Ototoxicity — Is It Permanent or Reversible?

[Neenie]

Does anyone know if ototoxicity is permanent or reversible? From what I've read online, some sites say it is, others say it isnt. Or maybe no-one really knows. Do any of you know? I'm on a bucket load of medication and I'm thinking that this is why I have tinnitus. Thanks xoxo

 

[seal]

did you take all these meds before your Tinnitus started? Ototoxity can either be permanent or not, I think no one really knows.

 

[Robb]

Hi Neenie,

I would definitely recommend you to stop using all drugs made from Benzene.. (so do I)
As this will hamper your natural healing processess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzene
As far as your current bucket load of medication; less is always better when possible..

Cheers

 

[Neenie]

I was taking antidepressants and anti-psychotics but in low doses. That increased four fold 4 months ago, at the same time I got tinnitus. It could be coincidence but it might not be. I think I'd rather be crazy and not taking meds and seeing if that helps the tinnitus

 

[yonkapin]

Ototoxic medications are a tricky thing, if you do enough research on ANY drug you'll probably find some ototoxic side effect listed somewhere on the internet - or at least that's been my own experience. I think the label is slapped onto a heap of medications without any proper follow up research or further investigation due to the nature of how patients report side effects during trials, etc. Having said that though there are groups of medicines that are truly ototoxic and should be avoided or taken in great care - eg. the nasty "-mycin" anti-biotics, chemo agents, etc. There's a few threads on here that go into a bit more detail.

Re: your meds, no one can say if they are the cause of your tinnitus, but I do remember seeing your list and definitely think you are on way too many different meds. Like I said in the other thread, I don't know your history and neither does anyone else here, so it's on you to decide what you need to do and what will work. However, if you can, I would work with your doctor in trying to simplify your regime because the meds you are on are pretty heavy duty and have a gang of side effects. You will probably find your tinnitus improve once you get things sorted because your brain chemistry isn't been messed with as much. If you do choose to start cutting out meds though, make sure you do very slow tapers with things like benzodiazepines to avoid any abrupt withdrawal symptoms.

Wish I had more advice for you but I really don't know enough about this stuff, good luck!

 

[dan]

I know a poster from Yuku who simply tried an Seroquel (anti-psychtic) and got tinnitus so bad his life
is pretty much over. So in my opinion, anything that screws with you brain might unveil tinnitus.
I`m sorry.

 

[Neenie]

Yer, deep down I know I'm on waaaay too many medication and that it's really not sustainable. But you are right, I have also researched medication and pretty much all of them list tinnitus as a side effect. I think it's just the pharmaceutical companies covering their arses in case any one sues them. But yer, I too have realised that its just the chemo ones and the antibiotics and aspirin in large doses. Thanks for your help! xoxoxo

 

[seal]

I was taking antidepressants and anti-psychotics but in low doses. That increased four fold 4 months ago, at the same time I got tinnitus. It could be coincidence but it might not be. I think I'd rather be crazy and not taking meds and seeing if that helps the tinnitus

From what I read you are taking too many drugs so I would consult with your doctor which ones to toss. but I don't think you need to stop with all of them to feel better or quieten your Tinnitus. A little medication is good for you at the moment I think, because you need to stay calm and get some sleep... it will get better with time so you probably won't need it in the future anyways, at least not on a daily basis.

 

[object16]

My tinnitus got extremely bad when I tried to over-medicate with tegretol - I immediately stopped taking it, and it seemed to gradually get better over several days, then I over did it on doxylamine which is an anti histamine, and this also created a sound like an alarm clock in my head, so I immediately stopped that and 2 days later it has mainly subsided to the usual amounts of tinnitus. I have heard that the mycin type antibiotics can be real bad, and chemo drugs can create permanent issues, but with what I am on it seems to have resolved. I still take Seroquel, mirtazapine, imovane and lyrica, in quite large amounts, so far no tinnitus from those meds.

 

[Dr. Ancill]

Only a few drugs are really ototoxic. Most of the other drugs cause a temporary change, if anything. Remember tinnitus is a symptom, a result of pathology in the brain, so anything that can affect brain chemistry can affect the perception of tinnitus. Many tinnitus sufferers will avoid pharmaceuticals unnecessarily and then expose themselves to over-the-counter 'natural' remedies that have far less quality control and even less safety data. An example of this would be Gingko Biloba which may increase blood flow to the inner ear (in high enough doses) - for many T sufferers this will result in increased tinnitus. The same is true for Flavinoids. However, forum watchers will know that from time to time, someone will post a remedy that worked for them. This might simply be coincidence but sometimes it is a genuine effect. The problem, once again, is that tinnitus is symptom - so it is like treating a cough, and a cough might be TB or terminal lung cancer or it might simply be a time-limited cold or allergy. We also need to differentiate those T sufferers who are young and likely have a treatable cause from those, like myself, who have age-related or trauma-induced bilateral tinnitus related to hearing loss and for whom there will be no 'cure'.

 

[Neenie]

Hi,
Yer, I know that most drugs are not really ototoxic unless taken in high doses. Which I am. But you are right, it is difficult to know what caused the tinnitus and I know that in most cases the cause is never found. Mine just happened suddenly one day, just after lunch and bam, it was there full volume and hasn't changed since. The only thing I can link back to that time is I'd just had an increase in medication. I know that it may just be coincidence, and I know that it might not be reversible, so I don't really know what to do from here on out. The medication is keeping me half sane, but it may be the cause. So there are 3 possible scenarios: 1. I go off the medication, go crazy, but possibly reduce tinnitus. 2. I off the medication, go crazy, but tinnitus stays, or 3. I stay on the medication, and tinnitus stays. Not really sure which option to choose

 

[Marie Blalock]

Does anyone know if ototoxicity is permanent or reversible? From what I've read online, some sites say it is, others say it isnt. Or maybe no-one really knows. Do any of you know? I'm on a bucket load of medication and I'm thinking that this is why I have tinnitus. Thanks xoxo

Hi Neenie,
I'm on board with you about tinnitus ruining your life because my ear issue certainly has done that. I had a myringotomy a month ago and my ear has been ringing ever since. The volume has decreased somewhat. If having the cochlear hairs damaged is what causes tinnitus I can't understand how a myringotomy could cause that. Then I started thinking about the local anesthetic that was put on my eardrum to numb it. I found information about it. If anyone would like to read it www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed2282220 It's a five minute read. I think it's possible that this has happened to me. I would like someone's opinion on the matter to make sure that I am understanding everything correctly. If your on alot of meds then one could definitely be causing your tinnitus. If you want to test it out you'll just have to eliminate one medication at a time for a few days and see what happens. Does your tinnitus get softer at times and then others sound like a foghorn blowing? Has it gotten any quieter since it first started? I know that mine has alittle. I wonder if that is normal for tinnitus? Maybe the doctors are wrong. Maybe it isn't the cochlear hairs that cause it. I was wondering if it's an electrical signal that has been turned on. I wonder if electricity could be used to turn it off? Just a wild idea. There has to be a reason that it is happening. Something that caused it to happen. I know what caused mine I just don't know if the anesthetic got in my ear and permanently damaged my hearing or if it's just from the shock of the perforation of the eardrum. Between that and the tinnitus my ear is totally destroyed.

 

[mick1987]

Marie, don't know if it helps, but my dad perforated his eardrum by accidentally sticking a plastic cable tie in his ear a few years ago, he said to me he had tinnitus for a year before one morning waking up and the ringing had gone. Maybe yours will do the same?

 

[nills]

Unless you are a danger to yourself or society I think taking medications is a sign of this societies incompetence to admit that life sometimes does feel like shit ... and it`s nothing to worry about. it`s nothing against anyone when I say this ... people that can express these points of view have even more love and understanding than all the doctors in the world telling you that you should take meds bundled up together... why do you think you will go crazy Neenie? I don`t know your situation but when you are able to communicate with people I suppose your doing quit ok? When you know you take way too many meds, it`s time to slow down on them. no ?

 

[Lisa88]

@Neenie, I have read that a combination of meds can often cause tinnitus. In fact most meds have a potential side effect of tinnitus, whether ototoxic or not. If you do come off one or more of those meds, make sure you talk to a doctor about tapering very slowly, other more t sounds could be created. I have also read that those coming off benzos or anti depressents and who have t possibly caused by them can have their t subside or resolve, but it can take some time - up to 1 or 2 years in some cases. Brain/mood altering drugs are a strange thing. It could just be alterations in the brain, with no effect to the ear. I guess nobody knows. The thing I worry about is brain plasticity. How hard would it be for the brain to change back and forget the ringing in these cases?
My t was caused 4 months ago by lidocaine anesthetic applied up the nose. @Marie Blalock, couldn't get your link above to work. May I ask what anesthetic was used? I can't imagine that our anesthetic would have found it's way into the inner ear hair cells, which is protected by a shell called the cochlea.

 

[JohnK]

It would depend on the medication...that said, I have no idea what medications go on which side of the "reversible vs irreversible" spectrum.

Hoping mine(doxycycine) are closer to the former than the latter...

 

[PaulBe]

John I worked in ICU in North Queensland (Australia) for many years and Leptospirosis is endemic here. The mainstay of treatment for that is Doxy, and I never heard of anyone reporting ear related issues. That said, I didn't see most patients over the longer term, but certainly in the shorter term it never arose as an issue.

 

[JohnK]

Good to know!

I know I was under a lot of stress but the timing is just too coincidental. Started doxy on a Friday, ears ringing Monday...

 

[PaulBe]

Have you done a Net search on it? (Don't look at the drug company sites BTW, they are well versed in lying by omission)

 

[PaulBe]

AT a glance ototoxicity doesn't come up much at all with Doxy, but there seems to be an unlucky few for whom symptoms already present become exacerbated. Ototoxicity doesn't tend to make the list of recognized side effects. That doesn't mean it can't happen though. Drugs are drugs, anything is possible.

 

[JohnK]

Quite! Of course I wouldn't mind if it fell more into the category of being reversible over time...

 

[Mike TerMaaten]

Neenie
Have you ever been inside a 2012 or 2013 GMC or Chevy Truck ?

That's what gave me my T.

I'm pretty much over it now.

If you have, and suspect that may have been the cause, ....please send me a message.
I have plenty of advise, for recovery.

Looks like we have similar heritage. You look like you could be my cousin !
That same delicate blonde hair, and skin/coloring is in my family too.

I can tell you that you most likely have delicate ears. ....but now you already know that.