Dr. Nagler,
About a month ago, I had a headache that I assumed came from a slight hangover. However, as the day went on, the headache started getting really bad, so much to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore. It felt like my brain was being squeezed. For a normal headache, I would generally take one Aleve. That day, I took two. The headache cleared up in no time, but I started hearing a slight metallic echo in my left ear. For the first couple of days, I blew it off. However, when it didn't subside, I went to see an ENT who gave me a hearing test and told me I had lost some hearing in my left ear. She thought the headache I had was a sign of a viral sinus infection and put me on prednisone to see if things improved. We also scheduled an MRI. 2 weeks later, the prednisone didn't change anything and the MRI didn't show anything of concern. She examined my ear again and said it looked perfect. Her only thoughts at that point were to put me back on steroids and also start me on an antibiotic since she said there was a possibility of a bacterial sinus infection in my inner ear that she couldn't see. I asked if my condition could be some kind of Eustachian tube dysfunction since my ear felt like it wouldn't open all the way open and she said that my hearing test didn't show any problems with the Eustachian tube. I could pop my ears, but it felt like something I had to continuously do with my left ear...like there was always a built up pressure inside. Also, when I hold my phone up to my left ear, people sound distorted...almost robotic.
The antibiotic she prescribed me to take was azithromycin. A quick look at the side effects showed me that hearing loss was a possible side effect and the last thing I wanted to do was make matters worse. Feels like I only have one good ear let and I don't want to risk further complications due to a medication that I might not even need. I called and asked if there was a non-ototoxic antibiotic that she could prescribe and she called back with a prescription for amoxil. However, looking it up, I found that amoxil was short for amoxicillin and, as a child, I had an allergy to V-Cillin, which may mean I'm allergic to penicillin based medications.
So, all that is to say, I'd like to know if a) there's a particular non-ototoxic antibiotic that you would recommend, and b) if you have any ideas as to what my issue may be. Thanks for any help you can give.
Danny
About a month ago, I had a headache that I assumed came from a slight hangover. However, as the day went on, the headache started getting really bad, so much to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore. It felt like my brain was being squeezed. For a normal headache, I would generally take one Aleve. That day, I took two. The headache cleared up in no time, but I started hearing a slight metallic echo in my left ear. For the first couple of days, I blew it off. However, when it didn't subside, I went to see an ENT who gave me a hearing test and told me I had lost some hearing in my left ear. She thought the headache I had was a sign of a viral sinus infection and put me on prednisone to see if things improved. We also scheduled an MRI. 2 weeks later, the prednisone didn't change anything and the MRI didn't show anything of concern. She examined my ear again and said it looked perfect. Her only thoughts at that point were to put me back on steroids and also start me on an antibiotic since she said there was a possibility of a bacterial sinus infection in my inner ear that she couldn't see. I asked if my condition could be some kind of Eustachian tube dysfunction since my ear felt like it wouldn't open all the way open and she said that my hearing test didn't show any problems with the Eustachian tube. I could pop my ears, but it felt like something I had to continuously do with my left ear...like there was always a built up pressure inside. Also, when I hold my phone up to my left ear, people sound distorted...almost robotic.
The antibiotic she prescribed me to take was azithromycin. A quick look at the side effects showed me that hearing loss was a possible side effect and the last thing I wanted to do was make matters worse. Feels like I only have one good ear let and I don't want to risk further complications due to a medication that I might not even need. I called and asked if there was a non-ototoxic antibiotic that she could prescribe and she called back with a prescription for amoxil. However, looking it up, I found that amoxil was short for amoxicillin and, as a child, I had an allergy to V-Cillin, which may mean I'm allergic to penicillin based medications.
So, all that is to say, I'd like to know if a) there's a particular non-ototoxic antibiotic that you would recommend, and b) if you have any ideas as to what my issue may be. Thanks for any help you can give.
Danny
Category: Questions and Answers