Has Anyone Successfully Been Prescribed Prednisone from a GP (UK) for Tinnitus?

[orbiter12]

What did you say and was it helpful?

 

[Michael Leigh]

@orbiter12 I don't think you need Prednisone and doubt your GP will prescribe it to you. It can raise blood sugar levels which isn't good but in the short term I don't think it would cause harm. However, I think you are worrying unnecessarily. You are in the very early stages of tinnitus and the last thing you want to do is start popping tablets. Take things easy and calm down. I read your concerns about the fire alarm. My advice is to try and forget it and move on.
All the best
Michael

 

[glynis]

Hi Ryan.
I am steroid dependant due to Asthma.
I have had tinnitus 12 years and never had prednisalone prescribed for it.

If you had a big acoustic shock then a short course of steroids could help.

Love glynis

 

[Paul10]

Most drugs are at least nominally available in the UK but are very, very hard to actually get prescribed (like Xanax, which I'm pretty sure it available (it's a Class C controlled substance in the UK) but I've never heard of anyone in Europe being given it). You need to talk it over your both a GP and a hearing therapist. You could mention it to an ENT but I personally find GPs and hearing therapists either more knowledgable about T or more willing to listen to your opinions. Good luck and God bless!

 

[Millicent86]

I have actually just obtained a week prescription for prednisolone from my GP (UK) having been to an extremely loud gig last weekend. I wore ear plugs as always but should have left altogether. Tinnitus spiked massively along with hyperacusis, so after explaining my distress and sleeplessness over this and the potential for corticosteroids to limit ear damage shortly after acoustic trauma, my GP agreed after some quick research. I started taking them Tues, the gig was Sat eve. I feel nauseous and manic, but am already on mirtazapine to deal with my anxiety. Also taking NAC to help inflammation. Willing to try anything as this spike is unbearable!

 

[Sam Bridge]

I have actually just obtained a week prescription for prednisolone from my GP (UK) having been to an extremely loud gig last weekend. I wore ear plugs as always but should have left altogether. Tinnitus spiked massively along with hyperacusis, so after explaining my distress and sleeplessness over this and the potential for corticosteroids to limit ear damage shortly after acoustic trauma, my GP agreed after some quick research. I started taking them Tues, the gig was Sat eve. I feel nauseous and manic, but am already on mirtazapine to deal with my anxiety. Also taking NAC to help inflammation. Willing to try anything as this spike is unbearable!

What gig was it out of interest?

 

[Bobby B]

You can buy steroids online - what I do is keep a stock at home and if I know I will be exposed to a loud event I take 60mg 12 hours before then 60 mg the following each 2 days and stop - no need to taper down for such short time

There are a few studies showing a clear healing effect but only in the very early acute stage like an hour after exposure for oral and maybe a few hours for ear direct injection

 

[orbiter12]

I have my first ENT appointment today, what can I expect?

A bit of back story. My T started 7 weeks ago after a loud club it started loud and after about 2 weeks it got so low it didn't bother me. After that the alarms went off at work and it put my t to about a 4/10 with minor H that settled after a few weeks. I then went to watch the boxing match and that loud place put my t at a 7/10 with 2 new tones - a wind like noise in my left ear that reacts to sound and a dentist drill sound in both ears. Then 2 days ago a car beeped its horn less than a meter away from me as a i was walking through a car park that has put my t at an 8/10 and made my H come back with a vengeance.

I feel like I've been very unlucky with unavoidable loud noise exposure that has bad my barely noticeable T very intrusive.

I'm going to the ENT tonight to see somebody privately (I told my parents this is a waste of time and money and they're just going to tell me to deal with it, but they insist I go and see somebody as they've seen how it's changed my mood and life as I hardly go out anymore). Even though I feel like it's a pointless trip I'm going to try and get the ENT to give me prednisone as my GPs wouldn't (I'm from the UK) as I feel the noise exposure from the car is still in the 48-72 hour range that prednisone has an efffect also I feel like it's worth a try. Please don't tell me about the side effects and that it probably won't work because in my eyes it's worth a try so.

What papers/evidence/studies or anything can I show the ENT to get prednisone as it seems all GPs, ENTs don't know a single thing about it.

Cheers.

 

[Millicent86]

I went to see Clean Cut Kid (indie rock) at the O2 Institute in Birmingham. In a small room upstairs but I think the volume levels were set for a space 20x the size. My partner has no hearing issues but could barely tolerate it either.

My GP had also not heard of using steroids for tinnitus/hearing loss, but after explaining in a relatively articulate way that I had seen evidence for it online, he did his own research, got me on the scales, and gave me a week of prednisolone at 30mg per day. I assume that he had access to some scholarly articles on his PC, and it was enough to make him agree to it. I think it really depends on the receptiveness of the practitioner, and your way of communicating. I was obviously somewhat distressed, and explained the effect it has been having on my mental health, but was still lucid enough to make a convincing case for it.

As for progress, my T calmed down somewhat after taking my dose this morning, and I'm working on distracting myself. Unavoidable noise exposure is especially frustrating (although mine was avoidable), especially when others are so oblivious to the effects it can have. However, I try to put things into perspective - I could be living/working in a warzone and have complete permanent hearing loss from a single explosion, for example. I can still listen to music, people's voices, birds etc., albeit tentatively at the moment.

One thing you could try is wearing small or half foam ear plugs (skin tone) all of the time, at least while your ears/brain settle, which I expect they will.

 

[Millicent86]

Also, haven't been to see an ENT for over 15 years, as all they did was give me a hearing test and tell me they could do nothing. But I would consider seeing one again now, with a little more information at my disposal.

 

[orbiter12]

I went to see Clean Cut Kid (indie rock) at the O2 Institute in Birmingham. In a small room upstairs but I think the volume levels were set for a space 20x the size. My partner has no hearing issues but could barely tolerate it either.

My GP had also not heard of using steroids for tinnitus/hearing loss, but after explaining in a relatively articulate way that I had seen evidence for it online, he did his own research, got me on the scales, and gave me a week of prednisolone at 30mg per day. I assume that he had access to some scholarly articles on his PC, and it was enough to make him agree to it. I think it really depends on the receptiveness of the practitioner, and your way of communicating. I was obviously somewhat distressed, and explained the effect it has been having on my mental health, but was still lucid enough to make a convincing case for it.

As for progress, my T calmed down somewhat after taking my dose this morning, and I'm working on distracting myself. Unavoidable noise exposure is especially frustrating (although mine was avoidable), especially when others are so oblivious to the effects it can have. However, I try to put things into perspective - I could be living/working in a warzone and have complete permanent hearing loss from a single explosion, for example. I can still listen to music, people's voices, birds etc., albeit tentatively at the moment.

One thing you could try is wearing small or half foam ear plugs (skin tone) all of the time, at least while your ears/brain settle, which I expect they will.

Do you have links to the articles you read I could show the ENT, i feel its worth trying. Going in 30 minutes!

 

[Millicent86]

I'm sorry I don't have any links - most of what I found was suggestions on this forum. I think my GP was able to find research but I don't know what exactly. I hope you had some luck with the ENT.

 

[Mister Muso]

Slightly old thread, but here is a link on the effectiveness of prednisone in some cases.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15632902