Intratympanic Dexamethasone Injections Greatly Helped My Tinnitus

[CrazyBison]

My hearing appeared to improve 2 months post IT injection. Who knows if it's causal!

Following up on John's reply, how many injections did you have? And how long after your hearing loss did you start injections?

 

[blamingeverything]

Following up on John's reply, how many injections did you have? And how long after your hearing loss did you start injections?

Just one and it was about 7 weeks after tinnitus started. I think my hearing loss pre existed tinnitus.

 

[Cory_]

How do I convince an ENT to do this for me?

 

[blamingeverything]

How do I convince an ENT to do this for me?

I'm not sure how common it is for ENTs to perform this procedure, you might need to get with an otologist. I did. Some might be more willing than others. Intratympanic Dexamethasone is referred to as salvage therapy following an oral steroid course. You might find an otologist who will do it as first line but I suspect this is quite uncommon and outside standards of care (which classifies it as salvage).

 

[Travis Henry]

The Efficacy of Intratympanic Steroid Injection in Tinnitus Cases Unresponsive to Medical Treatment

The duration of tinnitus in the study group ranged from 12 to 120 months with a mean duration of 35.28±22.67 months. Patients in the control group had tinnitus for a mean of 36.87±21.38 months (range 12–96 months).

...in our patient group, we found a significant reduction in tinnitus at the fourth week and the sixth month. In contrast to our study, in the aforementioned studies, the patients were evaluated at second and fourth weeks. Our follow-up period was longer, and at fourth and sixth months, a significant reduction was detected, which might be due to the late effect of the intratympanic treatment. Another mechanism at work may be the steroid-induced increase in the blood flow to the inner ear. Additionally, the injection protocols and drugs and drug concentrations in the previous studies and in our study were not standard. This could be another reason for the conflicting results.

The results of this study show that intratympanic dexamethasone was effective in the treatment of subjective tinnitus. Intratympanic treatment was demonstrated to improve tinnitus scores in the study group.​

Efficacy of pharmacologic treatment in tinnitus patients without specific or treatable origin: A network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

According to the SUCRA, intra-tympanic dexamethasone injection plus oral melatonin was associated with the highest response rate, followed by oral melatonin plus sulodexide and oral melatonin alone (Suppl. B, eTable 4B).
...
Another important finding of the current NMA was the significantly higher response rate of intra-tympanic dexamethasone injection plus oral melatonin than the placebo/waiting-list group. Melatonin has both dopaminergic antagonist effects [50] and anti-oxidant effects [51].
...
​

Anyone gotten the shots several months after the damage was done and yet had tinnitus lowered?

I am on death row with tinnitus since my worsening on April 26th and I desperately need stability.

 

[RadioKid722]

Anyone gotten the shots several months after the damage was done and yet had tinnitus lowered?

@Travis Henry, I had my shots 2.5 months after onset. Oral steroids did nothing for me, so I didn't think injections would either. But after the 3rd one it got much better.

 

[CRGC]

I just got my first Intratympanic Dexamethasone to hopefully treat my SSHL and new hyperacusis since oral Prednisone didn't seem to affect the frequency with the biggest hearing loss. The doctors believe my hyperacusis is a result of the SSHL. So kind of a last resort to hopefully improve the remainder of my hearing loss and possibly reverse my hyperacusis.

Day after the shot, I have 2 new tones of tinnitus... so hopefully it's all just part of the recover period.

Did the injections help with your hearing loss / hyperacusis? And did the new tones subside?

 

[Heikai]

So apparently Intratympanic Dexamethasone Injections are a very good treatment for acute tinnitus and hearing loss? My tinnitus got worse about 6 weeks ago due to noise exposure/damage. Is this something that's worth a try if I can get it? I'm having an audiogram soon. Do I need to lie to get the injections?

It's frustrating because the usual answer when someone gets tinnitus is that nothing can be done. But actually there seems to be some credible treatments if you research enough online. I'm tired and feeling the window of opportunity closing.

 

[ErikaS]

I'm not sure how common it is for ENTs to perform this procedure, you might need to get with an otologist. I did. Some might be more willing than others. Intratympanic Dexamethasone is referred to as salvage therapy following an oral steroid course. You might find an otologist who will do it as first line but I suspect this is quite uncommon and outside standards of care (which classifies it as salvage).

Hey @blamingeverything, just curious if you continued to see an improvement with your tinnitus after it going down 3 months post the intratympanic Dexamethasone shots?

I am considering getting them for my acute reactive tinnitus. However, 3 months after my onset is about as early as I could get them. I only found an ENT recently through ENT Allergy to offer to do it for me.

 

[blamingeverything]

Hey @blamingeverything, just curious if you continued to see an improvement with your tinnitus after it going down 3 months post the intratympanic Dexamethasone shots?

I am considering getting them for my acute reactive tinnitus. However, 3 months after my onset is about as early as I could get them. I only found an ENT recently through ENT Allergy to offer to do it for me.

Hi Erika - I can't honestly give you an accurate recount of progress at this point. It has gotten better but still very much with me. It's worth a shot imo (my risk tolerance).

Lately I've found THC edibles at low doses to be really effective in reducing the volume, I urge anyone to try it out. I'm not the only one that it helps.

 

[cyberspace]

I'm not sure how common it is for ENTs to perform this procedure, you might need to get with an otologist. I did. Some might be more willing than others. Intratympanic Dexamethasone is referred to as salvage therapy following an oral steroid course. You might find an otologist who will do it as first line but I suspect this is quite uncommon and outside standards of care (which classifies it as salvage).

Could you refer me somewhere I can get intratympanic Dexamethasone done?

 

[Blackbird1016]

I'm not sure how common it is for ENTs to perform this procedure, you might need to get with an otologist. I did. Some might be more willing than others. Intratympanic Dexamethasone is referred to as salvage therapy following an oral steroid course. You might find an otologist who will do it as first line but I suspect this is quite uncommon and outside standards of care (which classifies it as salvage).

What does the classification of salvage mean?

 

[blamingeverything]

Could you refer me somewhere I can get intratympanic Dexamethasone done?

Sorry I really don't know.

What does the classification of salvage mean?

You're probably best off googling it but it's another term for last ditch effort. Last resort. Arguably it could be tried before oral steroids but that's not the standard of care.

 

[Blackbird1016]

You're probably best off googling it but it's another term for last ditch effort. Last resort. Arguably it could be tried before oral steroids but that's not the standard of care.

It's a category for medical procedures/interventions though?

I've just never heard a doctor refer to any procedure or treatment as salvage. I get it would imply it's a last ditch effort though.

The shots you mention are the ones administered to the inner ear? I've read about them before I think.

 

[ECP]

@ErikaS, may I ask if you ever got that intratympanic injection you were hoping for? If so, how did it work out for you?

 

[cyberspace]

Sorry I really don't know.

You're probably best off googling it but it's another term for last ditch effort. Last resort. Arguably it could be tried before oral steroids but that's not the standard of care.

I called around ENTs and they said they only do the shots for sudden sensorineural hearing loss and not tinnitus. Did you have sudden sensorineural hearing loss in order to get it? Or do people usually just fake the audiograms to get it?

 

[ErikaS]

@ErikaS, may I ask if you ever got that intratympanic injection you were hoping for? If so, how did it work out for you?

I did two Dexamethasone injections in my right ear at the end of December. They were a week apart. Unfortunately, no help. I was 4 months post SSHL from ear infection so too little too late I'm afraid.

 

[ECP]

I did two Dexamethasone injections in my right ear at the end of December. They were a week apart. Unfortunately, no help. I was 4 months post SSHL from ear infection so too little too late I'm afraid.

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. The timing thing is so critical, and a lot of us miss the mark through no fault of our own. I hope you find other treatments work for you.

 

[blamingeverything]

I called around ENTs and they said they only do the shots for sudden sensorineural hearing loss and not tinnitus. Did you have sudden sensorineural hearing loss in order to get it? Or do people usually just fake the audiograms to get it?

Yep, SSHL was my clinical diagnosis. I have previously read about a couple clinics who will administer Dexamethasone for treatment of tinnitus, though I haven't been able to find those clinic names again.

 

[cyberspace]

Yep, SSHL was my clinical diagnosis. I have previously read about a couple clinics who will administer Dexamethasone for treatment of tinnitus, though I haven't been able to find those clinic names again.

Is Shea Clinic the one you're referring to?

 

[blamingeverything]

Is Shea Clinic the one you're referring to?

That does ring a bell.

 

[Daniel Lion]

Yep, SSHL was my clinical diagnosis. I have previously read about a couple clinics who will administer Dexamethasone for treatment of tinnitus, though I haven't been able to find those clinic names again.

Same here. SSHL, my audiogram is terrible.

I hope you're doing better.

 

[Gateway]

My tinnitus recently spiked. I'm wondering if I should try to find a doctor who does intratympanic Dexamethasone injections.

My original cause of tinnitus was SSHL; back then I had one of these shots and it seemed to help.