Hearing loss symptoms and conditions

I took levaquin for 10 days and then cipro for 10 days after being misdiagnosed with bacterial pneumonia when I really had cocci mycidioidosus (valley fever) a creepy lung infection from a fungus that lives in the dirt here in Ca . Within a few days of stoping the antibiotics I experienced severe joint pain,dizziness,swollen neck ,hives,pain and tingling in my legs and feet,taste perversion,neck pain,hallucinations,nightmares,suicidal thoughts,dead skin,head ache,conjunctivitis. All of which I thought were valley fever related . A few weeks later I started noticing loss of vision and an inability to focus or concentrate on anything. I have ruptured 5 tendons and sometimes can't lift my right arm off the table.
I'ts been a year and 3 months and I still suffer from these side effects and about 3 months ago I started to notice some hearing loss and then ringing in my ears so load that it wakes me up!

This drug has ruined my life.I have lost 2 profitable businesses,a house a car .a commercial building, my credit score is 309 from 760 a year ago.All from a stupid antibiotic that should not be sold in the first place unless you are going to die if you don't take it.....personally I would rather be dead I think.

I think that we (the 1000's of people effected by this drug) should protest,march at ORTHO McNEIL's doorstep and perhaps the FDA....write a letter ,call or write to OPRA...do something ...It's not right that they get away with selling this crap.

Please email me ...I see 1000's of you on these sites...lets get busy!

******

Thanks for reading

I have been on Prednisone 40mg x 5 days and am now reducing to 30mg x 5 days followed by a 10mg reduction q 5 days until I am off the med. I have read your blogs and my heart goes out to you all.

Has anyone lost their sense of taste? I can only taste salty things, but just the salt only. I have the nausea, stomach pains, depression, mood swings, inability to focus and a tremendous amount of 'floaters' in my eyes. In general, I am extremely drug sensitive, but the Prednisone has brought me to a place I don't want to be.

I welcome your input on the sense of taste issue. Thanks in advance for your comments.

Daughter received last injection in 2007. In 2008 had severe abdominal symptoms and dx'd with acid reflux and prescribed Prevacid. Has tried to wean off it but debilitating symptoms persist. Endoscopy and stomach bx do not show H.Pylori. Cause unknown.
Now experiencing tinnitus and 50% hearing loss. Vey fast onset,sudden and unexpected. With current auto-immune disorders related to Gardasil am wondering if anyone else is experiencing ringing in the ears and hearing loss. She certainly had the stomach symptoms many pts experienced. I wonder if this drug is causing these young girls own bodies to attack otherwise healthy cells. I did not want my daughter to get the shot but her doctor and college were promoting it and she was over 18.

My 90 year old, very mentally sound, grandmother was admitted to the hospital 2 days ago after complaining of severe pain in her back. While in the emergency room, after being diagnosed with a pinched nerve, her blood pressure rose and the staff doctor decided to admit her and put her on this horrible drug! He started her out with 100mg 2 times a day. My grandmother went from her usual calm perfectly sane self to a combative, babbling, lunatic within 6 hours of her first dose! It scared my aunt so bad that she started calling everyone to come say goodbye while there was still a chance that grandma would recognize us! I just knew that there was no way my completely lucid grandmother could go into dementia overnight so I told her to find out if the doctors had administered a new medication since they admitted her. They had and it was toprol XL. The stupid doctor tried to tell us that her behavior was related to a very low dose of prednisone that she taking for 2 years. We immediately demanded that the toprol be stopped and within 8 hours she started to return to us. She had spastic tremors, severe dementia, hallucinations, shallow breathing, agitation(went from laughing to combative in the space of 10 minutes!), dehydration, very frequent urination, extreme mood swings, brain fog/confusion, eyesight and hearing loss, her tongue swelled up, and her eyes were rolling back. It has been 36 hours since her last 100 mg dose and she is still fading in and out. We pulled her out of the hospital and brought her home today where the side effects have decreased but continue none the less. Since 11 this morning she has had bouts of not recognizing her own home and asking us to do things like take things out of the oven that she said she put in it, which of course she had not. I am praying to God that this medicine does not leave permanent damage. My grandmother is an unusual case for mental soundness at her age and it would be so unfair for that to be stolen away from her because of some stupid medicine that she was not only forced to take but over dosed with as well! DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICINE WITHOUT RESEARCHING IT THOROUGHLY!

My doctor prescribed Singulair for my allergies and asthma last month. Immediately I began to have headaches from it - not terrible, but just there. After about 3 weeks on it, I began to have ringing in the ears also. Again, not bad, but just there. I decided to stop the Singulair (even though it was the first thing that really worked for me) on a Thursday night and the next morning I woke up with a horrible really loud noise in my left ear like a piece of heavy equipment and dizziness! I went to urgent care that Sunday and they put me on a round of prednisone - didn't work at all. I went back to my allergy doctor and she is VERY concerned, as I have "significant hearing loss" in my left ear. She referred me to a different doctor where I have to go today for a procedure to have my eardrum slit open and steroids injected behind it. I am beyond upset. This is ridiculous!

SO SORRY TO SEE SO MANY NEW PEOPLE ON THIS FORUM. PLEASE SEND IN A MEDWATCH REPORT BY GOING TO WWW.FDA.GOV. EVEN THE PERSON THAT THINKS SHE'S BEING HELPED BY THIS NEEDS TO DO THE SAME. PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR DR. AND BE VERY VERY CAREFUL. THIS STUFF DOES DAMAGE EVEN WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH IT,
I HAVE BEEN SUFFERING FOR 4 YEARS NOW. I'VE HAD HEART PROBLEMS, DEPERSONALIZATION, TENDON PROBLEMS, TINNITUS 24/7, HEARING LOSS. MY LIFE WAS RUINED BY THIS POISON. THERE ARE SAFER ANTIBIOTICS AVAILABLE. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO TAKE A CHANCE WITH KNOWN POISON LIKE THIS???
GO TO****** AND YOU CAN GET SOME HELP THERE.

The reason is when you stop taking the Lipitor, and your symptoms don't go away is this: Lipitor cause hearing loss, which is what causes the Tinnitus! I have been having severe tinnitus for months now, seen all kinds of Dr.s who didn't have a clue. And I finally went to the House Ear Clinic, and they told me what it was, but they didn't know how I got it. I got Tinnitus a few months after my Dr. upped my dose. It's taken me this long to put the puzzle together. The Physician's Desk Reference lists hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness as side effects of Lipitor. I am appalled that not one Dr. asked me what kind of medication I was taking!

I have been taking BP med's for may years now, and too have been ordered by my Dr's. to change from time to time. After many years on the same drug, I was ordered by my Dr. to change to Zestril, 20mg daily. I had absolutely no problems with that drug at all, but after only about 3 years was forced to change because of insurance company ignorance. I was then placed on Lisinopril 20mg, and within only a few months I've begun to lose my hearing in my right ear. I have a constant hissing/ringing in my right ear, and have been tested for hearing and told I have a 90% hearing loss in that ear. After reading some of the postings here, and elsewhere, I have found that Tinnitus is a definite side effect. Not only upset about all this, but angry that I didn't investigate earlier. Please be careful with med's people. Please pay attention to any and all side effects...

Thank You

No hearing loss in family history. Doctor put my father on 80 mg Lipitor, 1-1/2 years latter he started having trouble hearing. I was taking 40 mg Lipitor after 2 years my left ear went bad, 9 months latter my right ear went bad the same exact way. The ears went bad with a tinny sound to all when the hearing came back the 3 kHz area was very low. I have just put this together the recently. This is not a coincidence, I am sure Lipitor caused this. I also think this caused me to go through Hell from hard bump break outs on my body, had me spend thousands hunting for a parasite that was not there. It was not a rash, small bumps with a hard center.

I am a 49 year old female I took Cymbalta for 3 days and on the 4th morning I woke up with severe blurred vision and roaring in my ears that was April 26,2008. My ears are still ringing. I clenched my teeth so hard in my sleep I traumatized one of my upper molars which resulted in a root canal and crown. I have been to a ENT to have my ears checked, he said I had minimal hearing loss and gave me lipo flavonoid to take for the ringing. I just went to a neurologist today who is requesting an MRI on my brain to rule out a tumor. I don't know if this is a coincidence or not ,I know the clenching caused the damage to my tooth. The neurologist said ringing in the ears is not a side effect of Cymbalta. My life has been a nightmare since I took it.

i was prescribed cipro on may 9th, 2008. It is now September 27th 2008. i have not had a really good day between these dates. have been hospitalized. lost lots of body fluids. pain, weakness, depression, emotional problems,no appetite, no energy, agitated constantly, lost 15 lbs.,so far. have seen specialists because i have diminished eye sight and hearing loss. no patience with family. i haven't moved my bowels on my own since first dose. have to take laxatives every week to empty my bowels. i live with full body pain and stiffness every single day, all day. lost interest in my life. i am forgetting the happy, active strong, energetic positive 48 yr old woman I used to be. i know it's the cipro that's killing me. i think my dr. believes me. the other dr.s think i should either that's where I discovered what was hurting me so badly]. I looked up cipro on the computer after i saw a warning about taking cipro and found the truth of why i was so sick. accidentally found out. no symptoms, no pain. Most doctors don't want to believe me. I've told several drs., nurses, and anybody who would listen. I'd tell you more but I can't remember right now. cipro stole my memory too. May God be with us. Betty M.

Adderall has been an excellent drug for the treatment of ADD. It took me from a lethargic, disorganized adult, to a more productive one who finally could finish her work and leave her desk organized at the end of the day. Unfortunately...
...there are many side effects to this drug which has, reluctantly forced me to quit taking it. The weight loss was a welcome side-effect as was getting rid of the lethargy I have experienced on a daily basis since the age of 11 (anti-depressants did nothing). However, my infrequent migraines became daily and excruciating after starting Adderall and its generics. My insurance could not keep up with the coverage of the migraine meds I needed. I began experiencing ear problems (primarily in my left ear) that felt like I constantly had the pressure associated with a cold. After visiting my doctor (who told me nothing was wrong), an ENT doctor, getting a hearing test, and an MRI of my ear canals and Eustachian tubes, I finally found out it was due to the Adderall. The worst side effects, however, was a gradual increase in dermatitis (dry, itchy, scaly, skin). My complexion looked sallow and my back and neck broke out in horrible cyst-like acne (not typical AT ALL for me). My eyes became so dry (not to mention the cotton mouth), that I began trying to reverse this effect with pills from a Lasik eye center (helped, but didn't solve the problem). Perhaps the worst side effect, however, has been the hair loss. Long, beautiful blond hair, has been replaced by very thinning hair (comes out tons at a time in my shower), which is now brittle and breaks all the time. I have finally decided to quit this medication despite its benefits. I only took 15mg 2/day. Once my body recovers, I hope to take on an as-needed basis for important work projects or hectic weeks where productivity is necessary. Other than that, I won't take it any more. The side effects are too severe, even for me.

MY HUSBAND HAD A HORRIBLE REACTION TO AVELOX AFTER TAKING 4 DAYS OUT OF TEN, HE CALLED THE DR. COMPLAINING OF MUSCLE/TENDON STIFFNESS AND PAIN. THE DR. DIDN'T SEEM TO CONCERNED SO HE TOOK IT FOR 3 MORE DAYS AND STOPPED AFTER DOING SOME RESEACH ON-LINE. (THANK YOU MEDICATIONS.COM OR HE MY HAVE TAKING THE FULL TEN DAYS.) NOT ONLY DID HE HAVE THE MUSCLE PAIN, HE ALSO SUFFERED FROM, HALLUCINATIONS, EXTREME MOOD SWINGS, WEAKNESS, TEMPORARY HEARING LOSS, LOSS OF APPETITE,(LOST OVER 20 LBS.), CONFUSION, PARANIOA, EYES WERE DISTANT(ZOMBIE LIKE). I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO DIE! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY HE WAS PRESCRIBED AVELOX, HE HADN'T EVEN BEEN ON AN ANTIBIOTIC IN OVER 15 YEARS. HE DIDN'T NEED ANYTHING THAT STRONG, AS HE 'S BEEN A HEALTHY 58 YEAR OLD MAN. I TRULY HOPE IT HASN'T CAUSED ANY LONG TERM EFFECTS SUCH AS LIVER DAMAGE. IT'S ONLY BEEN A MONTH AND A HALF SO TIME WILL TELL. BOTTOM LINE NEVER TAKE AVELOX. 08/16/2008

My husband was hospitalized with pneumonia on July 14, 2008. He was given Avelox via IV in the hospital and a 7 day pill prescription when he came home. Even in the hospital, he complained of muscle aches, but no one keyed on the antibiotic as an issue. When his breathing was better, he assumed he should try to do physical activity...but when he tried to play some golf one day, and do a little deck staining another, he payed for it with severe joint pains...even then, no doctor said anything about the antibiotic. He has lost over 25 lbs since this began, and has lost absolutely all muscle tone in his body..

He's stopped trying to do anything, but the last month has been terrible for him...every joint in his body hurts--he can hardly walk, there were days he couldn't lift a fork to his mouth with one hand... I brought him back into urgent care on Aug. 9th...that doctor was the first to mention that it could be a side effect of the Avelox he had taken 3 weeks before...

Since then, we have been to his primary care doctor, who doesn't think "the Avelox has anything to do with it. Now that I've googled it and seen the new FDA warning, I can't understand any way it wouldn't be at least part of the problem!

He's been give Vicodin for the pain, and they're running more tests, but I intend to go into the doctor with every thing I've seen on this..I don't have a problem with them using this medication for his pneumonia, but am so frustrated that they didn't tell warn us of this side effect--especially when he's tried to tell them what he's feeling.... I just think he would have been so much better by now if they would have switched him off of the drug as soon as he noticed the pain..

I'm 46, female.. developed blood clots on my lungs for apparently no reason, found them when going to ER and complaining of bad headache, nausea and left shoulder and back pain. I haven't had a recent surgery, nor was on birth control.

I'm dealing with anxiety, depression, unusual headache, horrible back and upper shoulder pain, itching of head, hair falling out during shampooing, , tightness in chest, trouble swallowing, really bad pain in hips, legs and feel like feet swell. I don't sleep well, even on Ambien.. doesn't keep me asleep. I awake in the mornings around 4:30 with diarrhea, nausea, headache and feel awful. Never get a good nights sleep. My hips hurt as well as dealing with parathesias down right arm and into hand.. feels like needles sticking in my hand. Most days I feel wiped out in the afternoon.. as I try and drag myself out of bed to get some excersise.

Does anyone deal with parathesia's down their arms or hands.. what feels like nerve pain?

Has anyone ever tried Aggrenox, also known as Dipyridamole instead?

Or actually tried the real Coumadin, instead of the generic Warfarin?

Has any other woman out there been told not to use a tampon when on her cycle, as this will cause more menstrual bleeding?

I'm so tired of Dr.'s not having personal experience of their own with this drug.. and telling the patient that they are crazy and need to be on anxiety meds or anti-depressants. I just found out that Warfarin is the main ingredient in RAT POISON..

Has anyone EVER gone the totally nutrition route, juiced and gone radical, telling their Dr.'s that they were getting off of all meds?

Does anyone suffer from feeling like their ears are full, or hearing loss?

I'm so tired of feeling afraid.. and tossed around by Dr.'s who really don't want to do the research, nor listen to their patients.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has some insight..on any or all of the questions..

We are looking for people who can participate in a documentary film to be shot in Los Angeles which focuses on the apparent adverse effects of Levaquin. Specifically, we are looking for people who have experienced cartilage damage or burst and ruptured tendons as a result of using Levaquin. It is especially useful if you have a doctor's opinion that the damage was caused by Levaquin. If you or someone you know would be interested in taking part in this film which will shoot in Los Angeles in mid-June 2008 please email us at ******

I have been on Wellbutrin for a couple of years & it has been a life saver. But it is very possible my hair loss is due to it. I have always had a full head of hair & no hair loss in my family at all. I'm also experiencing hearing loss but don't know if this is due to the Wellbutrin as my Father & sister have had hearing loss. My doctor intends to lower my dosage next month & I am going to ask him if air loss is a side effect.

Hi
I had a blood clot in my l. leg. I had an angioplasty and was put on 4mg of Warfrin daily.
Since I started on Warfrin I have developed a hearing loss and a rather severe feeling of soreness when I rise from a chair. I really feel like I can't make it thru another few months.
Maybe the warfrin is not the problem. I have heard of no other warfrin users getting hearing loss.
Love to hear your Warfrin experiences
Ernie M.
Canberra, Australia

Hello everyone, I have talked with ortho-mcneil many, many times. They wanted me to send them some information from my doctors and so I did. They sent me a letter that said I never had a reaction to Levaquin. My problems must have been caused by something else. This is why!!! No doctor would say that anything I had (hearing loss, tinnitus, brain fog, tendinitis, psychotic episodes etc, etc,) was from the Levaquin. If you can get a doctor to say definitely that Levaquin caused your problem, you might get compensated for something. Personally, after dealing with them, I wouldn't trust them at all. Just like my doctors. They will not admit to anything. They have interests involving the pharmaceutical companies; ( trips, gifts, luncheons, supples, lots and lots of samples and who knows what else.)
Don't be too willing to send them anything until you get something on paper from your doctor. Helen

Right after I started taking Lisinopri in May 2007, I had a major flare-up of my Psoriasis. I have had Psoriasis for over 35 years and it was only in certain areas, now it has completely spread over my entire body. I also have constant ringing in my ears, never thinking it could be related to the Lisinopril. Sometimes it works to lower my blood pressure and other times it seems not to help. Occasionally I experience dizziness. These are all symtoms I never had before, I am not overweight and do not smoke. I had been healthy except for borderline hypertension prior to taking Lisinopril. I am not taking any other medications. My dermatologist is pressuring me to start Raptiva and I have agreed, not realizing that maybe just stopping the Lisinopril might ease the symptoms of my psoriasis. I just started researching Lisinopril in the last few days when someone I work with casually mentioned that there may be a link between Lisinopril and Psoriasis flare-ups.

I would like to share this information with everyone. First, I would like to caution all that it does not prove anything regarding the negative side effect of Singulair but it does suggest that there might (only might) be a physiological cause for any side effect that could be attributed to brain function.

A Chinese team has been studying the receptor (Cysteinyl leukotrienes receptor 1) that is targeted by Singulair and is responsible for the method of action that makes Singulair successful. Here is one of their studies.

1: Neurosci Lett. 2004 Jun 17;363(3):247-51. Links
Expression of cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 in human traumatic brain injury and brain tumors.Zhang WP, Hu H, Zhang L, Ding W, Yao HT, Chen KD, Sheng WW, Chen Z, Wei EQ.
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 353, Yan An Road, Hangzhou 310031, PR China.

Cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are potent proinflammatory mediators. CysLT receptor 1 (CysLT(1)) is one of the two CysLT receptors that has been cloned. Although the expression of CysLT(1) in the brain has been demonstrated by Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses, the location of CysLT(1) in the brain remains unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the distribution of CysLT(1) by immunohistochemical analysis in human brains with traumatic injury or tumors. CysLT(1) was expressed intensely in the microvascular endothelial cells in both normal and abnormal conditions. At 8 days after traumatic injury, microvascular regeneration was found and all of the endothelial cells highly expressed CysLT(1). In gray and white matters of the normal regions of the brain, CysLT(1) was expressed weekly or not at all. However, the CysLT(1) expression increased in the neuron- and glial-appearing cells in gray and white matters after traumatic brain injury. CysLT(1) was also detected in astrocytoma, ganglioglioma and metastatic adenocarcinoma, and the expression in the neuron- and glial-appearing cells around brain tumors increased robustly.

PMID: 15182953

Here is the relevant part of the study.

"Although the expression of CysLT(1) in the brain has been demonstrated by Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses, the location of CysLT(1) in the brain remains unknown."

That sentence says that these scientists believe that CysLT1 exists in the brain but they don't know what the location in the brain is.

It is logical to assume that if a receptor exists in any part of the body that it has a function in other words it does something or tells some other part of the body to do something. So we don't know what part of the brain or what the receptor does in the brain or what the effect on the body is if the receptor does not do it's job.

We do know that Singular (montelukast, Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 antagonist) blocks this particular receptor so if the receptor exists in the brain that it COULD BE POSSIBLE that Singular prevents this receptor in the brain from doing it's job whatever that is.

I know that it is difficult to argue with doctors. This drug has been around a long time. It would be difficult to understand why we are just learning about problems after so long a period of time. I can see from all of these responses that these problems are very real. Of course, we have no idea if Singulair is related or not. But if you need something supportive to show that it is not impossible for them to be related even though there is no proof that they are related, you could print this out and discuss it with your doctor.

This isn't proof of anything but at least it might be a clue.

My deepest, most heartfelt sympathy for all the horrific losses and suffering.
I wrote earlier, but I am so traumatized by all this... I can't write long now. Besides all the rest of the torture we've all endured, please let me know and do reply if tinnitus and/or hearing loss has been a major problem. Perfect a year and a half ago, I just had my hearing tested and have so hearing loss in my left ear only. Right ear is still perfect. Funny too... my newly developed tinnitus is also in my left ear only.
I am 50 with a bunch of problems from a head injury of 22 years ago and just within the last few year correctly diagnosed. My life is already destroyed, but about a year ago... it all started getting worse. Now, almost completely unable to function, I am trying to nail if the cause is the Singulair I stopped couple of nights ago and started maybe 2 years ago.
I need to determine (because they can find no cause) for the recent onset of the hearing loss and tinnitus... which someone described perfectly as a hissing sound, like someone is letting the air out of my head.
So please let me know if tinnitus and or a hearing loss seems a result of this miserable drug for you too... Thank you...
losthope18

I've been having ringing in my ears (tinnitus) which started at about the same time I started taking Lisinopril. Has anyone else experienced this side effect?

I started on Lisinopril/hctz 10/12.5 mg ten days ago and within four days I had a severe hearing loss in my left ear. I thought it was plugged with wax, but when examined they found nothing. After being referred to a ENT specialist they found nerve damage to the ear and are unsure if I will regain my hearing or not. They are trying to treat the hearing loss with steroids but are unsure if it is reversible. Both the ENT and the internist did not think there was a connection with the Lisinopril. I think there is. I am a healthy 47 year old who has never had a health issuer before ten days ago.

I would love to hear from anyone else with this problem. We need a definitive link to this drug for hearing loss.

I HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS DUE TO A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, HOWEVER MY PROBLEMS ARE MUCH WORSE. I ALSO HAVE NEW PROBLEMS LIKE A HEART MURMUR; HEARING LOSS; TINNITUS... ALL NEW & WITHIN THE LAST YEAR OR SO... I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG I'VE BEEN TAKING SINULAIR... MAYBE 2 YEARS? SO I STOPPED LAST NIGHT. HOW LONG BEFORE SYMPTOMS STOP IF THEY ARE GOING TO DO SO!!!???