Tinnitus and Ototoxicity from Antibiotic. Please help?

Posted by tykehome @tykehome, Sep 15, 2020

I'm hoping to find others who had drug induced ototoxicity that resulted in severe Tinnitus. I think I also developed a fear of loud noises as well as certain noises causing me distress. The main issue is the Tinnitus. I was prescribed a daily dose of 6000mg Neomycin and 1500mg Flagy for GI issues by a local doctor. I experienced extreme fatigue, weakness, numbness, loss of leg coordination, leg cramps, dizziness, visual and hearing issues. I now have mild hearing loss and severe Tinnitus (ringing in ears) and was diagnosed with Neurtoxicity and Ototoxicity. The noise in my ears has caused me severe anxiety and mental distress. I try to relax and it's ALL I hear. I am not the same person I was prior. I am more irritable and highly depressed. I can't stop the noise. I was NOT educated on the risks of this drug OR that it came with a Black Box Warning. The fact sheet from the pharmacy did not include a Black Box Warning. The doctors I had to see were all shocked at the dosage of Neomycin. They were also unfamiliar with it as it's not used often .No one can help that from what I've been told. I called my Mayo GI Doctor and he said they don't even use Neomycin. The other doctors I saw referred me to Mayo for help but Mayo has told me they can't help further and I have to "live" with it. I spoke with the ENT and audiology Department at Mayo. I thought there were devices to help ease the noise or something that could help? I'm so sorry for anyone that lives with Tinnitus. I'm desperate for anyone who can help! Thank you.

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@tykehome, there is no cure for tinnitus but there are some things that can be done to help. You may want to research these websites:
American Tinnitus Association: https://www.ata.org/
British Tinnitus Association: http://www.tinnitus.org.uk
and this YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuH8CgFikmhRc2ALsI0j4uQ
Hearing aids may help just because they amplify environmental noise, which lessens the affects of the tinnitus. Most hearing aids have tinnitus masking programs (which are set up by an audiologist) but it is by no means a guarantee that it will help.
Best of luck
Tony in Michigan

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Count me in as one of those who has experienced severe OTOTOXICITY from 5 antibiotics given all at the same time to keep me from dying. I had a severe case of C.diff from a surgery that was incorrectly done by a surgeon that didn't know what she was doing. A redo was performed to correct the first but by that time I had the massive Sepsis and died in the ER with temps in the range of 105-107. They told my husband and daughter I was a goner.
They pumped antibiotics in my right and left and cleaned me up as best as they could. The surgery....hysterectomy with A&P repair. The repeat was to repair the back end because the surgeon had used sutures that disappeared in two days instead of using long term sutures. Everything fell apart. I was bleeding a few days after the first surgery and they said it was my fault. I was on antibiotics for 1/2 year after the surgery. I already had hearing loss but developed tinnitus, vertigo and hyperacusis afterwards and still have it to this day. My gut never recovered after that since the antibiotics took out my mycrobiome and I am sensitive to all foods. I could have a transplant for the gut but the doctors don't recommend it because I have allergies to a long list of foods, meds, animals and my environment. I micromanage my life just so I can live from day to day. I have learned to know what I can eat, what I can wear, what I can use to hear and use to manage my brain disorders by trial and error. That is what you all have to do in your journey in life. If you are given a whole fist full of lemons then make lemonade. I drink lemon water everyday with ginger in it for my GI track. A good trick I learned.
Don't say sorry for anything - these are our badges of honor and show we can do with what we are given. I have more stores that mirror this one because my journey reflects nine lives and right now I am on # 10.... Eloise

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@tykehome-I follow this group and only ended up in this type of community, due to medical community error.
I understand the effects that antibiotics can have on the gut and neurotransmitters that communicate the gut/brain access. I recommend starting with re-healing your gut.
And trying to detox, rid, your body of toxicity that antibiotics can cause. Break down the fancy names that medical doctors give, in order for it to make sense. “Toxicity” will then require a detox.
Put your energy into that direction, as the medical community is very frivolous with antibiotics, as well as they don’t understand the depths of how they work inside the human body. They will be of no help to you here, except tell you to take a probiotic.
For starters-keep yourself calm as extra stress will increase the ringing sound that you hear.
Work with a Natural Path/Functional Medicine doctor who’s can help you with. Or educate yourself on foods/digestive enzymes for gut repair to replenish healthy bacteria. It will take some work, but your overall health will improve. There are many good books out there that offer hope for healing, specifically to rid the body of toxins such as antibiotics. I would recommend the Liver Detox book.
Or reading what the Medical Medium has to say about how you can reverse the effects of medications on your body.
Try as hard as you can to put the control back in your hands. Part of (not all) the anxiety comes from feeling that something else has taken control over your body. That’s the first step to calming the anxiety/depression.
I also recommend a Somatic Therapist. They help many people with body sensations and trying to calm the way the body reacts to disbiosis.
Tell yourself you have control over this. I hope this helps a little.

REPLY
@nurseheadakes

Count me in as one of those who has experienced severe OTOTOXICITY from 5 antibiotics given all at the same time to keep me from dying. I had a severe case of C.diff from a surgery that was incorrectly done by a surgeon that didn't know what she was doing. A redo was performed to correct the first but by that time I had the massive Sepsis and died in the ER with temps in the range of 105-107. They told my husband and daughter I was a goner.
They pumped antibiotics in my right and left and cleaned me up as best as they could. The surgery....hysterectomy with A&P repair. The repeat was to repair the back end because the surgeon had used sutures that disappeared in two days instead of using long term sutures. Everything fell apart. I was bleeding a few days after the first surgery and they said it was my fault. I was on antibiotics for 1/2 year after the surgery. I already had hearing loss but developed tinnitus, vertigo and hyperacusis afterwards and still have it to this day. My gut never recovered after that since the antibiotics took out my mycrobiome and I am sensitive to all foods. I could have a transplant for the gut but the doctors don't recommend it because I have allergies to a long list of foods, meds, animals and my environment. I micromanage my life just so I can live from day to day. I have learned to know what I can eat, what I can wear, what I can use to hear and use to manage my brain disorders by trial and error. That is what you all have to do in your journey in life. If you are given a whole fist full of lemons then make lemonade. I drink lemon water everyday with ginger in it for my GI track. A good trick I learned.
Don't say sorry for anything - these are our badges of honor and show we can do with what we are given. I have more stores that mirror this one because my journey reflects nine lives and right now I am on # 10.... Eloise

Jump to this post

@nurseheadakes OMG! Your story leaves me speechless!

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I wholeheartedly agree. I live and breath both of these directions. It is a matter of cleaning up your liver and building up your gut that helps your entire body to survive. This is what has helps me win back my defense. I have all of their books and use them daily and diligently. That is why I am living and breathing freely - the docs are in disbelief...

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Yea - but the Good Lord was besides me...there is always a purpose for us. We are here to be of service for others. I have had other close encounters where my hearing loss almost cost me my life but that is in my next book. Right now I am busy serving others with my Clear Windowed Mask campaign here in our small hamlet.

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@tonyinmi

@tykehome, there is no cure for tinnitus but there are some things that can be done to help. You may want to research these websites:
American Tinnitus Association: https://www.ata.org/
British Tinnitus Association: http://www.tinnitus.org.uk
and this YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuH8CgFikmhRc2ALsI0j4uQ
Hearing aids may help just because they amplify environmental noise, which lessens the affects of the tinnitus. Most hearing aids have tinnitus masking programs (which are set up by an audiologist) but it is by no means a guarantee that it will help.
Best of luck
Tony in Michigan

Jump to this post

Thank you so much for the information you provided. I had looked at the American Tinnitus Association site but not sure about the other two. I will be sure to check them out. My hearing loss is mild and no hearing aid required for now. I guess there is the possibility of going deaf in the future from what I found out. I hope not but it's a "wait and see" type issue. I have checked out the masking devices and haven't decided yet what route to take. This has been going on only a couple months so I am hoping I can get a little used to it over time and it will control my mood less. Thank you again and hope you are well!

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@nurseheadakes

Count me in as one of those who has experienced severe OTOTOXICITY from 5 antibiotics given all at the same time to keep me from dying. I had a severe case of C.diff from a surgery that was incorrectly done by a surgeon that didn't know what she was doing. A redo was performed to correct the first but by that time I had the massive Sepsis and died in the ER with temps in the range of 105-107. They told my husband and daughter I was a goner.
They pumped antibiotics in my right and left and cleaned me up as best as they could. The surgery....hysterectomy with A&P repair. The repeat was to repair the back end because the surgeon had used sutures that disappeared in two days instead of using long term sutures. Everything fell apart. I was bleeding a few days after the first surgery and they said it was my fault. I was on antibiotics for 1/2 year after the surgery. I already had hearing loss but developed tinnitus, vertigo and hyperacusis afterwards and still have it to this day. My gut never recovered after that since the antibiotics took out my mycrobiome and I am sensitive to all foods. I could have a transplant for the gut but the doctors don't recommend it because I have allergies to a long list of foods, meds, animals and my environment. I micromanage my life just so I can live from day to day. I have learned to know what I can eat, what I can wear, what I can use to hear and use to manage my brain disorders by trial and error. That is what you all have to do in your journey in life. If you are given a whole fist full of lemons then make lemonade. I drink lemon water everyday with ginger in it for my GI track. A good trick I learned.
Don't say sorry for anything - these are our badges of honor and show we can do with what we are given. I have more stores that mirror this one because my journey reflects nine lives and right now I am on # 10.... Eloise

Jump to this post

I'm sorry you developed Tinnitus as well and for all the issues you had that led up to the need for antibiotics. It's unfortunate how a medication that is supposed to help you can actually harm even more. The Neomycin didn't help at all but now I have more issues as a result of taking it. Especially antiobiotics. They are prescribed haphazardly and I have asked many times if I really need them. At the same time, they are lifesavers for many issues. I have a very low tolerance to almost all medications because of a gene abnormality but when you trust your doctor, you hope they put your overall health first and if there's a Black Box Warning, you should be educated. I do take probiotics and it hasn't exactly helped but it hasn't hurt either. Just so many things could have prevented this but I will adjust in time and those who suffer can only hope for a treatment someday. For now we just help each other and offer advice. Thank you for sharing your story and hope all is well.

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@nrd1

@tykehome-I follow this group and only ended up in this type of community, due to medical community error.
I understand the effects that antibiotics can have on the gut and neurotransmitters that communicate the gut/brain access. I recommend starting with re-healing your gut.
And trying to detox, rid, your body of toxicity that antibiotics can cause. Break down the fancy names that medical doctors give, in order for it to make sense. “Toxicity” will then require a detox.
Put your energy into that direction, as the medical community is very frivolous with antibiotics, as well as they don’t understand the depths of how they work inside the human body. They will be of no help to you here, except tell you to take a probiotic.
For starters-keep yourself calm as extra stress will increase the ringing sound that you hear.
Work with a Natural Path/Functional Medicine doctor who’s can help you with. Or educate yourself on foods/digestive enzymes for gut repair to replenish healthy bacteria. It will take some work, but your overall health will improve. There are many good books out there that offer hope for healing, specifically to rid the body of toxins such as antibiotics. I would recommend the Liver Detox book.
Or reading what the Medical Medium has to say about how you can reverse the effects of medications on your body.
Try as hard as you can to put the control back in your hands. Part of (not all) the anxiety comes from feeling that something else has taken control over your body. That’s the first step to calming the anxiety/depression.
I also recommend a Somatic Therapist. They help many people with body sensations and trying to calm the way the body reacts to disbiosis.
Tell yourself you have control over this. I hope this helps a little.

Jump to this post

Thank you for your advice! My neurologist tried to do a Neomycin blood level test to see how much is still in my body but that test no longer exists due to the lack of use for this medication in the present. I will have to look into the Liver Detox protocol and see what can be done. I wish there was a clear answer on what I would need to take and if it's safe for me. I have some health issues as well as a gene abnormality that makes me react harshly to many medications, including supplements of certain kinds and forms. I will ask my doctor, who is VERY good and open minded for her thoughts. I do take a probiotic and eat greek yogurt daily. I'm pretty healthy overall except my GI Issues. I have definitely noticed the ringing is louder when under stress or anxiety. It amplifies it and it's a vicious cycle of trying to tune it out, increasing anxiety because I cant and around I go until I just break down. I like what you said about putting the control back in my hands. You're right, I feel like my control is gone and I don't have any choice. I really appreciate you offering that piece of advice. I hope this finds you well and I'm thankful you stumbled across my post!

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I have Tinnitus as a consequence of my hearing loss and I have found a surprisingly simple and quite effective relief that works for me. Soft saxophone music. I am not a sax aficionado. I discovered this accidentally when I randomly turned on so David Sanborn recordings and noticed that my Tinnitus disappeared. This may be a fluke, but it can't hurt to try. Both my audiologist and ENT found it interesting. I have wondered if it may be because of the saxophone's complex harmonics? Anyway, relaxing jazz is an effective therapy for me.

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