Hum in Ear Only One Day After Taking Cefalexin (Keflex)

So back in November I was given Cefalexin (Keflex), an antibiotic, because my doctors were (wrongfully) under the assumption that I had a bacterial infection in my sinuses.

Turns out I had a fungal infection in my sinuses. This was causing a hissing/electricity noise in my ear and the ENT said that was because the Eustachian tube is extremely swollen but will, with time, go down. I stopped eating gluten permanently which has massively helped my overall health.

Antibiotics (of any kind) can make fungal infections 10x worse. And that's exactly what happened.

I took 3 tablets of Keflex as suggested by my GP and went to bed. The next morning I woke up with a consistent hum noise in my left ear and extreme congestion and swelling in my nose and sinuses. The congestion has gone but 4 months later, the low hum which sounds like it's coming from the back of my ear canal / my cheek near my nose, is still there.

I went on a long course of antifungals which helped clear up the candida infection.

However, I still have swelling in my sinuses and throat. And still have the hiss and the hum. When I put my hand over my ears or my finger in my ear, the hum gets slightly quieter but then comes back when I remove my hand.

I've never had tinnitus before when I've had a cold and the flu. I've never had noise damage of any kind. I've been checked by an audiologist who said I have good hearing. I was told that a lot of the time the "hum" comes from sinus inflammation and will eventually go on its own when things calm down.

Is it possible that an antibiotic could give you permanent tinnitus that fast (literally overnight)? Has anyone else experienced this and can offer advice or support?

 

Just a quick bit of background - I've had tinnitus for over 15 years but it was moderate with no hearing loss. In February 2022, I had a sudden worsening for no reason that ENT can pinpoint & I've ended up with musical tinnitus, severe hissing & engine noise tinnitus, & hyperacusis but still no hearing loss.

In the second half of last year I had to take two courses of Cefalexin in a month for a skin infection. Originally tried penicillin-based antibiotic but that wasn't working so switched to Cefalexin. After taking for about 36 hours I immediately noticed a marked increase in the hissing/engine noise tinnitus - went back to GP but they wouldn't switch me to a third antibiotic so I had to 'white-knuckle' it through the week & then ended up needing a second week's course.

Now, my hissing & engine noise tinnitus has calmed a little but it is worse than it was, unfortunately I can't say it was caused 100% by the antibiotics as I also had a CT scan around the same time which caused another worsening of the tinnitus. Stress & anxiety can also make it seem worse.

Everyone reacts differently to meds, but I find that antibiotics & anti-depressants affect the noise level of my tinnitus very quickly, so it may be that you are sensitive to this also. However, you say in your post that you still have inflammation/swelling in your sinuses & throat, so there is a good chance that once this resolves that you may find your tinnitus either lowers or disappears altogether over time.

 

Hey, thanks for responding. But I had no tinnitus before the sinus infection, and no humming before the Cefalexin. It quite literally overnight caused the humming in my ear 4 months ago and it's still there. Just a constant hmmmm sound. It's really beginning to bother me. I don't have any ringing, just a low hum noise. From what I've read from several people who experienced this, as well as my friends, the infamous "hum" comes from swelling right in the back of the sinuses.

But yes, I am taking antihistamines for the swelling and in the last 24 hours the pain has subsided in my nose and sinuses. I had a throbbing pain in the back of my left nostril (same side as the humming and hissing) which has now passed with anti-fungals.

So I'm praying that I'm near the end of this journey. It's been over a year now all from smoking a bit of cannabis with friends in November 2021.

 

I've taken an antidepressant for 3.5 months. It has aggravated my tinnitus.

Do you think stopping taking the antidepressant could still resolve the worsening?

 

We're talking about antibiotics, not antidepressants.

 

Hi @Sugarpuddle.

I understand that your experience was different from mine in the fact that you didn't have tinnitus before, I just wanted to be clear what my experience of taking Cefalexin was. I can't definitively say it was the antibiotic but there was a quick jump in the level of tinnitus (comparable maybe with your experience of it starting after taking it). Other people have no reactions to taking Cefalexin at all - I think it's really dependent on each individual if they are sensitive to it. I have taken other antibiotics before & not had any negative reaction at all.

Anyway, I hope that things continue to improve for you.

 

I really couldn't say @TLion.

If you are currently taking an antidepressant, I wouldn't change anything without speaking to your doctor. It's a conversation you need to have with a medical professional.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

You might have a very mild tinnitus, and all the inflammation on the sinuses and Eustachian tubes can make you hear it stronger.

Best thing is to have a complete audiogram, checking the high frequencies as ototoxicity usually affects high frequencies, and also have an Eustachian tube test.

Look for a good otologist that understands the ear and tinnitus well.

Best wishes.

 

@AvidReader mentioned antidepressants too.

 

Nope. I've never had tinnitus before. I used to be able to hear pure silence and a pin drop from a mile away. All this buzzing, humming and hissing is ever since the sinus infection hit.

 

Hi @Sugarpuddle, have you done the complete set of ear tests? It would be wise for you to do a high frequency (extended) audiogram, tympanometry and Eustachian tube test, as well as maybe OAE. Let me know your results!

Best wishes. Maybe you don't have inner ear damage and that would be great news. Sometimes middle ear and Eustachian tube problems can increase previous tinnitus levels that you were not even aware of.

 

Hi. I’ve seen one of your earlier posts where you thought that your Eustachian tubes were causing your noise. Do you still think that is the cause? I had an airplane barotrauma like I believe you did. I’m still struggling with weird noises in my left ear over 90% of the time. Thanks for any reply.