Introduction - Uppsala Monitoring Centre

In their study 1.6% of patients discontinued streptomycin because of
vestibular dysfunction (n = 2,660) with an overall figure of 6%.
Factors: age (> 45 years), size of the dose, duration of treatment and
purity of drug (Kalinowski et al., 1961).
2006 Side effect of Drugs
2008 Micromedex
Peripheral neuritis rarely, neuromuscular blockade with respiratory
depression, disturbance of vision, anosmia, circumoral anaesthesia,
temporary loss of concentration, drug fever, hypotension, Stevens-
Johnson syndrome, haemolytic anaemia (which is very rare),
vestibular damage in 30% of patients on 1 gm daily and highfrequency
deafness in 5–15% of patients. Exanthematous skin
reactions in about 5% of patients. Intrathecal injection has been
followed by radiculitis, myelitis and other neurological complications.
Haematological: blood coagulation, eosinophilia (common),
leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and pancytopenia.
Dermatological: urticaria, purpura, pruritus, exfoliative dermatitis,
anaphylactic reaction, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and mouth
ulcers.
Neurological: encephalopathy, arachnoiditis, peripheral neuritis,
optic nerve dysfunction, neuromuscular blockade with respiratory
paralysis and facial parathesia (common)
Ototoxicity: tinnitus, vertigo, hearing loss, dizziness, giddiness and
ataxia
Renal: nephrotoxicity
Other: fever (common)
Dose effect
3 gm - Severe perceptive deafness and vertigo
2 gm–68% had vestibular damage
1 gm–8.4 % had vestibular damage
Symptoms are unlikely to occur if the dose does not exceed 0.5 Gm
a day (Cawthorne & Ranger, 1957).