Will Taking Prednisone Early On Help With The Healing Process Of Tinnitus After Hearing A Rifle Go Off Close To My Head?

Posted on Sat, 26 Feb 2022

Question: I had a rifle go off next to my head indoors, my left ear is extremely sensitive and my tinnitus gets worse any time I hear a loud noise. Will taking prednisone early on help with the healing process or will it make my tinnitus worse?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Oral corticosteroids may help in reducing the inner ear damage

Detailed Answer:

Hi,

Oral corticosteroids may help in reducing the inner ear damage and thus reduce the tinnitus to a certain extent.

Eardrum perforation following acoustic trauma is very common. I would also suggest you get your ears examined by your physician to rule out any perforation of the eardrum and assess the amount of damage to the inner ear.

Also, try taking vitamin B- complex. Avoid alcohol, caffeinated drinks and loud noise.

Hope this answers your query; I’ll be available for the follow up queries.

Regards,

Dr. Naveen Kumar N
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (50 minutes later)

The incident happened a week ago, would a steroid still be effective to take a week after the incident? Is it too late for me to take the steroid? I had a nurse practitioner look at the ear the day after and she said that there might be a tear but she didn’t seem positive that there was a perforation in the ear drum. I have never had tinnitus before and have not been exposed to any loud noise recently other than the gunshot. Is it possible that the tinnitus will go away after the eardrum has healed?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
There is no harm in taking oral steroids even at this stage.

Detailed Answer:

Hi,

1. The incident happened a week ago, would a steroid still be effective to take a week after the incident? Is it too late for me to take the steroid?
A: Even though it is late, I would still recommend you to try taking corticosteroids for a week at least. Corticosteroids being powerful anti-inflammatory medicine may help in reducing the inner ear trauma.

2. I would suggest you get your ear examined by the family physician to rule out any perforation of the eardrum. Also, you would require pure tone audiometry of the ears to assess the amount of trauma to the inner ear.

3. Loud noises at this stage may be annoying, as well as, it may worsen the present condition.

4. Is it possible that the tinnitus will go away after the eardrum has healed?
A: If the tinnitus is secondary to the perforation of the eardrum, then, the noise would definitely get alleviated once the perforation heals.

Hope this clarifies your doubts. Wish you good health.

Regards,
Dr. Naveen Kumar N
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (10 hours later)

Is it completely detrimental that I did not take an oral steroid? Or do I have the ability to heal the inner ear just fine without one? Can you write an online prescription for an oral steeoid? I also stopped smoking cigarettes three days after the exposure to the gunshot. Will not smoking help the healing process? Because I have been overly stressed due to not smoking and it seems like it might have made the tinnitus worse. Also I had extreme Hyperacusis in the ear that was affected and it seems to be getting better as I am not as sensitive to any sound not just loud sounds. Will all of these symptoms go away with time or am I permanently damaged?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (24 hours later)

Brief Answer:
It may not be detrimental if you don’t use steroids.

Detailed Answer:

Hi,

1. It would not be detrimental if you don’t take steroids. But, there are chances that there can be a delay in the healing process.

2. I'm sorry! Online consultation doesn’t permit me to write any prescriptions.

3. Smoking may delay the healing process. Instead of complete cessation of smoking, you can gradually wean off.

4. Things would get better gradually, but, the final outcome depends upon the amount of damage to the inner ear.

Hope this clarifies your doubts; Wish you good health.

Regards,
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee