I'm considering trying a 6-day trial of Medrol....and since we lost the thread in the crash, I was hoping people would post their experiences in using steroids for this. I know there were some strong feelings both ways. Thanks.
I have never taken Medrol but have taken Prednisone four or five times in the last year. I have lost all hearing in my right ear and wear a hearing aid in the left. Sometimes the left ear will take a dive and the aid doesn't even help. The Prednisone usually brings the hearing back up to "normal". Although they have worked well for me, I don't like taking them. They make me extremely nervous and I don't sleep well. I do get alot of work done around the house, though I have never had a bad experience with them other than the nervousness. I always heard they would make you gain weight but I never have. The outcome of taking them has always been worth the nervousness for me but other people might have had different reactions. Maybe this helps a little?
The Medrol pack is a form of prednisone, just a particular dosing regime. I love it. It makes the flutteries go away. Doesn't help with my dizziness, though. Lots of energy, little sleeping. The Medrol pack usually runs for 6 days, you probably won't gain weight in that amount of time.
I got to thinking about that after I posted, that it was probably the same thing. I have always taken it for six days at a time. Starting with six pills, five, four.....
I don't have profound hearing loss so I don't know what it does for hearing. I tried it once had no relief from the vertigo, in fact it made it worse, but that could have been because I couldn't sleep while I took them.
I am on my third week of prednisone. I would like to taper off, but when I try the horror show comes back. Hope I get some actual help soon. Or maybe this is it.
Thornapple, what do you mean by "horror show"? You mean your Meniere's symptoms, or something else? Are you able to lower your dose at all? What I'm looking at is 24 mg the first day, 20 the second, 16 the third, and so on, and in 6 days they are gone.
Well, I have a lot going on in my right ear. I have a little benign tumor in there and frankly they are just guessing what else I have. My inner ear gets inflamed and hot and swollen and pain travels down my neck and I get tinnitus that drives me to the asylum. I have had tinnitus for about 7 years and thought I was used to it, but nothing prepared me for banshees, feedback, helicoptors and furnace motors in my right ear. It's so loud it wakes me up. And I can't understand what people are saying. while these episodes are going on, more of my balance goes, too. So anything that stops it right now is worth trying in my book.
I was on the predisone 3 week pack but every month for a year. I could hear and no vertigo, but it wrecked chaos on body, worse than pregnancy weight. I was tired and felt like a a hot air balloon.
That's the one thing I've always heard by anyone who has taken prednisone - they anger easily and are difficult to reason with. That's the only bad side effect I've heard of though and with just 6 days trial and a polite warning to friends/family, I'd still give it a try. (just my two cents worth) Amethyst
When people refer to using a "burst" of steroids, how many mg are we talking about? I am trying it, by the way. Just wondering how this 24 mg dose on the strongest day compares.
Abra- In prednisone terms....24mg is not strong at all. I can't say I was aware that it actually came in this dosage, I thought actual prednisone came in 10mg tablets and increased in 10mg increments. Ah- but looking back, you are on a medrol dose pack which is different. Most people do tolerate that one without problems at all (6 days is in no terms considered long term for steroids). Hope it does what you need it too! Best wishes, Dianna
Hi Abra Sorry I haven't replied to your post before this but life has been keeping me busy and now the MM has flared up a bit again and I find it hard to concentrate and type anything that makes sense I have had 2 experiences with prednisone...one many years ago when I had some weird autoimmune reaction to a virus (at least that is what they thought...was dx as autoimmune connective tissue disorder ???) and put on the Medrol Pack for 6 days...I felt absolutely great, got my energy back and had no side effects whatsoever and it had the desired effect of reducing my ANA (anti nuclear antibodies) back to normal levels and I suppose "cured" the disease. I did have unilateral MM (R) at the time but it was in remission. The second time was in 2000 when they found I had the anti-cochlear antibody in my blood and dx me with bilateral MM/autoimmune inner ear disorder...the MM had become bilateral 4 years earlier and I was havng major problems with my balance and hearing, so the docs decided that prednisone was the Tx :-\ :-\ I agreed, as I was desperate and and went onto a high dose (60mgs for a month, then to 20mgs daily) It was not a good experience and I had many side effects to that amount. I did not gain weight as it made me nauseated all the time and I couldn't eat much BUT it certainly made me...ummm...not me at all. I was very cranky all the time, flew into rages easily, couldn't sleep, was anxious all the time and caught every bug that was out and about looking for their next victim I also ended up in hospital with cardiac artery spasm, that they put down to a side effect of the prednisone I had stayed on it for 3 months at the 20mg dose and then I had had enough and refused to take it anymore (after the hospital admission)....BUT...it did put the MM/AIED into remission and saved my only hearing ear from going the way of my deaf one ;D I got 2 1/2 years remission from vertigo and my hearing stablised, then the monster came back and literally bit me on the bum in late 2002 after an episode of extreme stress/panic and anxiety/depression (not related to the MM) I had many, many vertigo attacks over the next 2 years (which appears to have knocked out my remaining balance system) and sent my only remaining ear into burnout, at least in relation to my balance My hearing has diminished a bit, but I will never take the steroids again, due to the side effects : Currently I am having 6 monthly hearing screens to assess my loss in my only hearing ear and if it drops the ENT has suggested I try intratympanic dex, but he is very reluctant to do it as it might cause more harm than good...and my inner jury is still out on that one :-\ :-\ Has this made any sense to what you asked ??? ??? My brain fog has been bad the last few days I hope your burst of Medrol helps, please let us know how it is going Maggie
