Prescribed Azithromycin for Whooping Cough: Will It Make My Tinnitus Worse?

[shrimp]

I have been coughing nonstop for the past two weeks, and my husband has been the same. We both have symptoms that doctors believe are typical of whooping cough, especially the characteristic sound. We have been tested, but the results take several days to come back. Two different specialists are quite confident this is what we have, especially since there has been a minor outbreak in our area recently.

We were prescribed Azithromycin, and now I am unsure what to do. I have avoided all fluoroquinolones for nine years since developing tinnitus and have always managed to get prescribed less ototoxic antibiotics during that time. Now, I am terrified to take these pills. On the other hand, I am really sick with this relentless cough. I cannot speak an entire sentence, and I can only sleep in 10-minute increments because of severe coughing attacks.

COVID-19 had a terrible impact on my tinnitus, causing a significant spike a couple of years ago. It pushed me into a very dark place for months until it eventually calmed down a little, and I started to habituate to my new baseline. I am deeply afraid of going back to that state again.

 

[Eloy79]

I took Azithromycin for pneumonia. Don't be afraid, my tinnitus didn't get worse. I'm sharing this because they also combined it with another antibiotic due to the severity of my situation. Both antibiotics were administered intravenously for several days.

 

[annV]

I did okay with Azithromycin.

 

[shrimp]

Thanks for the reassuring responses, @annV and @Eloy79.

I decided to start taking Azithromycin since my test came back positive for whooping cough today. I'm hopeful it will go smoothly. I'll keep you updated!

 

[shrimp]

I just wanted to provide an update in case anyone searches for the effects of Azithromycin on tinnitus in the future.

I completed the five-day course, and it had zero effect on my tinnitus—not even a slight increase.