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Hearing loss hypothesis related to legal opiate use (not recreative)

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Yeah, for all my friends in there they know my story. For others I will be very brief. 2 years ago, I had a bass loss in my left ear. Steroids, somehow rebuilt at a level better than before. 1 year ago, big loss in bass and middle up to 1Khz in the right ear. Same pattern as in the left ear only way worse. Did steroids. I had some improvement then went down hard. I decided to go with Betahistine and Vinpocetine just for moral support, I guess. The doctors said is SSHL, I had some doubts though. With some friends in this forum, other studies i realized is more an atypical Meniere since I don’t have dizziness or other equilibrium problem. Just a pressure and a lack of bass. Why I say this because after 8 months or, so my hearing was almost ok in the right ear, but with some diplacusis dysharmonica and some hard drop below 63hz (frequencies not measured in ). At 40Hz was … almost nonexistent. Keep in mind I have a degenerative spine condition and I went for Tramadol. 200mg RX pills. Once a day! It worked for some time but to be able to walk I had days dropping much more! At one point I noticed my hearing dulling, but I was like: yeah, might be anything but after the effects of Tramadol went away, my hearing was back. Somehow recently though, I had to take like 3 in a day and when I went in bed, I was scared because my bass went away again in my left ear (the good ear). Of course, bounced back in 3-4 days but somehow a pattern was emerging. I knew was ototoxic, but the same guys said is pretty rare and more specific to stronger opiates and dah dah… Well after this event I kept taking it like normal and my hearing in the right ear dropped again like 1 year ago! Same curve in audiogram! I was profoundly desperate. I can’t take it anymore. Got back on steroids I have recovered a few here and there like 10dB on the whole band. Not much but the pressure in the ear went away partially. I started researching more about opiates (because to be fair I was thinking Tramadol is not like Fentanyl or Heroin) and I found plenty of evidence that made me believe this was the Tramadol hand. I got over the withdrawal of Tramadol so I’m on the good way. One thing in clear, I will rather be in a wheelchair than losing my hearing. I’m a huge music lover, and apart for that is not about the music or deafness as is for the blasting tinnitus. So long story short, be aware! There are plenty of cases like mine. I f. up my inner ear with Tramadol. Now what I hope is if I leave my body free of this poison, I could give my right inner ear a chance to recover. It works in two bad ways: it may lead to hypoxia of the cells, and they die in the inner ear, and is affecting the fluid pressure in the inner ear showing patterns like cochlear hydrops. I read I might need between to 3 to 6 months to see if any chance is there. I quit salt for good, keep on my old Betahistine and Vinpocetine to regulate the pressure a little bit and maybe I’m lucky. This is my safest bet right now as I’ve clearly connected the dosage of the tramadol with my hearing. Not too sure how I will dull my back pain yet, but one thing is clear: no more opiates for this guy in here. Be aware! There are things out there not well known. While not presented as Gentamicin or other things that make you go deaf like officially, opiates are also a big hearing killer. This is what I think right now. I had perfect hearing before that; I worked with music. I had perfect pitch.. no history in the family with hearing problems. So… one thing seems clear.

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@samyaza said:

Tramadol. 200mg RX pills.

Okay. I admit. I didn’t read your ENTIRE post clear to the end cuz my mind shrieked: THAT’S the problem - Tramadol.

LISTEN to your body! Do NOT (ever!) listen to what docs spout about any medication they prescribe for you. Is there any other way to treat your degenerative spine condition? Physical therapy, exercise, or something that doesn’t require a nerve-damaging drug?

When I was 14, I was on Coricidin to clear up an ear infection. That simple, drug gave me 24x7 tinnitus I’ve had ever since. I wish I’d known better as a kid, but there you are. And BTW, my own cinderblock hearing which will NEVER ever be restored to anything near normal as your’s may be, is independent of any drug. That’s purely genetic. But the tinnitus? It was the drug.

Please keep us posted if you have any change in your condition, and if I may be so bold: please post in smaller paragraphs, cuz my ol’ eyes and lazy brain struggle to read so much dense text at once.

ALL THE BEST to you!

EDIT: Gimme your . Please? I’ll swap ya! :wink:

Yeah I got ya. I have sight problems also. Is just a lot to say to make others aware the right way! I can’t write just 3 phrases. Sorry. I feel sorry for what happened to you and yes, I will keep you all up to date. Don’t know about that specific drug you took but… I found out about mine the hard way. Is nothing i can do. Is degenerative. My discs in the spine went flat.

A famous radio talking head, or infamous depending on your pov, by the name of Rush Limbaugh, lost much of his hearing after long term use of pain killers. Some of it came back, but he had to wear powerful hearing aids until his death.

Ewww, that’s pretty bad news. Yeah, I know it can be irreversible. I read also about a girl 20 years old getting hearing aids because heroin use (with whatever they cut it nowadays). I was wondering how much heroin/cuts you can do till 20. I want to keep optimistic. The you see in my profile was the last “good” one after the recover a few months ago. True never had back those under 63Hz, and the 40hz were like dead, and stable dead but my bet is on a cochlear pressure and less on hearing damage at cellular level. I was way way worse, and at one point it returned. Now thinking back in that period, I reduced my Tramadol intake by skipping here and there, who knows? I try to keep my view on it positive because, believe me, I can’t take it anymore.

@samyaza said:

I reduced my Tramadol intake by skipping here and there, who knows? I try to keep my view on it positive because, believe me, I can’t take it anymore.

That is your WISE body talkin’ to ya. You have (IMHO) an outstanding that I’d love to have. Take care of it.

@portage said:

Rush Limbaugh

Yeah that’s the old one, before the second drop. Now is low.. like 125Hz 50dB, 250Hz 45dB, 500Hz 55dB, 1Khz 50dB… bass loss is terrible and hard to correct with hearing aids (which I can’t afford anyway). I took a look at your . Pretty steep! Is the classic pattern of hearing loss due loud sound damage or aging. Hope your hearing aids work for you if you use them.

@samyaza said:

I took a look at your audiogram. Pretty steep! Is the classic pattern of hearing loss due loud sound damage or aging. Hope your hearing aids work for you if you use them.

Holmes! You’re on the right track with my abysmal . It’s partly genetics (deafness in both mom and dad’s side), YES to the LOUD noise (thanks to Sir Elton John and The Who, circa my early 20s) and finally … I DONE GOT OLD. I’m 70 now, and annoyed to see that in the past decade, that hearing loss slippage continues year after year unrelentingly. :unamused_face:

45 here buddy and counting. Hell, not bad taste in music at all! I’m sorry to hear that… I really feel for you. I wish you way more years ahead and strong as an ox!

LOL! I’m at least strong as a bleedin’ OX. I thank my dear personal trainer for that. :flexed_biceps: Three times a week, rain or shine, I’m takin’ a KNEE and raising all manner of IRON at the gym for an hour.

Yeah, no amount of physical fitness is gonna bring back a shred of hearing. I’ll just have to BITE first before I hear the BARK.

@Raudrive I didn’t know that Limbaugh had a cochlear implant. I do remember having listened to him after a year or two of not hearing his voice. I did not recognize it was Limbaugh, his voice had changed that much.

There are other causes of secondary endolymphatic hydrops. I suppose if it happens again when you’ve been off the Tramadol for a while it might suggest something else.

For degenerative back issues, I’ve known some people to have good luck gabapentin. And with quite strict weight loss.

Dear Neville, you don’t understand the extent of my use, nor my quantity. I read that the maximum dose allowed is 400mg/day for the non-RX version. I had days dropping 10x200mg RX tablets a day because I was working standing (going from client to client to fix their equipment) with 1 bag of tools and an old heavy laptop, 10 hours straight. I read is near death-respiratory doze threshold, but I didn’t know. The doctor presented this pill as an alternative to “strong stuff”. I told you how I reached this conclusion. 2 years ago, happened in the left ear (where i now I have a 5dB over what’s considered normal hearing, which I never had and I’m proud, but the bass is a little bit overwhelming). Recently (I don’t remember the timeline maybe few weeks) I had to drop like 4x200mg RX that day and I notice my hearing in the left ear (the one good) going down as hell, same patter, bass up to 1 Khz. What are the odds right? I never touched then Tramadol and for 3-4 days I called sick told them I have flue, but I wasn’t able nor to hear well or to walk because of the pain. The left ear little by little turned back but the right one: was same..stable. I was feeling like a little loss but not much. Then in a few days, a week or so then dropped again! As one year ago! Same pattern. That’s huge! Moral went down. Took Medrol the second day (I might miss a lot of things but not connections in the pharmacy world), and here I am. I’m not saying there is no celluar damage in there, but variations from

125 45
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On 28 January 2026 when I noticed my hearing in the right ear (the bad one we are talking here now) it popped quite a lot! We are talking about recovery about 40dB in 1Khz only. This I doubt is your classical SSHL. One thing I know for sure SSHL doesn’t bounce back. And keep in mind this all happened while taking Tramadol but somehow skipping days. Somehow, I had a suspicion in my mind, it was feeling a little of so I decided to take big doses, but when I couldn’t stand it anymore. You see in my case 200mg Tramadol as pain killer is nothing. I was preferring to make a pause of 3 days, limping at work, then do a big day with 3 pills let’s say and be numbed. All this time I was under Betahistine and Vinponcentie. 2 months ago, just to cut on costs of medication (because in here 10 USD equivalent matters!) I quit taking both Betahistine and Vinponcetine. So, I guess my battered ear got suffocated little by little by the little help she had. From my “genius medical” mind, I’m quite sure Tramadol was the cause, I’m sure I might have some permanent damage, but on the other hand there is inflammatory, endolymph problems in there. Tramadol affects the inner ear in two ways: 1. Lack of oxigen - celular death (partial in my case most likely), 2. It brakes equilibrium in the inner ear mechanisms to regulate endolymph pressure. My main focus in on this now.
Off of Tramadol I never was in like over 5 years. I was off in the sense I burned in my 30 pills prescribed quantity in a weak then going cold turkey and skipping work. My ear never had the chance to regulate itself. Add to this another bad thing for my depression as Coaxil (which emulates opiates and is not good for the inner ear), Clonazepam, Alprazolam, smoking a fat one once in a while just to kill the thoughts and then I’m a vaper. I vape nicotine. So all you “don’t do it!” when is about such conditions. Is a miracle it healed a lot even under those circumstances. What was different this time I quit my regular treatment with Betahistine and Vinponcetine and it went down again. This is my theory for now. Sure, is hard to say. I would love to have a look at the smallest part of my inner ear artery but as you might now that’s not possible. At the apex is so thin, not even 2 blood cells can enter one next another, but one after another. We don’t have tech at this resolution as human race. The strongest machine let’s say has a resolution about 1 mm or so. My focus is in giving up some medications out of my life and yes, I use Gabapentin for same time as Tramadol. They were prescribed together because Gabapentin didn’t work. I try to take it one step at the time. Quitting benzos is not easy, I will rater quit opiates. Believe me is way easier and I’m talking from experience. One week and you are off of them. Not with benzos. And I don’t know is the best idea since I suffer from depression and anxiety disorder since highschooler. Now I’m 45.. soooooo yeaaaaah.

Update guys: my hearing is better.. I had a few days with 1 khz up to normal levels.. Tramadol is out for good.

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