Opioids Can oxy and other opiates really cause tinnitus and hearing loss?

[Deru]

Also, I'm prone to MRSA

My first blood infection, sepsis and endocarditis was due to MRSA. I still, to this day, have no idea how I stayed in the hospital those first 10 days on IV antibiotics while they refused to give me any opioids. I was so confused and delirious I couldn’t even rationally figure out how to call my dealer or get an Uber, I couldn’t even figure out how to charge my phone, period. I have never in my life been so violently ill. Non-stop violently vomiting to the point that I pulled the muscles in my chest and I could barely breathe from the pain, uncontrollable diarrhea all over myself without even realizing it. Extreme swings between non-stop sweat that was so pungent it made the nurses gag and being so ice cold that it felt like there was ice flowing through my bones that even 3 heating blankets couldn’t make end. No sleep for days, every millisecond hell, no escape. Not eating for days and days and then the utter hell of trying to introduce food back into my broken body.

I had two blood infections and endocarditis following this, but nothing ever came close to those first 10 days in the STAC before the IV antibiotics finally started to win the fight.

Out of everything I have battled in my life, those 10 days remain a pivotal point in my life, still unrivaled by even open heart surgeries and the ensuing damage to my body.

MRSA don’t play, that’s for sure. I literally will forever be terrified of the destruction those microscopic fuckers can wield on us.

 

[FunctionalJnkieGrl]

My first blood infection, sepsis and endocarditis was due to MRSA. I still, to this day, have no idea how I stayed in the hospital those first 10 days on IV antibiotics while they refused to give me any opioids. I was so confused and delirious I couldn’t even rationally figure out how to call my dealer or get an Uber, I couldn’t even figure out how to charge my phone, period. I have never in my life been so violently ill. Non-stop violently vomiting to the point that I pulled the muscles in my chest and I could barely breathe from the pain, uncontrollable diarrhea all over myself without even realizing it. Extreme swings between non-stop sweat that was so pungent it made the nurses gag and being so ice cold that it felt like there was ice flowing through my bones that even 3 heating blankets couldn’t make end. No sleep for days, every millisecond hell, no escape. Not eating for days and days and then the utter hell of trying to introduce food back into my broken body.

I had two blood infections and endocarditis following this, but nothing ever came close to those first 10 days in the STAC before the IV antibiotics finally started to win the fight.

Out of everything I have battled in my life, those 10 days remain a pivotal point in my life, still unrivaled by even open heart surgeries and the ensuing damage to my body.

MRSA don’t play, that’s for sure. I literally will forever be terrified of the destruction those microscopic fuckers can wield on us.

Was the worst of the symptoms caused by MRSA or opiate withdrawal due to lack of being able to score while in hospital? I'm not doubting you by any means. I know how nasty MRSA can be, but those sound a lot like withdrawal symptoms--though MRSA can lead to flu-like symptoms as well in rare cases. MRSA/staph can cause anything from boils and impetigo to flu-like symptoms and meningitis. Luckily for me my only flare-ups have been skin-related issues, but I once got it inside my nose and the same doctor who performed my septoplasty 11 years ago drained it for half the fee and sent me home with a medicated ointment. He told me I'm lucky I went to him sooner than later because if it spread higher in my nose it could have possibly infected my brain, which could be fatal. He told me that he couldn't stress enough for me to use 2 separate q-tips for each nostril so I don't reinfect myself, even though the boil was only on 1 side.

 

[Deru]

I’ve thought about that, as in the hospital I was convinced it was withdrawals and was begging for them to help with the withdrawals. But that’s what I did, every single ache or pain or sickness I just instantly attributed to withdrawals. In hindsight, I’m not so sure. I was so sick prior to the hospital, and I can’t stress how confused and just unable to process linear thoughts for basic tasks — well beyond the scope of even the worst opioid withdrawal could bring — that I hadn’t used anything in the prior almost week to going into the hospital. I had actually somehow managed to get up to go buy a half gram about 4 days prior to the hospital and spots in my vision were black, my brain wasn’t processing visual fields properly, I somehow managed to give the dealer the money and then immediately tried to open it and it just fell everywhere, I had no coordination and no ability to even process the steps necessary to try to look and find it. I was so sick I was actually falling in and out of consciousness, and I slept or blacked out for close to 72 hours and woke up and I couldn’t move my legs anymore, my chest and neck was tight, I hadn’t drank water in probably close to a week, hadn’t urinated in days, and I just realized like... this is it... I’m dieing. I texted my wife, closed my eyes and accepted the peaceful transition into death where there would be no more pain ... and, well, my wife didn’t allow that. I woke up in the hospital to suffer a hell of a lot more.

What may be more attributable to everything is the fact that I was in septic shock and my vital organs were shutting down, in combination with the fact that it was MRSA, but I just know I never experienced anything close to that misery with my two subsequent blood infections and endocarditis that were caused by different bacteria. IV antibiotics made me feel better within days and the depth of the sickness didn’t even come close.

 

[FunctionalJnkieGrl]

I’ve thought about that, as in the hospital I was convinced it was withdrawals and was begging for them to help with the withdrawals. But that’s what I did, every single ache or pain or sickness I just instantly attributed to withdrawals. In hindsight, I’m not so sure. I was so sick prior to the hospital, and I can’t stress how confused and just unable to process linear thoughts for basic tasks — well beyond the scope of even the worst opioid withdrawal could bring — that I hadn’t used anything in the prior almost week to going into the hospital. I had actually somehow managed to get up to go buy a half gram about 4 days prior to the hospital and spots in my vision were black, my brain wasn’t processing visual fields properly, I somehow managed to give the dealer the money and then immediately tried to open it and it just fell everywhere, I had no coordination and no ability to even process the steps necessary to try to look and find it. I was so sick I was actually falling in and out of consciousness, and I slept or blacked out for close to 72 hours and woke up and I couldn’t move my legs anymore, my chest and neck was tight, I hadn’t drank water in probably close to a week, hadn’t urinated in days, and I just realized like... this is it... I’m dieing. I texted my wife, closed my eyes and accepted the peaceful transition into death where there would be no more pain ... and, well, my wife didn’t allow that. I woke up in the hospital to suffer a hell of a lot more.

What may be more attributable to everything is the fact that I was in septic shock and my vital organs were shutting down, in combination with the fact that it was MRSA, but I just know I never experienced anything close to that misery with my two subsequent blood infections and endocarditis that were caused by different bacteria. IV antibiotics made me feel better within days and the depth of the sickness didn’t even come close.

I see those dark specs in my vision a lot but I've always thought it was due to my astigmatism or poor vision. On the other hand, if the last time you dosed was 4 days prior to going to the hospital and you didn't feel any withdrawal in the time between those days, then it likely wasn't withdrawal causing your symptoms. If it was, you would've more than likely felt the withdrawal much sooner after taking the last dose. That being said, it was indeed probably a horrific case of MRSA. My old dealer once told me he was bringing morphine to a customer who was in the peak of withdrawal and the guy literally craweled to him to make the transaction. That's how physically weak he was. For whatever reason your experience made me think of that. Let's just hope you don't ever have to go through with that again. Doxycycline hyclate is what I'm given for staph and MRSA 'cause I'm allergic to penicillin, amoxicillin, ceclor, and any of the "cillin" meds. It helps for the moment, but it doesn't stave off flare-ups permanently.

 

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

So opiates in itself don't directly cause deafness but opioids that contain acetaminophen like hydrocodone or oxycodone can? I guess that would mean it would be best to avoid taking anything regularly that contains it. Kinda hard to avoid when hydros and percs/oxy is all i can find though. I'd personally rather take morphine but i haven't been able to find any in over a year. :/

You can do a CWE. You probably definitely know that but we don't have the time to do it when we're sick af. Also unless it's a really good method and you know why the method works objectively I'm sure someone out there has been doing some cold water extraction for a decade and still consuming tylenol. It's *NOT their fault. There's not enough info on "how to get high off things safely" out there because we need our doctors to tell us how to get hi--medicated.

 

[Halvkalv]

It can definitively fuck with your hearing.
About 15 years ago a friend was visiting me, and he had picked up some H and took it just before we met up.
We went to my place to have a quiet evening and within 5 minutes of arriving and sitting down he was out cold.
I was with him all night checking his pulse, breathing and so on and also talked to a mate who was studying for doctor about at what point I should call an ambulance (to which it came pretty close).
When he regained consciousness (6-8 hours later or so, its a long time ago) his hearing was majorly impaired.
I had to yell at him, otherwise he would not be able to hear.
AFAIK the effects subsided in the next days.

 

[Jaredborgetti]

So opiates in itself don't directly cause deafness but opioids that contain acetaminophen like hydrocodone or oxycodone can? I guess that would mean it would be best to avoid taking anything regularly that contains it. Kinda hard to avoid when hydros and percs/oxy is all i can find though. I'd personally rather take morphine but i haven't been able to find any in over a year. :/

Paracetamol is Ototoxic at high dosages with long term use, so one theory that has been studied is that abuse of formulations that include Paracetamol is what is causing the ototoxicity and that would also explain why opioids which are often paired with Paracetamol such as Hydrocodone namely are the ones linked to ototoxicity, however this theory has not been proven either, I would suggest avoiding formulations with Acetaminophen for this and other reasons and it goes without saying but avoid overdosing as it can damage your hearing as well as other organ systems.

 

[negrogesic]

So opiates in itself don't directly cause deafness but opioids that contain acetaminophen like hydrocodone or oxycodone can? I guess that would mean it would be best to avoid taking anything regularly that contains it. Kinda hard to avoid when hydros and percs/oxy is all i can find though. I'd personally rather take morphine but i haven't been able to find any in over a year. :/

No, it appears as though opioids themselves are ototoxic. Acetaminophen is also ototoxic, so when opioids are compounded with with acetaminophen the hearing loss can be worsened.

Heroin and other opioids alone are associated with hearing loss.

 

[FunctionalJnkieGrl]

Either way, I hope its reversible.

 

[FunctionalJnkieGrl]

What!?! JK, I have abused opioids since I was in my early twenties. I was an abuser of hydrocodone all the way up to an IV heroin abuser. Then it was off to suboxone and then methadone (because I needed a full agonist pain killer). All of this time (since I was eleven) I was playing the drums. So between the hearing damage, that I know was caused by playing super loud music for most of my life, and opioid related hearing damage, I was technically deaf, what!?!

The good news is that when I finally quit opioids (around 9 years ago) I slowly regained a lot of my hearing after I discontinued methadone. So for me, the opioid related hearing loss went away slowly after a completely discontinued all opioids. I still have permanent hearing loss from playing the drums for so long (without earplugs), but the extra ringing in my ear from opioids faded slowly after I stopped them completely.

This opioid hearing loss was not permanent for me. I hear so much better now that I quit them. I still have permanent hearing damage, but I attribute that to loud music, not my 15 years of opioid abuse.

I am assuming that any hearing loss from opioid abuse will come back after a period of opioid abstention. That was my case at least.

I'm glad to hear that you regained your hearing (for the most part). That gives me some hope.

 

[negrogesic]

For the record I was on a giant methadone dose (380mg/day) and have been off it for years and my hearing is exceptional. Its too acute; as I write this I am yelling at my girlfriend to turn off her music on her phone (and it was on very low). I sleep with earplugs every night. At night the sounds of crickets pierce my skull; three houses down I can hear a neighbor's hamster running on its wheel.


I don't think it impaired my hearing much while on them, but it did impair my music appreciation abilities and it did turn the volume. I don't need to sleep with earplugs while on opioids -- I sleep like a baby.

 

[FunctionalJnkieGrl]

Yeah, I started hearing a lot better just after a month of being off opioids. I thought heightened hearing was a withdrawal symptom. I turned to drug boards like this one, and learned about hearing damage from prolonged opioid abuse. I read a bunch of papers about it that concluded that opioids cause hearing damage. None of them specifically said it was permanent, and in my case it wasn’t.

It was actually quite annoying when I was in total methadone withdrawals. While I was struggling to sleep, I heard the moths fart. I literally had to use earplugs because my hearing was coming back with a force, also my sexual drive. I was fucking miserable for month and months. Gabapentin saved my ass during this confusing time of my life.

I don’t wish opioid withdrawals on anyone, but you do get your hearing back (annoyingly in my case). Also, you will be stupid horny. As a man, I could get off without an erection. It was embarrassing to nut with a limp noodle. I did this many many times a day.

It’s really fucked up, the rebound your body endures when you have numbed all your opiate receptors and then they come back, but I am better off not being a slave to opioids anymore. It was worth the pain to get monkey off my back.

I 2nd the hornyness with withdrawal. If I go longer than usual without taking my dose, its one of the first symptoms I feel. Its probably the only pleasant side effect of withdrawal, but the intensity of it is almost too much. Like it's insatiable or something.

 

[FunctionalJnkieGrl]

For the record I was on a giant methadone dose (380mg/day) and have been off it for years and my hearing is exceptional. Its too acute; as I write this I am yelling at my girlfriend to turn off her music on her phone (and it was on very low). I sleep with earplugs every night. At night the sounds of crickets pierce my skull; three houses down I can hear a neighbor's hamster running on its wheel.


I don't think it impaired my hearing much while on them, but it did impair my music appreciation abilities and it did turn the volume. I don't need to sleep with earplugs while on opioids -- I sleep like a baby.

I noticed that after taking a large dose, my hearing is actually more sensitive as it wears off. The sunlight bothers me more too. I get those symptoms with alcohol hangovers as well, so I just assumed it was my body trying to readjust to a sober state. Funny you mentioned impaired appreciation for music, I noticed lately that I don't hear all the sounds and instruments like I use to. I have to turn the volume all the way up to really hear everything.