Hello.
I was experiencing some sort of inexplicable irritation in my left ear, and my ENT prescribed Cortisporin OTIC suspension. He said that there was no visible infection. Further, the tympanic membrane looked normal.
I used the usual 1-week regimen of Cortisporin OTIC suspension drops, placing 4 drops in my left ear 3 times daily. My ear became very itchy. About 2 days after I finished the regimen, something swelled up inside my ear. My tinnitus became very loud.
Unable to reach my ENT, I stopped by urgent care, and the physician mentioned that my ear looked like it was infected. She also told me that I may be allergic to neomycin. The infection appeared to be the kind of infection that arises from swimming a lot, but I haven't swum in almost 20 years! The ear was quite watery. Anyhow, she gave me some Vosol to put in my ear. I placed about 4 drops and took an aspirin. The swelling subsided, but the ringing persisted. Whenever I talk, I aggravate the ringing in my left ear. In other words, I hear an odd buzz whenever I talk.
Then, when I got a chance to see the ENT, he told me that I had a piece of dead skin on my tympanic membrane. He mentioned that it sheds itself during infection. Oddly, I didn't begin with an infection.
My ear just didn't feel right, so I visited urgent care again. The physician on call looked at my ear and mentioned that the ear appears to have endured repeated infections. Such a situation didn't appear when I first went to see the ENT. Her words were that my tympanic membrane in my left ear didn't "glisten" like the tympanic membrane in my right ear.
Anyhow, my question is the following. Could the neomycin in the ear drops have caused such terrible side-effects? Also, how long will they require to disappear so that things return to normal. The prounounced ringing and the odd buzz during talking are really bugging the hell out of me.
Thanks.
Reply: ----------------------------
It would appear that the original problem was some type of external otitis or outer ear inflammation - this can be caused by superficial infection or inflammation of the skin in the ear canal caused by prolonged moisture (hence the colloquial term "swimmer's ear", even though the source of moisture may be nothing more than sweat or the shower) - in theory the moisture removes the wax which provides a protective barrier for the skin thereby allowing inflammation to set in. This may be further aggravated by overly meticulous cleansing of the ear canal such as with the habitual use of Q-tips. The acute treatment of this condition is often with the use of topical steroid or antibiotic-steroid solutions or suspensions such as the Cortisporin drops. The irritation you experienced with the Cortisporin is potentially consistent with an allergic reaction to the neomycin in Cortisporin. The symptoms you are experiencing now certainly could be caused by a pseudomembrane adherent to the surface of the ear drum created by dead and desquamated skin of the ear drum which has occured as a result of the outer ear inflammation and/or the presumed allergic reaction. While this may be a nuisance, it does not generally represent a serious problem. Resolution can usually occur with the use of topical steroid solution such as Synalar drops used once or twice a day over 7-10 days. Occasionally it is necessary to debride (remove) the pseudomembrane under the microscope.
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Steve Dankle, MD
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Milwaukee, Wis
NOTICE: OFCN is not engaged in the rendering of professional medical services. The information contained on this system or any other OFCN system should not supplant individual professional consultation. It is offered exclusively as a community education service. Advice on individual problems must be obtained directly from a professional.
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