Prednisone/Hearing Loss

Well you are a better woman than I am to take that awful drug – I have way too many side effects for the little good it did me. At any rate the only thing prednisone helped me with was when OTHER things were inflammed. It did not help with any sensation or movement issues. It did help my left shoulder to stop being inflammed from constantly popping out of joint and that took about 36 hours but it did not stop it from popping in and out of joint due to muscle weakness.

Hi Sue,

I’m sorry you are having problems with your hearing on top of your other problems.

In regards to the prednisone –

About 5 years ago, I had a broken wrist and pulled tendons in my hand – very painful & long, long healing time. During that time, I was prescribed 4 weeks of prednisone with the understanding that it would be taken at max dosage on day 1, then tapering began on day 2. It was a long gradual taper. I remember being estatic because immediately I no longer had pain in my hand, and mistakenly thought that I was going to be instantly healed. I was wrong – as soon as I finished the last dose, the pain came back. It took over a year for the hand to heal on it’s own with some pain killers.

The reason I wanted to share my experience (I know your situation is so much different from mine) is that it seems that you have been left somewhat in the dark. Is there any way to call the pharmacist and find out exactly which doctor prescribed it (sounds like you aren’t sure)? I would want to call their office and ask a few questions – like what type of follow-up has been arranged – especially if there is any question if you will be able to get in to see your ear Dr. between Aug 7 – Aug 14. Is it possible to call his office now and set up an appointment for the first week he is back?

It seems to me that 50mg could cause some problems (but I don’t know that much about the effects) if you were to suddenly stop taking them because no one followed up on your situation with all your regular doctors away.

best wishes

cd

Hey Sue, I think the prednisone will definately help your tendonitis – I get that a lot too in my thumbs especially. I know lots of people who have taken prednisone with no serious effects – my husband had to take it for 3 months once with a bad reaction to poison ivy – ok so he got a little crabby towards the end. For me, the major side effects were weight gain – 12 pounds for each week I was on it and I still haven’t lost it all – and urinary frequency (need I say more?) (OK I will – I mean I already had autonomic issues with holding my bladder, then I was on crutches/cane with jello legs, then the prednisone just ramped up that whole factor by millions. I should have just moved my laptop into the bathroom… really).

You know when all this first started getting to crisis level I remember laying in the hospital feeling sorry for myself because I couldn’t see well enough to read or watch TV or even really recognize anyone and my vision is much more important to me than my hearing. I remember wishing my hearing was failing and not my eyesight because while I like music I love reading. Instead it seemed like my hearing went the other way – even the slightest sound was magnified and too loud of a noise could overstimulate me to the point of giving me a headache. Now things are all basically evening out – my eyes aren’t nearly that bad anymore even on their worst days and my hearing is back to normal.

I think I would go to great lengths to avoid prednisone again but honestly if I was on the verge of losing my vision I’d do it again, gain the weight and so on.

Good luck Sue and drink lots of water taking the prednisone.

Julie

I got really dehydrated taking it, seemed like I was always thirsty and hungry and drinking more water kept me from eating all the time. Naturally that made the urinary issue worse but it’s better than a bladder infection or worse that comes from dehydration.

Sue,
I experienced sudden loss of hearing in one ear several years ago (long before my neuro problems). I was put on Prednisone and it worked to restore my hearing, I’d say to about 95% of normal. I only notice a difference when using the phone — the affected ear sounds a tiny bit muffled. I think I was on it for 2 or 3 weeks, and weaned off without any problems. It did make me a bit jittery for the first day or two, but I didn’t gain weight from such a short-term usage.

Hope all goes well for you too,
Caryn

2 weeks on Prednisone isn’t that long of a time. Many people are put on it for short periods of time to treat many different health problems.

We didn’t see any side effects with Emily until about 4 weeks into it. Then she became the demon child, LOL.

Good luck. I hope that it works to restore your hearing. And that you can get in to see your dr’s soon.

Kelly