Antibiotic Ointment Mupirocin 2% in Nose — Any Adverse Effects on Tinnitus?

Hello everyone,

I have been lurking around this forum since I got tinnitus about 3 years ago (from noise and stress) but just made an account today because I would like some advice on using an antibiotic ointment in my nose.

I would to know if anyone has experience using antibiotic ointment Mupirocin 2% or any other topical antibiotics in the nose? Did you experience increase in tinnitus or adverse effect on the ears? I was instructed by my ENT to use a qtip to spread the ointment about half an inch from the base of my left nostril and not all the way in. But I am still worried about using it because the nose is connected to the ears.

An overview of my situation..
For the past two months, my left nostril has been feeling congested which is causing my eustachian tube to make this rumbling sound randomly like it’s trying to relieve pressure from the congestion. At one point, I had sinus pressure and tenderness but they went away.

About 5 weeks ago, I saw my primary care doctor and the first ENT. Primary care doctor said my left nostril is slightly swollen and red on the edge. The first ENT said nose and ear look clear and the cause is allergies and told me to do nasal rinses. I know it’s most likely NOT allergy related because all the things that I usually do to relieve my allergy symptoms (taking fish oil and vitamin C supplements, taking hot showers, using warm compress, using saline spray) aren’t working. Taking hot showers actually makes the congestion worse now.

About 3 weeks ago, I saw the second ENT. He said left nostril looks clear and doesn’t see an infection but the nasal lining is bit thin. He said it’s possible that I might’ve had an infection that cleared up before I saw him. He prescribed topical antibiotic Mupirocin 2% because I was still experiencing the left sided nasal congestion and some ear pressure. I am worried about using antibiotic ointment in my nose because the nose is connected to the ears..

Thank you for your time.

 

It being an ointment (vs drops), it would be pretty hard to travel through your ET to your middle ear. I did a quick search on systemic absorption though and it's pretty low even on broken skin. However, I wasn't able to find anything at all about mucus membrane systemic absorption or toxicology reports. It *seems* low risk but I can't find any direct info.

I wonder if you could ask a pharmacist?

 

Thank you for your reply. This is what I am hoping for. I didn’t know about mucous membrane systemic absoption, so I will ask the pharmacist and see if he/she might know. With tinnitus, I am worried about bunch of things, sigh Anyway, thanks again!