Tinnitus and hearing loss from azithromycin

So far, I’ve been lucky enough to manage this with saline nebulizer and Aerobika twice a day and I hope that continues to be enough.

My respirologist said they could substitute with clarithromycin but my ENT disagrees because he says it’s in the same family of drugs as azithromycin.

I’ll cross that if/when I come to it and hopeful for progress on the medication being developed specifically for Mac (posted here some time ago).

He's going to see what the hearing test shows. If it shows a hearing loss he will switch meds.

No I haven't. I've read the clrithrimycin (sp) is in the same family and may also be a problem.

@kathyhg I may have written a prior post about Azythromycin and hearing loss and tinnitus. A lot of antibiotics can cause hearing loss. I do have tinnitus because of Azythromucin. I was taking doses higher than a normal dose under doctor's orders and first it caused a lot of ear pain and pressure which was likely fluid buildup in my ear. I did have a temporary total hearing loss where I heard nothing for a few hours in one ear and then the other which is when I stopped taking that medication and read the insert that described hearing loss. I had even called the doctor when I first started having ear pain and he told me to keep taking the drugs and let him know if it got worse. This is when I learned I needed to advocate for myself. When I researched online about oto-toxcicity, I found information that described damage to the hair cells that facilitate hearing from drugs or noise, and that anti-oxidants can clear the toxic drugs and help repair damage. The drugs and noise cause damage by the mechanism of oxidative stress. One of the major anti-oxidants in your body is glutathione, and the precursor to that is N-acetyl Cysteine or NAC. NAC is available as a supplement and we did have a thread about that. Too much of a good thing is too much, and I probably used too much NAC. I have read that it can reverse the protective pathways and cause more oxidative stress in an overdose. For me that was excessive thirst that I could not quench that lasted for a few days even after stopping NAC. Here is a link about hearing loss and the protective effects of NAC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2808688/ Here is a blog from a doctor who probably sells supplements, but he explains about optimizing glutathione levels through a good diet, exercise and supplements. https://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/19/glutathione-the-mother-of-all-antioxidants/

Thanks so much for the information and links to these articles. There is so much information out there and my only regret is that I never heard of Mac or any of this before I was diagnosed (I know; unrealistic to even go down that road) and so I’ve been trying to catch up ever since!

I spoke with my pulmy doctor about it and he said " Lots of people your age ( 72 ) have hearing losses. I told him about this site and that there are several people who are on the Big 3 that have developed tinnitus and he said don't be so quick to blae the medication.... lots of people your age having hearing issues. WELL,.... lol I guess he told me !!! I'm going to discuss it with my ID this week.

toni1132 Your ID doctor will most likely tell you that side effects from some of the meds will cause ear problems. It has nothing to do with your age- especially if you did not have previous ear issues. I have ear problems from Azithromycin and Arikayce, but I want the MAC gone so I will do my best to persevere! irene5

As a licensed therapeutic massage therapist, I know that one big cause of tinnitus is muscle trigger points in the jaw and temporalis muscle. You may find relief from self massage in these areas. Follow this link and the black X is the trigger point in want of relief and the red areas are the pain referral areas. Releasing trigger points can possibly relieve the problem. https://newbody-newmind.com/myofascial-pain/tinnitus-myofascial-pain/

I experienced severe tinnitus after my brain injury which cause temporary deafness in both ears. When I went back on the Big 3, it started again and got worse after 2 years to the point I was taken off all medication. I just saw a tinnitus specialist yesterday and it was fascinating to see the test results. She had concluded that it was more than likely it was the azithro that was causing the bouts of deafness and the i creasing tinnitus more so than the aftermath of the TBI. There are some interesting videos on youtube for tinnitus distraction. It doesn’t work for everyone but you can search and find a sound that works for you. I chose the crickets sound. Also, the VA has a booklet for info regarding dealing with tinnitus and it is highly respected in the ENT community. Anyway, hope this helps.

I was on the big 3 for 6 months when I woke up one morning with tinnitus. I stopped the medications the same day. It turned out that I had hearing loss as well as the tinnitus, which I didn’t realize right away. My doctor attributed it to azithromycin. That was 3 years ago and I was 63 at the time; it had nothing to do with age. The tinnitus has never gone away and hearing loss has never improved.