- Jan 24, 2018
- 23
- Tinnitus Since
- 09/2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- loud noise combined with ketoconazole
I'm going to have to start off my introduction with a story. I've been using Nizoral (Ketaconazole 2%) medicated shampoo as regular shampoo for about 6 years. I started using it after I read online that it could help with hair loss. I don't know if it helped or not, but in the end I figured it can't hurt and I didn't mind it, so it became my brand. I've been using it daily.
Over the past several years my hearing has become sensitive. Loud sounds and even not so loud sounds cause a painful recoil in my ear. Kids screaming, dishes clanking, that kind of stuff. When a fire engine is near I have to cover both ears or it really hurts, it just sounds way too loud. I work in light construction and I am sometimes briefly exposed to loud noises. I started noticing that brief work with a hammerdrill or grinder would cause a tinnitus flare up that lasts days or a week or more. I started wearing earplugs whenever possible and that mostly stopped the tinnitus but I would still get a faint bit of it.
Last September I needed to help a friend with a project. I spend about 5 minutes with a grinder and forgot to put the earplugs in. I've been dealing with the worst tinnitus I've had ever since. There were a few good days where it was very background and I didn't notice it, but overall it's been overbearing. I haven't been exposed to a lot of loud noises in my life, and I know a lot of people who take less care and have no problems.
This is a recent connection that I've made, I remembered reading about someone who was experimenting with different otc antifungals (could have been fluconazole or miconazole), and reported gaining tinnitus from one of them. I looked up Ketoconazole and sure enough it's listed as a potential ototoxic drug. It's in the same class as other anti-fungals that are known ototoxics. I'm not a chemist or a doctor, but this only makes sense to me. I've stopped using the shampoo and am anxiously hoping my condition will improve. I hope I haven't done too much damage, any decrease in symptoms would be welcome. At least I hope my experience might help someone else.
Over the past several years my hearing has become sensitive. Loud sounds and even not so loud sounds cause a painful recoil in my ear. Kids screaming, dishes clanking, that kind of stuff. When a fire engine is near I have to cover both ears or it really hurts, it just sounds way too loud. I work in light construction and I am sometimes briefly exposed to loud noises. I started noticing that brief work with a hammerdrill or grinder would cause a tinnitus flare up that lasts days or a week or more. I started wearing earplugs whenever possible and that mostly stopped the tinnitus but I would still get a faint bit of it.
Last September I needed to help a friend with a project. I spend about 5 minutes with a grinder and forgot to put the earplugs in. I've been dealing with the worst tinnitus I've had ever since. There were a few good days where it was very background and I didn't notice it, but overall it's been overbearing. I haven't been exposed to a lot of loud noises in my life, and I know a lot of people who take less care and have no problems.
This is a recent connection that I've made, I remembered reading about someone who was experimenting with different otc antifungals (could have been fluconazole or miconazole), and reported gaining tinnitus from one of them. I looked up Ketoconazole and sure enough it's listed as a potential ototoxic drug. It's in the same class as other anti-fungals that are known ototoxics. I'm not a chemist or a doctor, but this only makes sense to me. I've stopped using the shampoo and am anxiously hoping my condition will improve. I hope I haven't done too much damage, any decrease in symptoms would be welcome. At least I hope my experience might help someone else.