lyme in Putnam
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11561
posted
? Did 68 days rocephin had little clarity. Dr. H. Put me on 7 days gentamyacin. I'm on day 3' brain still not good. Anyone. Do gent. He suggested vancomyacin, anyone for brain vancomyacin. Clarity, confusion. Thanks.
-------------------- He took u to it, He'll you through Posts: 2837 | From NE. | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
No way I'd do gentamycin... many dangers. Sorry.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96233 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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lyme in Putnam
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posted
What's with it tutu
-------------------- He took u to it, He'll you through Posts: 2837 | From NE. | Registered: Apr 2007
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Keebler
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- Hearing damage can be a major issue. Be certain your doctor has researched this and has you on very specific measures to (try to) protect not just hearing but the entire vestibular system.
This is a very ototoxic drug. Even with some measure of support, there is no guarantee. Even gentamicin ear drops can cause deafness.
The state of your liver also makes a huge different here with your ears / balance system.
Be very careful. Take care. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- Many good search results with a search at Google for:
gentamicin, ototoxicity &
gentamicin, vestibular toxicity -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- While I know for certain that it can cause profound deafness (happened to my boss, years ago), it's the balance center that is the focus here and could cause permanent vertigo and other issues. A terrible way to have to live out a life.
And it's just not worth the risk. IMO, due to the severe liver stress for a person with lyme, I would question if any of the protective measures (such as ALA would be able to work well enough).
Gentamicin ototoxicity: a 23-year selected case series of 103 patients
Medical Journal of Australia - 2012
Excerpts:
. . . Design and setting: A retrospective case series of presentations to a balance disorders clinic between 1988 and 2010. . . .
. . . Conclusions: Gentamicin ototoxicity is vestibular, not cochlear, producing permanent loss of balance, but not of hearing.
Gentamicin can be vestibulotoxic in any dose, in any regimen, at any serum level. . . . -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- ALA is one of the more common "protectors" for ototoxic antibiotics. Google:
[Great graphic here to show what oscillopsia can look like. Oscillopsia is one aspect of gentamicin-induced vestibular toxicity, that can be permanent.]
Excerpts:
. . . When a person has bilateral vestibular damage, such as may result from Gentamicin toxicity, they may experience oscillopsia. When the head is moving, objects blur. When driving one may be unable to see signs clearly on a bumpy road. . . .
[Paraphrasing: concurs with the study from Australia above: damage can occur in any dose, in any regimen, at any serum level. No way to predict who might be most affected or at what dose.] -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- EAR PROTECTION
In light of all the focus on hearing and the vestibular system, you likely know this yet just want to be sure.
Be certain to protect your ears from sound not just during antibiotic treatment but also for many months after taking the last dose. The ears / vestibular system can be damaged at far lower decibel levels than usual during some kind of antibiotic treatments -- and for months later.
Search out the work and book of Neil G. Bauman on this. He's a top expert in this field.
Wear good fitting ear plugs when around any hair dryer . . . and either plugs &/ or dB rated muffs when around a blender, food processor, vacuum, lawn equipment, road equipment . . .
avoid open car windows when on busy streets and especially on the highway, just too loud. If no option, do not get in a vehicle unless you have ear protection.
Do not use any in-the-ear pods for music. The tiny speakers can pack a deafening punch for any ears, most especially for those who are on or recently on antibiotics.
Even on-the-ear headphones can damage. Keep it soft if you use these and don't use unless you have to, as in traffic, etc.
Avoid music with strong rhythmic beats that can literally punch the tender nerves in your ears.
Avoid events that use loud buzzers (such as sporting events), etc.
Be sure liver & kidney support is well rounded and very consistent.
Be aware that even with ear plugs or dB-rated muffs, your ears can still be damaged with sounds that may not even be loud to others during this critical time.
As long as we breathe, our noses allow sound to go in through the nasal / sinus cavity bones and can vibrate all the ear mechanisms future up the line. And all our bones conduct vibration / sound, too.
Just as an example: Don't stand around leaf blowers thinking plugs or muffs are going to protect you fully. they cannot possibly. Same with loud concerts / sporting events.
And if there is vestibular toxicity going on, ear plugs can make a person all that much more dizzy.
Take care to get good nutrition, at each meal. Just take care, okay? -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- I'm really hoping that your doctor has already discussed all this with you. (?) -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- One more thing: Do all you can to avoid an MRI. If you must (and I mean "must" as in your life depends on the information and is needed right away) . . . then
Be sure that you have both good fitting ear plugs AND a very special kind of dB-rated ear MUFFs that the MRI technicians SHOULD have on hand there. These would contain no metal.
You can buy a set for yourself but delivery would take time, of course. Then you know you'd have a pair if ever needed.
MRI's so very loud and the strong sudden vibrations can certainly send sound waves all through the bones and inner ear system.
And, FWIW, an MRI can't "see" the ear sections correctly, anyway. But I just tell you this in case you might be signing up for an MRI for any reason. Best avoided if there is another imaging method that would do just as well. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
For all of the above reasons. I hope you are OK.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96233 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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lyme in Putnam
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Thanks Keebler. A lot to know.
-------------------- He took u to it, He'll you through Posts: 2837 | From NE. | Registered: Apr 2007
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Keebler
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- Well, really, I did not want to post all that - if it's all new to you, such detail can be quite distressing, although really vital. And this just touches the surface of the matter.
I'm hoping your doctor would have informed you of the risks and also might have put into place many protective measures but then you would have been told about all this, I would assume.
Good luck.
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
I'm on IV zosyn(penicillin). It is helping my brain a lot as well as muscles and joints.
Posts: 69 | From Birmingham, AL 35242 | Registered: Sep 2008
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posted
I'd do it if i had the chance!! Hope your ok
Posts: 908 | From Albany | Registered: Nov 2008
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Keebler
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- While this thread / immediate question is nearly month old . . . really interesting detail here and also to consider if this is similar to how certain other drugs can cause damage - especially by decreasing glutathione.
Gentamicin has several ways it can damage kidneys, though.
Just stumbled upon this today while reading up on Olive Leaf Extract. Seems OLE might offer some support for kidneys when taking gentamicin. It says nothing about the ears, though.
This explains A LOT about how gentamicin can affect the body and especially damage kidneys. So, if something might help that (OLE), glad to see researchers working on that.
Inhibitory effect of olive leaf extract on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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Protective Effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. on Gentamicin-induced Oxidative Stress and Nephrotoxicity in Rats. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- lyme in Putnam,
You've not been back here since posting in this thread on 25 March.
So, did you do that week on IV Gentamicin? Hope all went well . . . is going okay. No matter what, just hope you are doing okay and hopes of better abound.
You might want to keep this thread if you consider gentamicin again in the future.
And, while it came up, it's good to have a little collection here for others who may have the same questions / concerns.
Of course, all the abstracts are more to highlight concerns and what can help. Most LLMDs and LL NDs know all this and have their own methods of protective support. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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