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Prednisone??

Posted , 5 users are following.

Hayhue
Hayhue

Has anyone been given prednisone and did you like it?

Went back to ENT today. Couldn't stop myself from crying and made a fool of myself, basically.

He said its all allergies: the ringing in ear, the fullness, the vertigo attacks, etc.

I don't see how this is right as I've had allergies my entire life and never been this sick with it but ok.

He gave me prednisone to take. Does it help?

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • dizzyear
    dizzyear Hayhue

    Posted

    Hi Hayhue,

    I am not a Dr, but it doesn't really sound like allergies to me based on what you have shared.   I have taken prednizone after having a sudden hearing loss due to a suspected viral infection of the inner ear (and fully recovered).  prednizone is a steroid that is often used to reduce inflamation.   Normally starts with the highest dose and then slowly taper off.  It does have side affects. Could you describe your symtpoms in more detail.  How long have you had the fullness.  How long do your vertigo attacks last,  Does the vertigo seem to be related to a sudden head movement or position change?  Do you have headaches?  How long have you had the symtpoms?   Have you had a hearing test?  

    • Hayhue
      Hayhue dizzyear

      Posted

      They started me at 100mg a day for 10 days. I've never taken a steroid before so I wasn't sure what to expect.

      I've had idiopathic vertigo for 12 years but these symptoms are new. The attacks come suddenly and consists of lightheaded feeling, sweating, flushing, shaking, then within 1 to 2 mins it turns to horrible vertigo that makes me want to throw up. The initial sweating & etc. leaves after a few minutes but the vertigo stays for the rest of the night until I fall asleep. I wake up the next day feeling better but dizzy. The dizzy remains.

      The fullness and pain comes off and on in the left ear. The high pitched ringing is in the left ear.

      I do get a flash of light in my left eye that an ophthalmologist said was ocular migraines and I do get ice pick headaches on right side that neurologist said was occipital neuralgia. But I don't feel the migraines if they're occurring other than the ice pick headaches.

      Just had a hearing test 2 weeks ago with sound instead of words and my hearing is fine. But I notice when I watch movies & etc., I have to use subtitles because I have trouble hearing them clearly.

      I see a neurologist now as I was just recently diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy but Monday I'm traveling to the city to see a neurologist that specializes in dizziness & balance disorders. I'm hoping he can help me.

    • dizzyear
      dizzyear Hayhue

      Posted

      Hi Hayhue,

      Your episodes of vertigo might be a fit for Meniere's disease or Migraine-Associated Vertigo (MAV).  Both conditions have similar symptoms.  Both have episodes of Vertigo that last more than a few minutes, ear fullness, and Tinnitus (high pitch ringing).  These would be good items to research if you have not already and discuss further with your Dr. Neither condition has a definitive test so Drs normally diagnose based on historical/clinical observations.  Do you notice if your vertigo is associated with your headaches?  

      It is probably not BPPV because these attacks normally don't last as long as you describe.  

      I am hoping you get some closure and improvement for your symptoms.

    • DizzyLizzy68
      DizzyLizzy68 dizzyear

      Posted

      Dizzyear,

      I see from your response you also suffered a sudden sensoneural hearing loss and recovered with prednisone. Me too, a year ago. This came after my bouts of vertigo, imbalance, facial pressure that was diagnosed as migraine, treated with propranolol. I was actually doing great- no dizziness whatsoever for a few months before the sudden hearing loss in left ear. My regular migraines are all on left side too. I have had constant tinnitus in that ear for 2 yrs before the loss, and it rings high when I am having an attack. It's still there, sometimes worse than others. My hearing came back in 72hrs, and I had no other symptoms or dizziness at all. Did they link your hearing loss to menieres or any other condition? My neuro thinks it was idiopathic or migraine related, and one ENT said possibly atypical menieres (cochlear hydrops ). A vng and calorics test after the hearing loss showed completely normal inner ear function for both ears.

    • Hayhue
      Hayhue dizzyear

      Posted

      Yes, I researched them and I agree with you, I definitely think one or the two or both is going on since I know they can be related. No, I don't have headaches with the vertigo but is it possible I could be having silent migraines? Isn't an ocular migraine an actual migraine? I just don't have any pain.

      Thank you, as do I! I was hoping my ENT today would help but he absolutely refuses to think that anything other than allergies is wrong.

      I will keep everyone updated.

    • dizzyear
      dizzyear DizzyLizzy68

      Posted

      Hi DizzyLizzy,

      My sudden hearing loss was on my right side and lasted for over a week.  It was very scary,  I had distortion of sound and my hearing was very scrambled.  I have superior canal dehiscence in my left ear and the combiation of the two conditions was very difficult.  It appears that my sudden hearing loss is not related to my other condition.  My hearing came back slowly over a couple of weeks.  Hope that never happens again.

    • DizzyLizzy68
      DizzyLizzy68 dizzyear

      Posted

      Wow. How horrible to have the both issues going on. Mine was very scary too.. profound loss, with distortion that sounded like blown speakers. And the tinnitus was the worst. I has to wear earplugs all the time because normal noise caused my ear to strain to hear causing horrible pressure. I'm sure you're familiar with all of this. Mine was back in 72hrs - I knew from prior happenstance research that SSNHL is a medical emergency, and I was able to get on the prednisone within 5 hrs of the sudden loss. I thinks the drs are in the dark about much of what affects the inner ear since it is hard to study on a living person.
    • dizzyear
      dizzyear DizzyLizzy68

      Posted

      I tend to agree on that Drs are in the dark on a lot of inner ear problems. The more I read the more I realize that it is very difficult for them to diagnose these conditions.  So many of the symptoms are the same for different conditions and there is a lack of testing that gives a clear diagnosis.  I think I was rather lucky,  I have one of the most rare vestibular conditions and yet, my first ENT diagnosed it within 2 visits and I only had minor symptoms at the time.  Based on the testing for my sudden hearing loss, this same ENT was able to detect another very rare condition (silent sinus syndrom) that it appears I may have before I developed any observable symptoms.  I am now considering sinus surgery for this.
  • DizzyLizzy68
    DizzyLizzy68 Hayhue

    Posted

    Hayhue,

    Yes, I've taken prednisone both for sudden hearing loss (like dizzyear) and for allergies. The crazy thing about your situation is that prednisone will work pretty dramatically for allergies, but it can also stop a relentless Menieres attack. And, it is used to stop intractable migraine as well. I don't know if its effectiveness at stopping migraine manifesting as vertigo has been studied or not, so not sure if it works for MAV. Many drs think all migraine preventatives will work for MAV, and some disagree. Prednisone can be used as a migraine rescue drug, so who knows?

    Are you sure it's not 10mg vs 100? That would be a pretty high dose!

    In general, prednisone gives u lots of energy, will take away any aches and pains u might have, possibly cause sweating, and frequently can cause some degree of insomnia. I took mine very early in the morning with food. Steroids are generally given for short bursts since they can cause problems if taken longterm. I have experienced major relief from allergic symptoms when taking them, but I have never been given them for vertigo. I hope this will work for you... I would definitely give them a chance.

    In one post, you mentioned your Dr saw pus with the nasal endoscopy. Are you also getting pressure or pain in your face? Frontal headaches?

    • Hayhue
      Hayhue DizzyLizzy68

      Posted

      It's two 50 mg pills each morning for 10 days. I'm going to try 50 tomorrow and see how I feel. I planned on taking mine with food as well as I already have stomach issues.

      Thank you I hope it does too! And thank you for all of the information, that makes me feel better!

      He looked again today and said it was a lot better so I don't think the pus he claims he saw was there anymore lol

      As I was upset he told me that going to 50 different doctors won't help me and neither will crying.

      Not a very nice guy, I'd say, BUT he's all I have at the moment, so... Lol he will due until Monday!

    • DizzyLizzy68
      DizzyLizzy68 Hayhue

      Posted

      I am so glad you are going to the dizzy specialist on Monday. I had a pretty terrible ENT for awhile too. I refuse to see him anymore.

      Allergies can be involved with vertigo. As a matter of fact, a major ear institute here in the US believes Menieres disease to be caused by an allergy, in many cases an unsuspected food allergy. Since no one really knows what causes the symptoms seen in menieres disease, who knows? But it is one theory. Maybe ask the specialist on Monday if seeing an allergist is a good idea. Funny reverse situation, but it was actually an allergist that told me my problems were migraines not allergies!

      I can't wait to hear what you find out. And don't be surprised if you start to feel wired up from the prednisone in a day or two. I did a LOT of housecleaning! Also be careful not to stress any preexisting issues like a bad back. I was carrying huge bags of soil and redoing the garden while on prednisone since my back issue disappeared. But it was back worse than ever a few weeks after the prednisone was done.

      Good luck!

    • Hayhue
      Hayhue DizzyLizzy68

      Posted

      I'm so sorry I never replied to this! Not as if it matters now, I'm sure, but it was Menieres Disease.

  • hedy17849
    hedy17849 Hayhue

    Posted

    I too had a mystery illness of infrequent dizzy spells and tinnitus.  After my first ENT told me it was not my ears I spent 6 years of visits to endocrinologists, cardiologists (even wearing a heart monitor for three years!), neurologists. Finally my husband met someone at a party who had Meneire's disease and I asked to be sent to a different ENT physician. She ordered  VNG and Caloric ear tests which showed I had Meneire's  BTW,  this doctor told me that while a positive test is definite for Meneire's, some people have Meneires and do not test positive since the ear condition varies with time. Since there is no cure except lifestyle changes you may wish to try adopting some  and see if these changes help you.

    Lightening up on stress and dietary changes made a real difference for me. You can learn more at this website: vestibular.org. I was referred to this site by a health professional (a balance specialist with a PHD in physical therapy).

    • Hayhue
      Hayhue hedy17849

      Posted

      I was actually diagnosed with Menieres, as well! I went through all those tests with all those different doctors for 12 years before they caught mine. Shame it takes so long for a diagnosis! Glad to know, in the end,  though.
    • DizzyLizzy68
      DizzyLizzy68 Hayhue

      Posted

      Hi Hayhue, it's been awhile and it looks like you replied recently and I missed it. So menieres it is! Wow. I'm glad u finally got a diagnosis. If you remember, I was on the fence with menieres and MAV. I recently had a bad attack and off work 2wks with fluctuating screeching tinnitus, ear pressure, and feeling like I'm going to fall while walking. I see a new ENT on Wed, but I'm now thinking menieres. Especially with the profound sudden hearing loss 3yrs ago. What is your treatment and are you now better?

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