Tinnitus for 12 Days — Trying to Decide If I Should Try Oral Steroids

I started getting tinnitus 12 days ago after an MRI I had for my lower back. I was extremely stressed and anxious during the procedure and in the weeks prior. I saw an ENT 3 days later and at that point my hearing tested normal (although one ear was "borderline" for one frequency).

The ENT determined this was likely stress induced and said it would likely resolve "within a month." He mentioned the option of oral steroids but said he doesn't really like using them because of the side effects. Since I am so prone to anxiety and panic I was hesitant to do steroids as well. I'm now almost two weeks with tinnitus. I've worked very hard to calm my system from the extreme stress I was feeling. I feel less anxious and I'm not noticing the tinnitus as much during the day.

However, it's still quite bad at night and really any time I lay down. I also have some weird feelings of inflammation and/or pressure in my ear canals, especially in one ear. I know that oral steroids are a gamble and more likely to be effective if used closer to onset. So I'm back to considering this as an option.

Wondering everyone's thoughts? I guess it's unclear the actual cause of the tinnitus.

Was it an acoustic trauma from the MRI or the stress? I also have terrible allergies and had a sore throat the days before the MRI as well so inflammation could also be playing a role.

I was really hoping that deactivating my body would allow the tinnitus to settle down within a couple of weeks but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

You might look into HBOT treatments...

Check out the thread below where I summarize everything (27 tips) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past year.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

Were you in the MRI with your head?
Were you wearing hearing protection?
Are both ears affected?
What does your tinnitus sound like?
One reason for taking steroids would be: one does not have to blame oneself afterwards to have omitted it.

 

IMO take the steroids. It's early on still and you can see if inflammation itself is the cause of your T. Yes, there are side-effects to steroids but it can be managed.

 

I would try antihistamines and nasil spray and see how you go on if allergy related.
Love glynis

 

I would go down the HBOT route if I were you rather than taking steroids.

 

i'd take steroids:
- they can really help
- you won't blame yourself later for not trying as someone mentioned
- side effects from one week of steroids are minimal and gone within a day or two after (had them myself for a week and i was totally fine, it is not pleasant but nothing bad happened) - speaking only from my experiance, i know that our bodies are different but your doctor will know about your medical history etc.

for me steroids did huge difference, one ear heald almost completly and is now silent for most of the time...even when going to sleep or with earplugs, and that was not the case at all before; and the other ear is much better - so even if it does not go away right away it can reduce your t - i could not sleep before taking them and now i can without any fan or whitr noise etc.

& as glynis said - treat your allergies.. i have them bad ad well right now and got nasonex from my doctor, it helped me a lot...
my t came from being sick (flu, infection...at the same time allergies) and is 2 months old but getting better and improved a lot
i nevertheless treat it with noise reduction as well (plugs, avoiding loud places...) so my ears have some decent rest & for stress reduction i go swimming or for a walk (but swimming is really great)
i also take ginko and magnesium and all this vitamines according to what i eat (e.g. i don't eat meat so i supply b12 etc) - try to try many different things which can help with tinnitus - steroids are one of those things - and read success stories, belive it can get better, tinnitus resolves in many many cases.

 

why would anyone take HBOT? There are a ton of risks to that as well...way worse then the steroid...take the steroid....if you notice any brain fatigue or muscle tightness discontinue....slow taper recommended but if u have to quit cold turkey like i did after a day of just 4 pills when i was supposed to take 6 you should be ok....withdrawal sucks though

 

If your going to take steroids do it with only your doctors guidance.
Steroids need tapering and that goes by your dose you stared at.
Love glynis

 

If it less than week you don't need taper
Side effects are limited and quickly clear off, for me it is mostly difficulty sleeping and increased libido

For stress tinnitus you don't need those though

 

IMHO......give it time to sort itself out. Most likely you will improve without any intervention.
Just my 2 cents

 

Thanks for this thread! I’ve got my first ENT appt tomorrow (only maybe 1 week in with T that was probably brought on by TMJ). My ears are clogged and stuffy as well and I’m thinking he might suggest a round of prednisone. It’s nice to know that it helped someone.

I see people talk a lot about HBOT on here. If you live in the US it’s very expensive here. Hundreds of dollars for a session and you need several. Most insurance will not cover it for tinnitus. At least that’s what I’ve found while researching it in my area which is Arizona.

@lena_ do you know how your T was brought on?

 

probably by a virus infection. (had and have allergies at the same time as well).

 

What do you mean by that? Total bed rest?

 

By deactivating my body, I meant doing things to calm my nervous system and anxiety (e.g. meditation, massage, acupuncture, taking it easy, etc.). That was on the assumption that this was brought on by stress. It is possible that this was brought on by acoustic trauma (i.e. the MRI). I was fully in the tube. They did put headphones on me for hearing protection but I still experienced it as very loud.

I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow so I will talk to him about the steroids option.

 

Was your spike really reliably caused due to stress?

So, in the end, you took prednisolone or were treated with other means? Your tinnitus is back at the usual level?

The indications on the audiogram did not worsen?