Prednisone is a corticosteroid. It is prescribed when the body’s immune system is in an overkill state. It basically suppresses your immune system. It is given when one suffers from rashes, extreme allergic reactions or when other rather extreme reactions are displayed. It is also given for conditions such as cancer, arthritis, breathing problems and even eye problems. You can learn all about prednisone here. Prednisone is also prescribed for sudden hearing loss. In fact, it is the most used treatment when someone suffers from sudden hearing loss, with a good probability that it can restore hearing.
But, that’s where things get a little tricky. While prednisone can reverse hearing loss, its dosage has to be managed very carefully. Doctors will often prescribe a very high dose of prednisone to reverse sudden hearing loss. But many times, they take the patient off prednisone too early and too quickly. Prednisone has to be tapered down slowly. Case history of many patients who have been successfully treated with prednisone suggests that a taper of 10 mg every 1 or 2 weeks is ideal. However, this won’t apply to all patients. Only your doctor can advise you on a taper schedule that will best suit you. It will depend on what dosage was initially administered, how you responded to treatment and also on other factors like other pre-existing conditions or medications that you might have been on before receiving a prednisone treatment.
Suddenly going off Prednisone or very quickly tapering it off can bring on a case of Tinnitus. Or, it can make an existing Tinnitus condition much worse. If you think your Tinnitus was caused by Prednisone, the one month after you have started taking Prednisone is a very crucial period. Tinnitus caused by Prednisone usually goes away within a month. If it stays longer than that, it usually means that you are going to be stuck with a chronic case of Tinnitus or ringing in the ears.
Talk to your doctor about your Tinnitus and get an explanation on how they plan to taper you off this steroid. It might make a lot of sense to get a second or even third opinion on the matter, as it can mean the difference between ringing that lasts just a few weeks as opposed to your entire life.
You must also investigate why you suffered from sudden hearing loss in the first place. Visit an audiologist to get your hearing evaluated. You might be a good candidate for hearing aids. With hearing aids, both hearing loss and Tinnitus can be managed or even resolved, depending on how soon hearing aids are used as an intervention treatment.
Here’s an excellent article that further explains the prednisone tinnitus connection.
