I know have fewer side effects.

Letting an STD go untreated is a serious gamble and I can't believe anyone would actually consider it. The infection can travel up your urinary system and spread to other parts of your body. Untreated syphilis is fatal, untreated gonorrhea can cause systemic disease that's life threatening, and untreated chlamydia can cause prostatitis and pelvic inflammatory disease, which becomes chronic. If you think tinnitus is annoying, chronic pelvic pain is right up there. The chance of developing it from an untreated STD is quite high, whereas a short course of oral antibiotics should have a negligible risk.