Clinical Research Directory

Inclusion Criteria: * Patient older than 18 years and younger than 81 years and * Diagnosed with one sided idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss by physical examination, history, audiology, speech interpretation tests and tinnitus evaluation and * Seen in the clinic within the first 14 days after the onset of symptoms. and * Mean hearing threshold equal to or worse than \>30 dB averaged across three consecutive frequencies. * Excellent English Speaking and Comprehension Exclusion Criteria: * Children * Prisoners * Pregnant women * Patients who have experienced similar prior events of SSNHL * Patients with bacterial infections, mycoplasma, Lyme disease, tuberculosis, syphilis, fungal infections, * Autoimmune inner ear disease * Middle ear inflammation or effusion * Ototoxic medication such as chemotherapy, loop diuretics, high dose aspirin, etc. * Head Trauma, lead poisoning * Genetic disorders affecting hearing * Mitochondrial disorders, including MELAS (metabolic encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes), stroke, Cogan's syndrome * Neoplastic (neurofibromatosis II, bilateral vestibular schwannomas, carcinomatous meningitis, intravascular lymphomatosis, others) * Sarcoidosis * Hyperviscosity syndrome * Diabetes * Use of statins within the last 12 months * Allergy, hypersensitivity or intolerance to any components of the study medication * Prior tinnitus * Prior otologic surgery other than ventilation tubes * History of drug abuse or alcoholism within the prior 2 years * Any psychiatric syndrome requiring treatment with neuroleptics, antidepressants, hypnotics or anxiolytics * Severe systemic neurologic disease (epilepsy, Parkinson's, dementia/Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis * Oral steroid treatment within the preceding 30 days * Heart disease or TIAs * Chronic kidney failure * HIV, Hepatitis B or C * Active shingles * Skull, facial or temporal bone anomalies