Advice! Have to Use Neomycin Polymyxin Ear Drops

Has anyone had to use ear drops that contain neomycin since having tinnitus?

Has it had any effect on your tinnitus or hearing?

May have to use them for an external ear infection and very worried.

Using ciprodex drops or similar is out of the question as I have a severe allergy to Ciprofloxacin.

Advice is much appreciated! Would love to hear from people who have used them with no bad effects.

 

Don't think any ear drops can affect noise induced hearing loss and tinnitus.

 

Neomycin is on the
http://hlaa-sbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ototoxic_Brochure.pdf

If I remember correctly, it is one of the most ototoxic antibiotics. I wouldn't want to use it.

 

Hey thanks for the replies. I am aware of the ototoxicity of neomycin. I know it is extremely commonly prescribed in ear drop form though so I can assume the majority of people don’t get these effects? In that article you sent me it says “(Of particular interest is that topical ear drop medications containing gentamycin or neomycin do not appear to be ototoxic in humans unless the tympanic membrane (ear drum) is perforated.”
I have read of some people getting bad hearing loss and tinnitus from using these ear drops though. So I believe it is definitely possible to effect some people. I’m just looking for other members who have used this while having tinnitus and there experience with it.

 

I'd personally not worry too much about it unless you have a perforated ear drum (then the drops can make their way to the middle ear and the inner ear/cochlea). But still, if you have a choice of another effective antibiotic, then perhaps a different choice would make you feel safer.

How do you know you are allergic to it? Was it a reaction to a systemic delivery mechanism (injection, pills, etc) or a reaction to a topical application (drops/cream/etc)?
According to the scientific research I read, Ciprofloxacin ear drops were reported as a safe option to treat infections or post-op when the ear drum is perforated (such as after tympanostomy tube surgery). You can find the research data on pubmed.

Good luck!

 

Just an update for everyone. I used the neomycin ear drops in BOTH ears every 6 hours for 7 days. I did not experience any increase in my already fairly loud tinnitus

 

I had a severe reaction after only taking 2 days of oral ciprofloxacin. It caused nerve damage in my arms and legs and other nervous system effects I am still recovering from to this day.

Cipro ear drops may be a good option for some people. But I personally will never touch a fluoroquinolone antibiotic for as long as I live regardless of the route of administration. A small amount will be absorbed systemically even through topical administration and I will not risk my body reacting further.

But that’s not to scare others out of using them. I know countless people use them without these effects. That’s just my experience. And as far as tinnitus goes, it is indeed the safer option vs using the neomycin drops.

 

OK, so systemic delivery. That makes sense. I think there's a few other reports in here of problems with it when used this way. @DebInAustralia also had a bad reaction (I think she blames it for her T actually), and if I recall well, a few others on this forum also had an issue with it.
I'd also be cautious about it too if it was offered to me that way.

That reaction is understandable, but probably not rational: the mode of administration makes a big difference in possible side effects, and by choosing another antibiotic ear drop instead of Ciprodex for example, if you had a perforated ear drum, you'd be - if we believe all the scientific studies that have been published online - most likely putting your hearing at a higher risk.

BTW, this is not hypothetical for me: I've actually put Ciprodex drops in both my ear and my daughter's ears (after her tube surgery, ie when the drops had an open path through the middle ear to the cochlea), not because I liked it, but because my research showed it was the least likely to cause problems to our hearing.

Understood. I think this paragraph shows you do understand the lack of rational approach to it, but you do acknowledge it and accept that it is what it is.
Good luck!

 

I do not feel its an irrational approach at all given my circumstances and the effect it has had on my life. Im not simply being paranoid. You could use the same rationale approach to justify the the use of neomycin drops in ears even despite having tubes or perforated ear drums. These were the go to standard for otitis external for many many year and given to millions of people (perforated ear drum or not) up until only about 5 years ago when ciprodex and similar drops became available. And only a small percentage of people have ever developed hearing issues directly from that. Not to say it doesn't happen, it definitely DOES happen.

Now I definitely would not want to be pouring neomycin into my perforated ear drum. No way. But my ear drums are not perforated and given my experience with ciprofloxacin, the neomycin seemed like the better option for a short duration of therapy.

If my body didn't react the way it does to cipro I would most likely be requesting those drops based on the data related to hearing effects alone. And if I have perforated ear drum and need drops I don't know what I'm going to do, but i hope it never comes down to those circumstances

 

And also, with an intact eardrum and still there being reports of ototoxicity rarely with the use of neomycin ear drops, one can assume the only way the drug was able to reach the inner ear was through systemic absorption of the drug. So why do you say cipro would not be absorbed systemically through topical application? For the record I researched it and it can indeed be absorbed in detectable amount in the body, especially when paired with a steroid like these drops commonly are, to aid penetration. This is a very small amount in comparison to taking the drug orally or IV, but in my case one I should never risk. My doctor and ENT both agreed with me on this by the way.

 

And for the record, I am in no way giving medical advice to anyone on here. That is between you and your doctor only. I’m only here to share my positive experience with a drug that is highly feared by use with people with tinnitus, so maybe people can come on this forum without reading nothing but horror stories.