I saw results quickly, but my doctor says that some of her patients have taken the high dose for months before seeing anything. I would not have quit after three weeks, even if I had no improvement. Maybe after six months.
I would seek out a different doctor who is willing to use the appropriate dose of 3000 mg to start. And try valacyclovir instead.
So much variance of time frame. Well to make things more clear and not to waste time if I can help it, I just ate 1/3rd of a dark chocolate bar since chocolate is a nono for MAV. Let's see if it makes any difference...
Just the opposite it dilates the blood vessels which cause headaches/migraines or MAV (headache not required)
Red wine another MAV not to drink/eat is also a dilator. I think I get it now. If you exercise a lot blood flow is increased throughout the body and brain which is a good thing. So it's not that there is too much blood flow and dilation, I'm guessing that for some people with certain neck alignment issues or soft tissue discrepancies near sensitive areas might be causing the headaches or improper signals. Think about it, if your blood vessels dilate too much and there is some kind of kinkage of some sort or an alignment issue or some tissue that there is too much of wether fat/muscle or whatever near all this and the ballooning of the blood vessel causes pressure on some sensitive nerves or spinal cord, then voila, you got improper signals, headaches, unsteadiness. Once again a theory, i think it makes sense.
Will be two weeks tomorrow since I started Acyclovir, I have had some busy days and stress days(good stress, grandchildren) but I had to travel 5 hours to see them, am still having slight dizzy spells, but I am always afraid they are going to get worse so I pop an Ativan under my tongue, I started Lysine last night, the tinnitus is still not good, I am starting to get discouraged but I have to remind myself it is still only 2 weeks. I am going to be switching jobs at the end of August, another stress factor, but I am switching because I will be able to work only 2 days a week, cutting down to part time, stress, stress, more days off but less pay of course, but I am hoping in the long run it will actually be better for me, cant afford to go on social security yet, two more years and then I can get Medicare for insurance. Am leaving for work now, so better go, I have the Acyclovir and lysine packed with me, one with lunch and one after lunch!
Hi Linda, do not worry, it may be to early to say. Although I only suffer from right-ear tinnitus between my episodes, I think that I started to feel much better overally after introducing Lemon Bioflavonoids and Vinpocetine on top of Acyclovir, Lysine, and Gingko.
Wellllll, yesterday was the first day i didn't take an ativan! since starting acyclovir and introducing lysing, i am ready to try introducing other supplements of JOH, but am holding back till Sat. for the next one! I am a little dizzy this AM but it is my stay at home morning, go to work this afternoon, so far, no ativan! The tinnitus is very loud, but a rainstorm moved through during the night, don't need my hearing aides at home! Will leave them out until i leave for work, my biggest problem lately has been understanding speech while talking on the telephone, I am beginning to hate the telephone and dread answering it.
Last Wednesday, August 19, I had my worse ever vertigo attack. I had been doing so good since since starting acyclovir and introducing JOH regime. I was supposed to go to have my allergy testing done but had to cancel because even with ativan and/or meclazine I couldn't travel. The day before the attack was my last day in my old position at work and will be moving to a different department and will be cutting down to part time, my choice, to see if less work would cut back on stress, I really don't know if that stress of moving caused the attack or what, but on Friday, we still made the 278 mile trip to see our grand children, they live in the same town as the allergy testing. I was nervous about making the trip but everything went well and we are home again. The weird thing, my hearing got sooooo much better after the attack, I had to take my hearing aides out at times because I could not get them low enough and I could hear and understand speech better without them! Today the tinnitus is back, I orientate to my new position tomorrow. Meniere's is so unpredictable, still taking anti-viral and supplements, it will be one month on Wed. since I started the acyclovir, I was going to cut back to two times a day instead of three times a day, but maybe I better wait one more week.
Hi Linda, Please do not get discouraged. You are in the very beginning of using the antivirals to suppress the virus. It can take months to keep it in its latent state and when stressful situations, allergies, illness, fatigue, weather etc anything that will weaken the immune system will wake up that little sucker. My advice is to wait another 2 weeks to decrease since you had a setback. Which many do (have setbacks) when first taking an antiviral. Also when you do decrease I suggest taking it 4 or 5 times a day to keep it in your system, acyclovir only lasts about 6 hours. So if you decrease to 2000 mg or 1600 mg take 400 mg 4(for 1600) 5(for 2000mg) times a day. If you have an 800 mg pill cut them in half. Keep in mind Dr Gacek's protocol is a guideline, everyone is different. I went from 2400 mg to 2000 mg to 1600 mg to 1200 mg to 800 mg. It took me 8 months to be able to decrease from 1200 mg to 800 mg w/o getting any symptoms back.
Thanks Vicki, I was just going to cut back to 2 x a day, then 1 x a day, I do have 800 mg tabs and your way sounds much better. The pharmacist told me to take it with food, so I have some pills to take with food and some before or after meals from the JOH regime, do you take your acyclovir with food?
nope not as a rule I take it w/o food, but if you find it upsets your stomach have something to eat if its not meal time, a little snack with it. But I have had no issues taking it w/o food and my tummy gets upsets at the slightest thing.
Thanks Vicki, it does not say on the bottle to take with food, only to take with plenty of water, I am not sure why the pharmacist told me to take with food, I think she may have been wondering what I was taking it for, because she asked if I had shingles, I told her no I was taking it for Meniere's
Am cutting back to Acyclovir 2000 mg daily to see how it works, 800 in am, 400 at noon and 800 in evening. I saw my internist yesterday, he was interested in how the acyclovir was working. I told him I had just switched jobs last week, which I hope will be better in the long run so I will have to work only 2 days a week (12 hour days), but only 2 at a long term care facility. I had my employee labs drawn last week because I am still having off balance, slightly dizzy days, but stress is my biggest trigger, even good stress, my sodium was a little on the low side and I am not taking any diuretic, he said he would like it to be in the 140 range, it was 134, anyway he suggested to limit my fluid, no water and only 1200 cc's of other liquid a day for one week, he thinks I will feel better with my sodium level higher. The problem is he is treating my low sodium and not my Meniere's, I will try it and see how it goes, at least he is agreeable to the acyclovir and JOH regime. I see my ENT the 14 th of Sept. He doesn't know I stopped the diuretic yet, he also doesn't know of the acyclovir or JOH regime yet. I am off to a vacation time with all of my children, husband and 3 grandchildren this week! I can hardly wait! It will be so good to see everyone at the same time again!