I have been dealing with symptoms off and on for 9 years. I finally am seeing Dr Derebery and started the allergy shots 3 months ago and she started me on the Famciclovir last week. I am curious for those of you that had improvements on allergy shots, when did you start to notice them? And for those of you that have had success on antivirals - how quickly did you notice improvements?
Not sure about allergy shots. AV's are a 3 month regimen as a trial. Some see improvements in weeks. Others seem to go through a period of worse symptoms before the improvement begins.
I started to see intermittent improvement from antivirals within a couple weeks. Not complete or steady relief but noticeable improvement within weeks. The antivirals had the most impact on the distortion and tinnitus. The allergy shots took a long time. It was so gradual, i couldnt really tll you when but after 2 to 3 years things had changed in a major and measurable way. Specifically, i went from a moderate hearing loss to an audiogrqm in the normal range. I lost the fullness in my ear and what felt to me (but was not considered so by the doctors) like middle ear issues went away. Good luck, be patient, look at the trend not each individual day.
June - this is so encouraging. I’ve tried so many things and have been disappointed when they fell short. I have so much hope that the antiviral and allergy shots are going to make a difference. Thank you for taking the time to answer.
I started AVs in March of this year. My worst audiogram showed a 70db loss in the lowest frequency and that was in November of 2018. My last audiogram in August showed a 35db loss in that frequency. I still have tinnitus and distortion, but they are less than they were last year. I started on allergy shots under Dr Derebery in late May, so I’be been on them a little over 4 months. I don’t think they have done anything just yet, but my understanding is it takes some time on the maintenance dose to see if they will help. I’ll post any notable changes on this thread if they occur.
I can’t speak to allergy shots but I started Valtrex in May this year. Symptoms got worse for a few weeks then were minimal for a couple months. I titrated down to 2000mg for a while then to 1000mg. Unfortunately 1000 must have been too low because within a week all my symptoms were back to terrible-fullness, pressure, hearing loss, rumbling loud tinnitus and brain vibrating. Dizziness was not increased though. I immediately went back up to 2000mg and it took 10 days for everything to calm down. It’s been two weeks now of minimal symptoms thank god, just some rumbling on and off but it’s tolerable. Maybe it’s all coincidence or maybe 2000mg is my maintenance dose. Good luck
I had allergy shots for about 2.5 years, I think? I had really extreme reactions to them, however, and quit when a)I had an anaphylactic reaction(good thing they make you wait 30 minutes after the shots) and b)about that same time my insurance ran out. This was more than a decade ago. The only lasting benefit I’ve noticed is that I can now be in the same room with a cat for about thirty minutes before my reactions start. It used to be immediate. I was supposed to take them at least five years, so I’m not surprised they’ve not been of greater benefit to me. I have to take a slew of allergy medication. I’d REALLY like to try the sublingual immunotherapy, but it’s $200 per month/per bottle where I live. I’d probably need at least three bottles to get all of my major allergens covered, and my understanding is that it’s not covered by any insurance. Antivirals didn’t work for me, but I think I’m an anomaly, as I can’t tolerate them or the necessary supplements. My stomach/intestines strongly object. I believe I’m allergic to many medication binding agents, but even in low dose, my system refused supplements/antivirals. Of note, I also have to watch out for my kidney health, so I fall into that minute category that probably never should have tried. When you’re desperate you’ll try anything that works for other people. FYI, off topic, but I really like cats, not just dogs. Recently, I read they’re getting close to a cat allergy vaccine. That’d be swell!
Autumn, i took shots for about 8 years and just like you, now i can be around cats for about a half an hour. I also got some improvement with mosquitos but not complete. So far so good with the ears even though i have quit the shots.
Allergy shots and Antivirals helped me, the shots took a while maybe a year its been about 5 years now and I still get them for my horrible allergies. Antivirals 3-4 months before I noticed a difference and now its been 3 years and maybe a bad spell once or twice a year now.
How many mg of Famvir did Dr. Derebery put you on? North Star? I called North Star directly and they said they don't make Famvir any longer.