Expert: Eric P. Wilkinson, MD - 1/9/2008

Question
Doctor, about three months or four months ago I began experiencing a clicking or popping of the ears when swallowing,yawning or stretching, though not every time I performed these activities. At times the popping is followed by a whooshing sound lasting at most a second.
After scaring myself half to death reading tales of AVM's, intracranial pressure and other nasties I took myself off to the local ENT specialist who removed a lot of wax from my ears (including a chunk that was so big I had to take it home for my wife to see!).
However this didn't solve the problem and the doctor said that the problem was related to my eustachian tubes. He said that I may have some mucous in the inner ear or perhaps some inflammation or an allergy.
He prescribed Cravit (levofloxacin), Medrol and Xyzal to treat the problem. But when I read about the levofloxacin there was a huge amount of info on the Internet saying that many people had suffered serious problems as a result of using this drug. (Everything from tendon damage to depression and suicidal tendencies - even after using it for a short length of time).
So my questions are:
a)What is that whooshing noise I am hearing occasionally after my ears pop? If it was the sound of blood in the artery behind the ear wouldn't I hear it all the time, not just for a split second sometimes when I swallow. The doctor said that it was the whoosh of air as the pressure equalled between inside and outside the ear.
Secondly, I am really quite reluctant to take the Cravit (levofloxacin) so is there a safer alternative that would work well with the other two drugs (eg Amoxicillin)?
Thanks in advance for any advice you may be able to offer.


Answer
This sounds like Eustachian tube dysfunction, that I wouldn't treat with any medication.  It is a very common condition.  If it doesn't improve, check back with the ENT specialist.  Occasionally tubes may be placed in the eardrums to equalize the pressure in severe cases.

Hope this helps.  Good luck!