Steroids: Prednisone / Dexamethasone / Others (Oral and Injections)

http://www.exodontia.info/files/JOMS_2013._Sudden_Hearing_Loss_After_Dental_Treatment.pdf
"Treatment included intravenous prednisolone, intratympanic dexamethasone, and
oral betahistine and trimetazidine. The patient had improved hearing and resolution of tinnitus."

 

Hi everyone - first post. I developed tinnitus and hyperacusis, 11 days ago. This was after taking Neomycin for 5 days (and immediately stopping it once I noticed the ringing). That will be the last time I ever take a drug prescribed to me without first doing research, but the damage is done...now what do I do?

Finally saw an ENT last Thursday...he said he can give me oral Prednisone, but held off prescribing because at that point, I was too scared to take anymore medication! Now that I have found this forum, I want to ask if this is my best option to try and tame this beast? Especially since I'll still be 12 days post-onset by tomorrow?

I'm just very, very scared to make my T & H worse. Please help.

 

First of all, check out
http://hlaa-sbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ototoxic_Brochure.pdf
for a list of drugs to stay away from.

I don't know much about the treatment of drug-induced tinnitus. I believe I read somewhere that a lot of the time T eventually goes away after the ototoxic drug is discontinued. One thing you could try are those steroid ear injections.

You can try researching this on scholar.google.com
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?...n+patients&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5&as_ylo=2013

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?...eomycin+patients&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5&as_ylo=2013

 

Hi friends,
I developed Tinnitus on my R ear since Feb 2017. It's a hissing sound. I don't know where it came from. Audiology test showed mild hearing loss. 20 db loss on R ear, 10 db on L ear. But only right ear has tinnitus. I have seen 5 ENTs. This week I saw a new doctor. He didn't even look my ear. He said single ear tinnitus always come from viral attack. He wants to do an intratympanic injection with dexamethasone. I am worried side effects or my tinnitus/hearing may get worse after intratympanic injection. What is your opinion? Thank you for your helps! Bing from Arizona

 

It seems too little, too late. You have T for more than 3 months and it is unlikely that dexamethasone will do anything. Unilateral T is very common, and it can be result of many problems. If your audiogram is asymmetric that can be a very possible explanation. Also remember that common audiograms go only to 8KHz, and one can have more damage above that frequency that can result on ugly T. Hissing usually indicates a broadband damage. Do you know the rough frequency of your hissing?

 

What if a high-pitch turn gradually (over a period of many months) turns into hissing?
And what about hissing reverting to a high-pitch tone after a second acoustic trauma? What would these two scenarios indicate?

 

Tonal T is the most common T sound regardless the type of damage. Is your audiogram any different after the second trauma? Are the tone now and the hissing before at about the same frequency?

 

I don't know the frequency of your hissing? should I cancel the injection?

 

I haven't done an audiogram. My T began on the evening of the day when I did a hearing test, so I will probably stay away from another one.

The hissing + tone used to change frequency all of the time. Now the most of the time the frequency is higher than it used to be before...

 

@Bill Bauer whats the difference between audiogram and hearing test?

 

I use these two words interchangeably.

 

I've had a spike since last Saturday and some muffled on my right ear. Would it be wise to try out prednisone? I already have T since I was 13, just been gradually getting worse. My spike was due to a loud music in the car and bar music.

My T just recently got louder since 7 days ago. Would this be wise to try it out and see if it settles my T back to the normal levels?

 

A hearing test, tests your hearing and the chart that the hearing test produces is the audiogram.

 

I'm on Predinisone now, I finnaly spoke to a family doctor about what happened to me 7 days ago. He put me on low 20mg for 5 days and a refill if he thinks I need it later. He said I still had time maybe it can go back to baseline or even lower.

Has anyone taken NAC or magnisium along side with prednisone?

I really hope this works.

 

Has anyone experienced a loud Hum when in a quiet room after taking prednisone?

I'm thinking the prednisone made my Tinnitus worse. I stopped taking it last night was my final dose. I've been on it for 6 days, just came back from a long road trip when I'm in a quiet room I don't hear my regular T but now a loud hum???

Could the road noise cause my loud Hum? I kept on checking the db meter and it was around 79 and below. I usually get this after a long flight but after yesterday's trip I'm freaking out now...

How long does the prednisone last in the body once you stop taking it. I heard it can take up to a week.

 

Prednisone does not make tinnitus worse, or is ototoxic. It can increase your anxiety and adrenaline levels though which is likely why your Tinnitus has been acerbated.

 

This link shows prednisone on the list of otoxic drugs.

http://hlaa-sbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ototoxic_Brochure.pdf

 

I am not sure where this brochure is getting that information. I looked up FDA side effect reports for predisone and "pounding in the ears" is listed, so I am guessing that is where their info comes from. Quite likely because predisone can increase adrenaline and anxiety levels. This would be a temporary side effect.

 

I'm wondering why the doctor didn't taper me off slowly... I was on for 20mg for 6 days and yesterday I stopped. He told me to only go for 5 to 6 max. I kinda stopped cold turkey but that's what the doctor told me it would be ok.

I do feel like my anxiety levels are high and more stressed since I been on the prednisone.

 

I think sometimes they do not taper for shorterm doses. I took predisone for more than two weeks, and I both tapered on and off.

And I agree, my anxiety went through the roof! I couldn't sleep. It was awful. My doctors warned me that would likely happen, but it was still stressful.

 

I also read that it could take up to a week or up to a month, depending on the person for the actual drug to completely flush out the system. is this true?

 

Yes! I was told by multiple ENTs and my general doctor that oral steroids can take at least a month to completely flush out -- which means they can also continue to work during that time. I had some bloodwork two weeks after and the numbers were off, waited until six weeks after the steroid and everything was normal again.

 

T

Thanks for that. I'm planning to go see my GP and get all my blood work done as well. So I'll let him know that.

 

@Applejuice The otorhinolaryngologist told me the window was 3 months from the moment you get it. I'm going to the pharmacy right now. She said it's a numbers game, 1 out of 3 or 4 get results. I was hesitant to take it for a week, but I guess times runs out and I'm afraid of missing the deadline if that was my best shot I had, even if it meant no guarantee.

I'll start taking it today or first thing in the morning and I will post daily updates.

I'm still new to the forum, been only two days on it, but I will try to create a new thread and document day by day, if it can prove worthy to anyone, I'll share my findings.

 

@JurgenG I just got back from the pharmacy, box in hand, and I feel the same doubts, but I already paid for them.

 

From what I've learned, the most dangerous effects are if you take them longer than 10 days.
But for short periods they are pretty safe, do check with your GP, and read the included information.

 

@ChristopherD its worth a shot to be honest.

I recently took a 6 days 20mg and 7th day 10mg course of prednisone and to be honest it didn't do much for me at all. My reason for me taking it was that I went out one night almost a month ago and came back home with a stronger T. Stupid me I forgot to wear hearing protection but didn't think it was loud at time. Before all this time I was perfectly habituated for almost three years and didn't even notice my T in a quiet room. I was eating what I wanted and drinking what I wanted without any significant changes to my tone of my T to be honest. That how good I had it.

Just to let you know though, your anxiety and adrenaline may go through the roof and you might feel a lot of head pressure(yours maybe different). Your T may increase a bit from what I've been reading. Mine unfortunately has not gone down I stopped taking predinsone yesterday, and it might take up to a week for the steroid to leave the body. I now have low hum in addition to what I have. I'm praying I go back to what I was before....

 

@EatMoTacos I don't believe in God, but I will also pray at night in my own way for your low hum to return to normal. I feel you man. Sorry to hear this.

 

Has anyone taken prednisone back to back with the break in between let's say 5 day break and started again on another pack?

 

for what it's worth my ENT said the prednisone is not really helpful for noise induced hearing loss but might help with sudden hearing loss, in any case he gave me an emergency two week prescription if something were to happen.