oral steriods and injection

The ear injections go straight to the ear. They're different treatments.

The worst part would be a fast sting and a spin but the spin passes quickly and is because the ear has been flooded.
There was another thread discussing this but I don't remember where it was. Maybe back some pages or maybe someone else Weill remember.
I've had them done.

Good Luck to you.

 

Generally speaking a doctor will put you on prednisone(also a steroid) and if you find relief they will conclude that a steroid would be an effective treatment. JOH has commented on this forum that the steroid is addressing the inflammation which is caused by a virus. You have to make up your own mind. I had considered it until it was established that I had MAV.

Good luck and good health.

 

From my own experience I would try one injection if you have success great. If not do not take multiple shots. I was told 2 at the most if 2 doesn't take care of the vertigo than most likely more shots will not do what you are hoping for. I had one shot and had relief for about 8 months. Keep in mind that the first shot will probably make you feel like a drunken sailor for about 3 weeks. Good luck I hope you find relief.

 

I didn't have that drunken sailor thing at all. My Dr will try the less invasive treatments first.

Get bloodwork done with a herpes panel. If it's positive there's a good chance antiviral treatments will help.

 

HELLO!!!
I GOT GREAT NEWS!!
Background: I am a 24 year old male that has been diagnosed with Meniere's Disease last year. I was having severe episodes of vertigo that at one point was every-other day. I had a CT and MRI both done to rule out structure abnormalities and acoustic neuromas.

Anyways, there is actually a clinical trial going on with a new drug (OTO-104). It is actually amazing. The drug is a steroid injection that is accompanied by a gel, so it keeps the steroid in the inner ear space and keeps it from draining out (which would be the issue from a normal steroid injection). I highly recommend googling OTO-104 (or click the following link: http://www.otonomy.com/pipeline/oto-104/). The drug is currently showing promising results (95% success rate thus far) and is currently on "Fast-Track" pace with the FDA. It will hopefully be approved and released by the end of this year (2017) or early 2018. I am currently 25 days vertigo free, which is the longest I have gone ever since my first episode 2-3 years ago.

If the clinical trial isn't in your area (I am enrolled in Virginia Beach, VA) or it might already be filled with enough applicants, there will be relief soon! I am absolutely loving it right now. Just hang in there!

- Colin

 

First, it's always good to have other options, and i hope this works out.

Where does it say 95% success rate?

That sounds like it barely works better than placebo.

I also don't see anything about preventing long-term vertigo or hearing loss.

But again, let's hope it does work. Anything is better than nothing. I will still continue with antivirals, because in cases where it is viral, steroids will not do much, and in fact, can make it worse due to their immune reduction issues.

 

Scott,

0.067 means that it is likely 93.3% chance that the results are not due to randomization. Statistical significance is deemed at 0.05 (or 5%) meaning that at or below 0.05 (5%) the null hypothesis is rejected. The null hypothesis always states that whatever you hypothesize (in this case the drug working) is due to random chance. So the Otonomy group hypothesized that this drug will significantly improve people's experience with vertigo for people in the "experimental group" vs the "Control (placebo). Therefore, the null hypothesis would be that the drug wouldn't work and that the difference between the experimental and control group is due to random chance.

The issue that makes it harder for them to prove clinical significance is that the placebo is not a true placebo. It is just the "gel" and no steroid. However, some people experience relief because they just needed an object (the "gel) placed in that small space within the ear.

I believe it was actually on my clinical consent form that it explicitly stated that the results that are currently ongoing in the UK and now USA.

Second, from my understanding is they are thinking that this injection will last 3 months (which is better than 1 or so week of a regular steroid injection). However, they are still unaware of that part. That's what the primarily the study in the UK is focusing on to see if an injection every 3 months makes symptoms better or have the same results. Ideally, when I was speaking to the ENT when I had my monthly check up while being enrolled, the drug will obviously come with "suggested" times for injection, but it will primarily just be based on when symptoms occur again, which should be a minimum of 3 months.

Trust me, I was having vertigo every-other day and it was miserable. I couldn't study, couldn't take exams, and couldn't get any of my lab work done. I was so slow moving with everything that I did because of it and it sucked. This is just a dramatic improvement.
With my audiology test on 2/16, I only had slight improvement with my hearing in my left ear, but I am not really concerned about that so much as just the vertigo. I have had ringing/feeling fullness/muffled sounds in my left ear since 2012. It was the vertigo that would really impact my life. I am just glad I am able to have that stop.

I hope that clarifies some things.

Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,
Colin

 

I hope, of course, that this particular new therapy will provide chronic symptomatic relief.

My concerns are these, however.

There is now overwhelming evidence that the majority of Meniere's cases have as the root cause a herpes virus infection of the inner ear or its associated nerves. The activity of this virus causes inflammation, reduced inner ear circulation, and fluid accumulation (among other untoward effects).

The question it this: Is the gelled steroid actually suppressing the root-cause virus, or, is it merely, for a time, masking symptoms by acutely reducing the viral-induced inflammation?

How long will symptomatic suppression last? Must there be periodic re-injections of the steriod gell?

Of greater concern, will the gell somehow keep the virus from migrating to the contralateral ear and keep it from causing symptoms there?

Concomitant administration of lysine or an antiherpetic drug (valcyclovir, et al.) would seem to be indicated, so as to provide chronic suppression of viral activity. Both lysine and antiherpetic drugs have shown substantial efficacies against herpes viruses.

I fear that the gell mearly masks acute symptoms, with more ominous chronic outcomes. I know of no evidence that steroids suppress herpes virus activity. They can, for a time at least, suppress inflammation and the untoward symptoms that provokes.

--John of Ohio