I put this question in another thread, but I think it was easy to miss because I named the thread after another aspect of my question. If you've taken oral steroids, how have they impacted your tinnitus? (Both during, and, more importantly, after.) My tinnitus is pretty tolerable right now (just a white noise kind of thing not super loud). I'm a bit worried about messing with it, but lost about 20 db of hearing in a recent meniere's flare up, and my doctor is thinking a round of steroids may help it come back.
I took steroids for an unrelated illness and it caused my Menieres to flare up. So I researched it carefully and found that they suppress the immune system. Not surprising then that the virus was able to flare up again.
Steroids is often used to treat a sudden hearing loss. It often helps. I have taken it for that and other things and it did not make anything worse for me.
Sudden hearing loss is considered a medical emergency and i believe steroids are the treatment of choice. Time is of the essence.
Thanks, June. I had heard of that treatment for sudden hearing loss. This hearing loss happened at least 6 weeks ago, so I don't think time is a factor. I was surprised, but hopeful, when my ENT said it might help. But then I started worrying about the tinnitus which is in a better place than it's been for a while.
The danger is that you will worry yourself into a problem that doesn’t exist. Anxiety and stress are not friends of Meniere’s. Are you being asked to take oral steroids for life, or is it a short term trial that you can cut short if there are side effects? Even then, with a random and fluctuating condition it is not always easy to attribute cause and effect. Meniere’s is a game of trial and error. So most non-invasive options have to be worth a shot. When I tried oral steroids I was told that if they were going to work that I should see some improvement within a week. I didn’t, and so that trial was ended after 7 days and I moved on.
tinnitus is the only thing the oral steroids seemed to help. It did nothing for my daily vertigo, ear pressure or overall dizziness, but my tinnitus was reduced. funny how meds work sometimes.
I followed the charted path of my ENT and did the oral steroids. They did not help, nor did they hurt. Since it does help some, it was an easy "yes" for me. Now, it's a been there done that trial. Since that prescription, I have now taken control of my research and treatment regimen. Best of luck to you on your journey.
About one month ago I was prescribed a course of oral steroids (60mg/day/4 days, 50mg/day/2 days, 40mg/day/ 2days... decreasing to 10mg/day). I went back after a week and my hearing improved in my left ear that had recently starting having the same hearing loss and tinnitus as my right ear. I was prescribed another 60mg taper and went back a week later and my hearing test showed more improvement in hearing in my left ear. I also had less tinnitus and dizziness and no vertigo since taking steroids. Then, two days ago I had a bad vertigo, nausea, vomiting episode. My hearing and tinnitus did get really bad the morning of the attack, but now hearing in my left ear is back to good and the right ear still rings and I don't hear well out of. So, I think that it helped the left ear, but right ear hasn't changed. Yet, due to the variability of the bad episodes and other symptoms, I don't know for sure if it was the steroids. I am to see a rheumatologist in a few weeks and may be prescribed an anti-inflammatory biologic drug and will post on that experience if so.
I developed tinnitus in both ears. It started in the left and eventually developed in the right. It became so bad I pretty much lost all hearing in my left ear. I couldn't use a phone with the left ear because electronic sounds caused pain. There were many times when the fullness and tinnitus symptoms were so bad I couldn't hear what anyone said. Along with this progression of symptoms, my other Menieres symptom worsened. I was at my wits end, not knowing what to do (doctors were of no use) and I decided to start the John of Ohio regime. It took a while, but the tinnitus is now completely gone and my hearing has mostly returned. I say mostly because before this disease I had well above average hearing, and it hasn't returned to that, but it's still very good. I can use both ears for phone calls, and I don't have any fullness or ringing. It doesn't work for everyone, and it didn't work overnight, but it has worked for me.