Hi, It's been awhile since I've been here (had to register again as I forgot my username!) and I'm writing on behalf of my mom. She had an upper respiratory infection many years ago where she developed vertigo & tinnitus symptoms. The vertigo symptoms went away but the tinnitus symptoms remained. Fast forward to Nov. 2013 and she again had an upper respiratory infection where she developed vertigo symptoms ( she also lost her balance & fell twice) which unfortunately has not gone away. The only doctor she sees occasionally is her allergist (for asthma and allergies) as she takes daily Singular & Qvar. She saw this doctor when she had the upper respiratory infection (severe broncoasthma) in Nov. 2013 and after an office visit with him a few months later, she told him about the vertigo symptoms and he gave her meclizine but it did not help her as it actually made her more drowsy which in turn made her more dizzy. She saw her allergist again in Dec 2015 to get new prescriptions but basically because of the vertigo symptoms. He thinks she may have Meniere's because of the vertigo, tinnitus & some hearing loss (plus some nausea). He suggested she see an ENT specialist. My mom took Allegra in Jan & Feb 2016, thinking it may help her allergies, contact dermatitis & the vertigo. It did help her allergies & contact dermatitis but it did not help with the vertigo symptoms. She stop taking the medication because it made her drowsy and that it turn, made the vertigo symptoms worse. I also wanted to add that since the vertigo symptoms came back again, every time she drinks her daily coffee (which she loves!) she gets drowsy & dizzy. I also would like to add that the other reasons her doctor feels it's Meniere's-related is because she has no high blood pressure nor heart related problems My mom is interested in taking anti-viral medications (as she is tired of the vertigo symptoms and wants to be more independent & function better) so I thought I'd ask you guys which medications you take & would recommend. Also I am interested John of Ohio Meniere's regime and/or any suggestions you can think of as well as the name of a Neurotologist in the NYC area who is kind & gentle with older folks as my mom is ninety one years young, sharp as a tack ( does daily crossword puzzles) but a little grumpy! My mom really wants to feel better (and so do I!) again (primarily because of the vertigo symptoms), so I would kindly appreciate any suggestions/ feedback that you can offer to help her achieve that. Thanks in advance for your help! Pam
Is she dizzy/off balance or the room spins round and round? If the room spins, does it spin for seconds-minutes, or does it spin for hours?
My mom's main issue is extreme dizziness (as the day goes by) as she turns around in her daily chores and it effects her walking too. She's had so far one spinning room episode.
If she is dizzy/off balance versus full room spinning I don't know personally that I would agree that it is Meniere's. MAV might be a more likely possibility. BPVV could be another possibility if the spins are very short - if so those are easily treated with EPLEY. If your mom's dr will agree to anti-virals definitely give it a try. I am on valcyclovir (valtrex). Protocol is 3x day for the first 3 weeks, then 2x day for three weekds then 1x day. I stayed at the full dose for 2 months before tapering down. Another thing - although some here do not believe it helps - I definitely like my Nucca dr. Others here have found some relief with Nucca - getting the head/neck aligned. If you want to drive a bit further, you could go direct to the "godfather" of anti-virals Dr Gacek at UMass. Really thing though that pursuing other possibilities make sense. Has your mom's dr tried a round of full strong antibiotics for her? Since it happened after an issue? And I don't mean that 5 day z-pack. A strong broad spectrum antibiotic for 14 days (definitely make sure to take a probiotic when on that med as it wreaks havoc on the stomach - not within 1 hr of the med though). All of this said - I am not a dr. Just believe that from what you have shared there may be something else going on with your mom.