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

[VaR]

And how is your T now @downtongirl ?

 

[downtongirl]

My tinnitus fluctuates...it started out as a pure tone in my left ear in june 2013 and this late summer it changed to more of a hiss and more so in my right ear....for most of October/November it was very low and now (over the past couple of weeks) the pure tone is coming back in both ears in addition to the hiss. It is worse in the evening and at night. I am probably going to start trt and sound therapy in January.

 

[1MW]

Hello all! I am new to this support forum. I have been bothered by tinnitus since June of 2013. Looking back at my ent records evidently I mentioned/was diagnosed with it as far back as Dec. of 2011 but it did not bother me until June of 2013. Suspecting I had Eustachian tube dysfunction as the cause of my T I went to a different my 3rd ent and she prescribed Flonase. During a allergy flare up in early September I went to my family doctor and told her that Flonase seems to help some with T so she said lets try a short course of low dose prednisone....two days after starting prednisone T almost completely went away...one day after finishing the rx for prednisone (which was a 10 day RX) the tinnitus came back. I have since gone to two different ent's and they say yeah inflammation from either my tmj or allergies could cause T so I ask ok then what to do about it...they say continue with Flonase and start allergy sublingual immunotherapy. My point in posting this is I had been bothered significantly by T for 15 months and prednisone made my T pretty much go away for as long as I was taking it.

Your T stops with steroids (cortisone) ? I have similar results with cortisone my hearing change at all.
H and HF T stop. Remains only low volume medium/low frequency T.
I can modulate this T with middle ear air pressure changes.
If i more than 30mg methylprednisolone my T stops completely.

 

[russiancarl]

@1MW That is crazy that the meds suppress it permanently. I've had corticosteroid injections into the muscle for my eczema with usually no side effect to my hearing though this last one amped up my tinnitus and it never went back down to baseline. Now I can't say for sure it was the Kenalog but I know it wasn't there before I took it.

Do you think a doctor would prescribe you a permanent dosage of prednisone? Afaik 30mg isn't a crazy amount and they do give it to people with autoimmune diseases as a lifelong treatment. Lower would be better but it depends on your body weight.. yeah there are trade offs especially with regards to your immune system but if your T is really bothersome to you... man I'd love to be able to take a pill to make it go away!

 

[1MW]

30mg methylprednisolone is not low dose.
You can not live in this dose. In 6mg every second day perhaps you can live but 6mg to me don't work.
6mg is given for lifetime every second day after organ transplantation.
I don't need prescription in my country i can get almost all medicines without prescription except narcotics(benzos etc).
1 box/pack methyprednisolone (medrol) costs about 3 euros is very cheap.

 

[Rudy]

Can steroids be used to help T caused by loud music? (hearing test normal/exam normal)
Saw 2 different ENT's and they didn't mention it. Might make a follow up appointment to check.

 

[EddyLee]

30mg methylprednisolone is not low dose.
You can not live in this dose. In 6mg every second day perhaps you can live but 6mg to me don't work.
6mg is given for lifetime every second day after organ transplantation.
I don't need prescription in my country i can get almost all medicines without prescription except narcotics(benzos etc).
1 box/pack methyprednisolone (medrol) costs about 3 euros is very cheap.

Maybe you can try some natural anti inflammatory supplements like Curcumin, Quercetin, Bromelain, Pycnogenol?

 

[EddyLee]

Can steroids be used to help T caused by loud music? (hearing test normal/exam normal)
Saw 2 different ENT's and they didn't mention it. Might make a follow up appointment to check.

From what i read, intratympanic steroid injection or oral steroid could be effective for acoustic trauma with hearing loss. Without hearing loss the chance might be lower but you need to try this asap from onset for the steroid to work.

 

[bwspot]

I have a question. At some point my doctor prescribed me a prednisone MEDPAK for my neck issues. I did not take it as I was afraid of side effects. I wonder if after 6 months of dealing with Tinnitus I would gain anything from taking it? First time when I was offered it was 1.5 weeks after I got my T and from what i have read it was already too late so i did not take it. Mostly I am afraid to take it due to my autoimmunie disease against my thyroid I just found out about.
Any thoughts?

 

[Mo_Mo]

My T started in m left ear on the 25/11/2014, it happened couple days after getting a cold which I had for 2 weeks,
I did a CT scan and other tests, the ENT said that my hearing was normal
I started taking prednisolone 4 days ago, the ENT told me to take the following dosage 5 weeks after getting the T

20mg for 3 days
15mg for 2 days
10 mg for 1 day
5mg for 1 day

yesterday I felt as if the volume I was hearing in my left ear went down and then back up (within couple of seconds) whilst I was in a restaurant, with a spike of T, thereafter my T changed frequency to a higher frequency 10Khz-14Khz but at a low level, before that it was at the 8Khz frequency.

I am not sure if this is due to the steroids or other medication I am taking
I have been taking betaserc 16mg three times a day for the past month in addition to neurobin for the past month

 

[calidude209]

I'm surprised some of u guys can visit ent within 3-4 days.days ago I called two ents and they both told me not till the month of feb.i still do have the apt with medical doctor on the 7th of jan.hopefully it doesn't take a month to see ent after medical doctor.

 

[depth77]

If anyone can please advise,

What is the recommended dosage and duration for prednisone?

thank you for any answers

 

[1MW]

I can achieve good silence with some other drugs and i don't want to stop them for unknown effect probably worsening.
My current meds are lorazepam + corticosteroids + pentoxyfilline + piracetam + b1/b3/b6/b12/e + magnesium +
aminoacids + random other drugs like betahistine / tinnitus formula / 5-htp and more

I have seen clear difference from corticosteroids / lorazepam (iam in the way to cut off/lowering dosage) / pentoxyfilline+piracetam others did not make a difference but i take them.
With these drugs i have seen more improvement than trobalt alone and the difference is big.
Example lorazepam has acute effect 1 hour later and lasts for 4 hours corticosteroids have effect 12 later and lasts for 18-36 hours + pentoxyfilline+ piracetam have effect 1.5 hour later and lasts for 2 hours.

 

[just1morething]

@1MW What corticosteroids do you take? Are they injections or pills? How long can you safely use corticosteroids? Thanks!

 

[1MW]

I get dexamethasone in liquid or methylprednisolone in pills.
Safely.. safely and corticosteroids does not exist.
People that get transplantation get 8mg methylprednisolone every second day for lifetime.
I get 16-24mg every day or every second day.
I get near a month now and i have started to see side effects.
Iam in the way to taper and stop completely corticosteroids and lorazepam
but it is very difficult to me because with these meds i have a lot of time 0db T
so it is dificult to habituate T if the previous day you had silence.
I must stop both meds asap but iam addicted to NO T.

 

[just1morething]

I must stop both meds asap but iam addicted to NO T.

I understand. I believe corticosteroids can be hard on your adrenal glands. I had a steroid injection recently to my lower back and it seemed to calm down my noise for a day... probably worked on my CNS. I suppose lorazepam is okay to take long term, but some say not. I have clonazepam and diazepam that I take, but try not to mix them together.

 

[tomm]

I get dexamethasone in liquid or methylprednisolone in pills.
Safely.. safely and corticosteroids does not exist.
People that get transplantation get 8mg methylprednisolone every second day for lifetime.
I get 16-24mg every day or every second day.
I get near a month now and i have started to see side effects.
Iam in the way to taper and stop completely corticosteroids and lorazepam
but it is very difficult to me because with these meds i have a lot of time 0db T
so it is dificult to habituate T if the previous day you had silence.
I must stop both meds asap but iam addicted to NO T.

Prednisone is very strong - the side effects are broad and powerful. One of the few things that it pretty important to have a doctor's oversight on. Stay safe.

 

[Mo_Mo]

My current meds are lorazepam + corticosteroids + pentoxyfilline + piracetam + b1/b3/b6/b12/e + magnesium +
aminoacids + random other drugs like betahistine / tinnitus formula / 5-htp and more

How did you choose the meds you take? was it prescribed by an ENT or neurologist?

I am on my 7th week of T, no change in it so far, I have tried moving my neck, jaw to see if it is TMJ related and even visited a physiotherapist to check the different pressure points in the body and nothing affect the level of T?

Hence if I am to try some of these meds, should I first see a neurologist?

I am currently on

Betaserc 16mg every 8 hours
and taking neurobin for B12

my T started after a flue with no damage to hearing upto 8Khz I am yet to conduct a test upto 14 or 16Khz

 

[1MW]

How did you choose the meds you take? was it prescribed by an ENT or neurologist?

I am on my 7th week of T, no change in it so far, I have tried moving my neck, jaw to see if it is TMJ related and even visited a physiotherapist to check the different pressure points in the body and nothing affect the level of T?

Hence if I am to try some of these meds, should I first see a neurologist?

I am currently on

Betaserc 16mg every 8 hours
and taking neurobin for B12

my T started after a flue with no damage to hearing upto 8Khz I am yet to conduct a test upto 14 or 16Khz

no doctor prescibed this now prescribed in past.
I take myself the drugs in my country are cheap and the most of them don't need prescription.
You have fresh T and no corticosteroids (my opinion big mistake) ? Go to another doctor the problem can not wait because if nerve cells die can not be reborn.
betaserc & neurobion & b12 are near to placebo don't do nothing to most people.
First when i got T with corticosteroids from 1st day stopped when i lowered corticosteroids
came back but no so intense so every time seen worsening got corticosteroids.
I don't leave alone my T if i see worsening without corticosteroids.
Yesterday i had 10/10 T & H i got 24mg methylprednisolone 12 hours latter iam 0/10 & low H
The side affects from chronic use i know are huge but for me T & H worsening is cause to suicide
thats the reason why iam taking toxic meds.
That is for me i don't know for you ask your doctor but 1-2 weeks corticosteroids will not harm you.
If it is not to late they will work from 1st week.
For acute unknown origin tinnitus gold standart therapy are corticosteroids all clinic trials
prove this.

 

[Mo_Mo]

@1MW I took Prednisone 2 weeks ago but small dosage
3 days 20mg
2 days 10mg
1 day 5mg

But there was no change is Prednisone and corticosteroids the same?

I had H at the start of my T but seems to have resolved although I do feel some pain in my left ear from time to time which is the ear I have my T at

 

[1MW]

Prednisone is a corticosteroid.
I think you got low dose.Prednisone is less potent from methylprednisolone.
From my experiments 16mg prednisone does not go to ear.
24mg methylprednisolone or 4mg dexamathasone have more changes to concentrate in inner ear.
I got in first appearance of T much bigger dose 120mg methylprednisolone for 10 days (I had snhl)
and then taper.
Corticosteroids does not work for all and to work must be taken almost immediacy from onset.
When you loose time you loose changes for recovery.
Is the same that do water when a forest has taken fire.
If you throw water first moments of fire you will save the forest.. if you loose time the more forest will burn.
With this small dose of prednisone have you seen any difference ?

 

[Mo_Mo]

@1MW should I see an ENT or neurologist for this?
I still have stock of Gupisone prednisone should I take 60mg then taper down or is it too late now, been 7 weeks

 

[1MW]

I don't know if it is too late probably..
If i was on you side i would take 2 days 60mg each day and i will observed if some improvement exists.If improvement i will continue for some some if not i will stop but very long time passed.Realistic you have very low changes for come back.
The more changes are that will not do anything but 2 days does not have side effects.
You must see neurotologist not simple ent , ents are for mucus doesn't know in deep ear problems.

 

[Rayden151]

I don't know if it is too late probably..
If i was on you side i would take 2 days 60mg each day and i will observed if some improvement exists.If improvement i will continue for some some if not i will stop but very long time passed.Realistic you have very low changes for come back.
The more changes are that will not do anything but 2 days does not have side effects.
You must see neurotologist not simple ent , ents are for mucus doesn't know in deep ear problems.

Hi 1MW,

How many courses of prednisone have you had? Did you have any side effects while on these short courses? What time interval was there between your prednisone courses?

 

[1MW]

I have a lot courses. I got side effects but was temporary after stopping i recovered.
My case is not like yours. I get corticosteroids when i get increased T.
I got first time corticosteroids some years ago when i got sudden hearing loss & T and iam getting now.
The fist time it saved my hearing & stopped T.

 

[Rayden151]

I have a lot courses. I got side effects but was temporary after stopping i recovered.
My case is not like yours. I get corticosteroids when i get increased T.
I got first time corticosteroids some years ago when i got sudden hearing loss & T and iam getting now.
The fist time it saved my hearing & stopped T.

Ah I see, do they think you have some autoimmune inner ear disease? How much hearing loss do you have?
Its interesting to see that it works for you.
Im quite astonished by the fact that if we compare countries they give different advise in cases of SSHL and NIHL.

 

[1MW]

I had 20 to 60db hearing loss from 20hz to 8khz
after corticosteroids i got back my hearing to max 10db hearing loss from 20hz to 8khz.

Now i have maximum 10db hearing loss from 20hz to 8khz and after 8khz i have much more hearing loss.
Now i have very high frequency hearing loss.
I don't know if it is autoimmune i don't think that is autoimmune.
Corticosteroids express a lot of genes is not only antinflammatory properties the mechanism of action of corticosteroids is very very very complex and uknown.
For example in allergies cortisteroids work in nerve compression work in autoimmune work in ETD work
in acoustic trauma work (nmda antagonist).
So i don't know the real cause i know that corticosteroids work to me.
I tested and other drugs and that work also like RTG NAC creatine piracetam and more...

 

[LeQuack]

How much time apart is it advisable to have prednisone cycles. Is 1-2 months enough in between? I usually take them when I have major spikes which I had in the beginning of December. But just a few days ago I've been struggling again and I'm wondering if long enough time has passed in between (one and a half months)?

 

[TomKA]

@1MW if corticosteroids do change or temporary shut off your tinntius it may come from inflammation or is in some part somatic tinnitus (neck/back pain/muscle tension), have you thought about that?

 

[amandine]

if corticosteroids do change or temporary shut off your tinntius it may come from inflammation or is in some part somatic tinnitus (neck/back pain/muscle tension), have you thought about that?

Well whenever I have taken corticosteroids it has reduced the noise right down by the third day but then when i stop it comes back. Surely there cannot be inflammation after all this time? No ENT has said anything except everything looks normal in the ear but of course they have only looked with their little torch etc...