Antibiotic Induced Ototoxicity & Betahistine

Hi,

I took Metronidazole a week ago (200mg 3 times a day for 3 days). It has caused my existing tinnitus to get worse and has also bought about some new sounds in my ears. I'm hoping it's just a spike and will soon go down.

I was prescribed Bethistine for another problem with my ear but I'm afraid to take it if there has been ototoxic damage to my ears. Because I came across this study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25358613

The study found that Betahistine made ototoxicity worse from Amikacin (an ototoxic antibiotic).

I stopped the metronidazole 6 days ago and it has been out of my system for 4 days but I'm not sure if it stays in your ears if there was ototoxicity from it.

Has anyone got any advice?

Thanks

 

My hyperacusis is quite bad since the antibiotic. New tinnitus sounds are here as well. Will Prednisone work for ototoxicity? Or is it only for when the cochlea is inflamed from a virus or something? I asked my GP for it but she refused.

 

Anyone not going to offer any advice then?

 

Its best you talk to your doctor
Its a touchy subject, we dono why u where prescribed antibiotics in first place.
I usually tell my doctor i have t and is this medicine ototoxic or will it make it worst.
The recent gp i been going is very kind and understanding. Although he cannot help me much he does his best to help me.
Amaclin is safe. I had it few times.
Betahistine is usually prescribed for meiners and T.
To each one have their own experience and root cause for t.
My best advice is tht u find a good doctor who would listen to you.
Hopefully its just a temporary spike.
Go for walk, take food with less salt and has good anti inflammatory properties.

 

Hi nogood,

Thanks for your reply. Sorry I forgot to mention the antibiotic was for a wisdom tooth infection prescribed by my dentist. I did my research and weighed up the risks (I knew ototoxicity could be a potential side effect of the Metronidazole) but based on available evidence it seemed to be rare. Mine was a very short course and low dose so I took a risk. A risk which has not paid off.

I'm taking NAC, Vitamin A, B Complex, Magnesium, Vitamin E, Zinc, Vitamin C, Curumin Extract and even Taurine now. Maybe they have prevented it from going worse. But there hasn't been much improvement.

Do you know anything about Prednisone and if it is likely to help in cases of ototoxicity? From what I have read, it is usually prescribed for sudden hearing loss. Not sure if it will work for antibiotic induced tinnitus.

 

I've wondered about steroids for otoxic issues as well but no answers

 

Hi @CK1985

I'm in the same situation as you are after taking Metronidazole, thinking it was safe after research. It has made my tinnitus worse after 2 days and I am stopping it now.

Did your tinnitus eventually recover to previous levels after stopping it?

Thank you,
R

 

Hello ive recently been suffering with tinnitus after taking antibiotics metronidazole, and clarithromycin, for helico bacter pylori. Its been 3 weeks now and i still have it. Has this happened to anyone? And has their tinnitus subsided at all over time? Thanks

 

Antibiotics aren't kind to the ears. My T spiked from Cipro and Augmentin 6 months ago and it hasn't improved.