Anti viral feed back and time scales

The drop in your attacks sounds promising, and aciclovir has helped others with similar symptoms. As for JOH, it might depend on how your body responds to the antivirals, some people continue using both, while others adjust based on their results. It’s still early, so if you’re noticing improvements in your tinnitus or pressure, that’s a positive sign. I’d suggest staying in touch with your healthcare provider throughout this process to ensure everything’s in sync.

 

I will not be the best test subject, but here is the results from my own personal experience. I started both the JOH and Valacyclovir just over two months ago (as in July 10th). From the time I started till September 10th I did not have more than two days straight of good days. I only had one day where my head truly felt clear (not my ear, but my brain in being able to process info and even remember my kids names). I have been symptom free from the 10th on. The tinnitus is the same but the fullness has decreased some. Seven days in a row of clear thinking and no dizziness. My hearing is still poor and the tinnitus is still very present. But I can live life and return to work with this. If by some chance the hearing improves and tinnitus improves I will update this post. Anyway, that is my update. If you have specific questions please feel free to ask.

 

No side effects that I can pinpoint. Still eating low sodium and gluten free.

 

Hi, how long ago did you start eating gluten free?

 

Good Morning,
Glad to see you're seeing some improvement! I started acyclovir about 16 months ago, initially was 3 times a day now I'm at 2 times a day. I still include some parts of JOH- I take one lysine daily, vinpocentine, Vitamin E among a bunch of others. I posted a very long detailed writing of everything I do, if you search my posts you'll find it. My hearing has returned to almost normal, no vertigo in 15 months. Occasional ear fullness and rarely morning tinnitus. I have an appointment tomorrow at ENT for annual check of hearing and I hope it's even better than last year. Keep going, don't give up. I've seen stories of people regaining hearing after years of loss. Best wishes to you!

 

Went gluten free about the same time as starting JOH and valacyclovir. Honestly I don’t think it’s a trigger for me. But my wife thinks it might be good for her so I am doing it with her.

As far as Valacyclovir, I started at 3x a day and I think I will stay at 2x a day for quite a while. I figure if it’s working I don’t want to mess with it.

If my hearing comes back I will be ecstatic! But for right now I am ticked pink that I am 8 days straight of no dizziness or vertigo. I am looking forward to going back to work!

 

Did you take aciclovir continuously or stopped from time to time?

 

Have never stopped taking it, although I did lower the frequency from three times a day to twice a day after 2 months as directed by prescribing ENT. No side effects or issues at all with this med.

 

Hi all,

I am new member (male, 37), have been diagnosed with Menieres last year but I am struggling since beginning of 2023.
I started with the JOH regimen about two months ago, been to the chiropractor probably 20 times in the last 12 months for upper cervical alignment and reduced my caffeine intake drastically.
The fullness in my ear almost disappeared, vertigo became significantly less and I feel clearer in my head (less brain fog). However, hearing on my left ear is still very bad which makes it hard for me to follow meetings in larger groups, tinnitus is still there and brain fog and feeling of general uneasiness is still at a level where I have the feeling I can't drive my career as I would like to.

I want to try out a longer antiviral therapy as suggested by Dr. Gacek, however I can't find any ENT in Austria that would prescribe me Acyclovir/Valacyclovir for more than two weeks as they are concerned that it would cause my kidneys to fail (no particular issues with my kidneys, they just say it's dangerous in general to take those pills for more than two weeks).
I've tried Valacyclovir for two weeks and didn't experience significant changes to my issues, however I felt a mild, piercing pain in my affected ear from time to time that I have had never before, as if some battle between antivirals vs. virus is going on there.

I've managed to buy 5 packs of Acyclovir in Kazakhstan (it is prescription free there), however I am feeling unsure whether it is worth the risk to get kidney issues.

My question to the audience: I've read here a few times that people are taking Acyclovir/Valacyclovir for a years without having issues. How do you monitor your kidneys? How often do you have medical check ups? Do you drink more than you did before in order to support your kidneys? Did you experience any kidney pain or any other issues and how did you resolve those?

Many thanks,
Alex

 

I've been taking valacyclovir since March of 2019, 3 grams a day with zero problems.
At 74 the doc makes me come every 6 months for a checkup and bloodwork.
Quit vodka, coffee and the salt shaker about 8 years ago and went to nothing but water and a probiotic drink. My water consumption has gone up significantly.
You might ask, why do you continue taking valacyclovir?
It started in May of 2017 with 12 hour bouts of vertigo and then got worse. Roaring tinnitus, full headedness, brain fog like you can't believe, hearing was fading away. Vertigo episodes about 2 times a week, my life was a complete wreck. I pushed the puke bucket across the floor as I crawled to the bathroom.
About 3 days into taking valacyclovir I noticed the fullness in my head got better. The vertigo episodes continued but I could tell they weren't as severe. Tinnitus slowly improved and the brain fog got better. It took 6 months till the vertigo stopped, October 1st 2019 was my last episode. Then my hearing improved back to what it was originally...I'm all normal again!
So...it's been 6 years that I beat this beast and I am never going back to that dark hole in my life.
The Family Doc continues to prescribe 3 grams a day and I'm never gonna quit.

 

That’s a great update!

I am two months in with Valacyclovir, but I jumped in with both feet with the JOH at the same time. For two months I could not string more than two decent days together. I took 3gm’s a day for a month and then switched to 2gm’s a day. At exactly two months I had a breakthrough and have now had 10 good days in a row. Obviously it is still early for me, but ow what a relief. My hearing is still poor at best and tinnitus is very pronounced, but if I don’t get vertigo again I can live with it. If it gets better, then Hallelujah! I plan on sticking with 2gm’s a day for at least a year as long as everything looks good. Maybe after a year I might drop to 1gm a day. I still plan on doing both Valacyclovir and JOH together. Like I said, if it keeps my head clear and stable it will be well worth it.