Valtrex and Inner Ear Ringing

Hello,

This is my first post and didn't know where to ask my question, so here it goes:

I'm 43, male, healthy (no issues, etc..).

I developed a very very faint and fairly constant ringing in my left eat about 2 weeks ago. No other symptoms, no pain, and the ringing is not really bothering me much as it's very subtle (but definitely noticeable especially in quiet environment).

So I just went to the ENT yesterday. He looked inside and saw everything looked normal. He then had me do a hearing test. It was normal, BUT he said that the left ear was slightly less effective than the right with high pitches and that it could be attributed to human error in the test. In the end, he prescribed Valtrex, an anti-viral medication.

I'm the type of person who thinks -- don't take medication unless really necessary. After reading about Valtrex (as being primarily for Herpes control) and all its side effects, I honestly feel his prescribing me Valtrex is overkill.

Has anybody heard of Valtrex as a treatment?
And if so, is it pretty heavy stuff in terms of side effects, etc..?
What is the risk if I do NOT take the Valtrex? I
f it's viral, won't it just go away in time?

Thanks,
Tim

 

Valtrex is indeed an antiviral and it certainly is a shot in the dark as far as tinnitus is concerned.
I've tried it for 10-12 days but had no effect on me, good or bad.

 

I thought they gave Valtrex for herpes not T. Lol.. this is new.

 

doctors.....tsk tsk...

 

People with meniere try sometimes antivirals for their condition.

 

Hi Tim,

I got SSHL with pneumonia and some viral infection a few months back, I literally went deaf in my left ear and then in about a week after seeing my family doctor, I saw an ENT who immediately put me on Valtrex + Prednisone. Within 3 days my hearing started to come back and other ailments I had also started to get better. I went back to see the ENT after a week and he kept me just on Prednisone for two more weeks which in that time my health completely got better and I got even more of my hearing back. A side effect my of my hearing loss how ever is constant high pitched tinnitus which I am still trying to cope with.

For me the combination of Valtrex and Prednisone worked like magic so don't worry, I don't think it an uncommon drug to get prescribed for this. I actually called my pharmacist before taking it because I Googled Valtrex and noticed it was used to treat Herpes and I thought my ENT made a mistake. Apparently not, its a pretty common thing how ever I feel like the Prednisone was the real drug that helped me, not so much the Valtrex.

Anyway, I hope this helps.
Cris

 

How do you know it was the “Prednisone” that did the trick? It sure has quite the list of side effects unfortunately.