My husband switched to Valtrex (1g, 3 times a day) about 20 days ago, his tinnitus is consistently much lower than before, and no longer sensitive to sounds, this is really great. But his hearing is a lot worse than before taking Valtrex (we tested with App at home), and still has pressure on his left ear. What is happening? Is this normal? Is it possible that Valtrex caused this problem?
It is quite normal for things to get worse before they get better. The virus is fighting back. I actually view this as a good sign that the antivirals are doing something. You cannot test hearing properly with an app. There is simply no way to know how his hearing is without a real test in a sound booth, etc. The first thing to go is usually the vertigo. Then dizziness. Things like sound sensitivity, tinnitus, and pressure are usually last to go and can take many months. Unfortunately, he'll just have to be patient and wait to see if the antivirals take care of everything. I personally would stay on the max dose for another month.
Thanks Scott for your input! Normally whenever his tinnitus got lower, the ear pressure is less, and his hearing got better. This is the first time these three (tinnitus, pressure and hearing) are in different directions, his hearing is worse, pressure is worse when his tinnitus is much lower time, so we are confused. May I ask how long your hearing started to getting better after antivirus treatment? Thanks
It was at least 6 months before my hearing improved. It might have been longer. I didn't really notice until it was a dramatic change. Not everyone gets hearing relief. The main purpose for antivirals is to stop the vertigo and slow down or stop the hearing loss. It is less common to get hearing recovery.
Sorry Scott Tom, but you can absolutely test hearing at home with an app or mp3/4 player. if you use the same volume settings each time it is easy. But, I do agree that hearing can get worse for awhile on antiviral and not to worry. Hearing comes and goes with this. Dont give up too easily.
Thanks dwaynehoover and Scott for your inputs! He'll continue the medicine. What we don't understand is how/why the tinnitus and the hearing are not consistent this time. Thanks
My colleague is an audiologist and he disagrees, but maybe he's wrong. Hard to know for sure, I guess. I suppose it depends on the app and how careful the person is with everything.
I can always tell when my hearing is going south. Because the majority of my loss was in the low frequencies, when peoples voices and other sounds started to get tinny i knew my hearing was getting worse. If i could hear Johnny Cash and appreciate the bass voice, i knew things were good. The other component for me was distortion. That didnt require anything fancy. Whenit came back, i would hear myself say 'oh crap'. Finally, imhave a tv that is always set on the same volume and i sit in the same chair. In the morning when my hearing is apt to be outstanding now, i will lower the volume. If things arent going well, i have to up it. This is an i portant test. When i have my audiogram, the dr asks me, is this a good day, a bad day or a typical day for you? She uses that information along with the audiogram to assess my situation.
For me the tinnitus changes came very quickly after starting antivirals. First some weird sounds happened, and then it was improved greatly over what it had been. The hearing recovery took longer. Other things besides MM can contribute to the stuffy feeling. Has he explored the possibility of TMJ? For me massaging the jaw muscle on the effected side and the shoulder muscle on the opposite side really help with that. Eventually I got a night guard to wear at night. It is also possible to see a physical therapist for TMJ. I had one session and learned a lot. I agree that experiencing the kinds of changes he has is a very positive sign. Yay!