by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
Jeff wrote:
I have permanent, profound unilateral deafness, dizziness and tinnitus caused by an ENT doctor who had me use Tobradex drops in my ear, while assuring me they were safe, despite my questions, and kept me on them even after I developed severe vertigo, until I became deaf.
Most ENT doctors keep trying to sweep me under the rug, while denying there’s any risk to using Tobradex in the ear. I guess I’m the kind of data that doesn’t support their practices, so they’d rather deny my existence.Do you know of any other people who have experienced deafness from topical aminoglycosides? The doctors keep telling me there’s no one else like me out there, but after studying the massive research on aminoglycosides I can’t believe I’m the only victim. My sense of total isolation is as profound as my ototoxic deafness.
I hear you Jeff. And in case it is any consolation, you are definitely not alone. Somewhere between 250,000 and 1,000,000 Americans suffer from damage to their ears from aminoglycoside antibiotics each year! Add to this number, the multitudes that receive damage to their ears from taking any of the hundreds of other ototoxic drugs that their doctors prescribe for them. This is why I wrote the book Ototoxic Drugs Exposed so people could be aware of what drugs can damage their ears and take steps to prevent a similar tragedy happening to them.
Jeff continues:
I have heard there may be other people out there like me, who suffer from the long term symptoms of ototoxic poisoning, but have no one to talk to who really understands. I want to form a support group for people like me, where we can go on-line and talk to each other, listen to each other, give each other support, plus share information specific to ototoxic drugs and their side effects. It’s so incredibly lonely suffering from the effects of ototoxic deafness. I think having a place where we could communicate with each other would help us all.
I wholeheartedly agree with you Jeff. You will be pleased to know that there is indeed just such an on-line support group that was set up for this very purpose. You, and anyone else that is interested, can join this group by sending a blank email to mailto:Ototoxic-Drugs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Subscribe. (If this doesn’t work because you have AOL for example, send a blank email to Ototoxic-Drugs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, and put “Subscribe” in the subject line.)
