Tinnitus

I am on Cisplatin/Taxotere weekly and am developing tinnitus. Does anyone know of any supplements, etc. that might help against further damage to the ear cilia?

Thanks for any advice.

Dear Carolyn B,

I was on Cisplatin as part of my treatment for cervical cancer last year and my doctors stopped the chemo when I started having tinnitus. I was suppose to do 5 weekly treatments and was only able to do 3 of them. The primary reason being you could totally lose your hearing.
My cancer came back this year and we had quite a discussion before any chemo was administered. They also ordered an audiology screening before we did the chemo to have a baseline on my hearing this time. I was suppose to get 3 chemos and was only able to have 2 before the ringing in my ears and the numbness in my hands became a problem.
Let your doctor know about the hearing and see is they'll do a hearing test before giving you anymore cisplatin.
Take care and God is watching over you.

Best always,
Terry

Dear Terri,

I appreciate your information. Thanks for replying.

Did your tinnitus go away, is it stuck at the level at which it appeared, or did it worsen?

What chemo did you decide on as an alternative? I have ovarian 3C and have had 7 different chemos. What use did you make of the audiology screening in guiding your treatment?

Dear Carolyn, I was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer in May 2001. I was given 6x taxol and carboplatin. I had tinnitus before diagnogsis, but not on a regular basis. It seems to be louder when i take vitamins, for some reason. Now, it is there all the time, and I don't know if it is due to the vitamins as I take them all the time now. I have done a lot of research on this and I don't think there is anything out there. I tried Gingko Biloba, but gave it up after 6 mths. It has remained more or less the same all these years. Hope this helps. Rgds, Jo

Thanks for your reply.

Well, your supplements may have nothing to do with the tinnitus worsening. It may be some other process. I sure do wish our doctors were together with us and helping us to figure these things out! Anyway, my only thought is to ask if you investigated any of your supplements for worsening neuropathy - which can make tinnitus worse. B6 gives me "fake" Reynaud's Syndrome. Some people take relatively high doses of B6 to prevent neuropathy.

Best of luck.

Of course cold and being tired makes it worse, right?