First of all, sorry for asking so many questions. I'm relatively new on here and the information has been awesome. So my question here is how many on here have tried prescription anti-virals and have NOT had success? I'm seeing a new doctor and with the research I've been doing it seems like this may be the route I'm looking at. I've heard a lot of success stories, but not many that have said that it hasn't worked. Thanks.
The reality is this question has been talked about on this forum for years......and the other reality is that every time puts up or starts a poll about antivirals the overwhelming majority of members have indicated they do not help or they have not been cured by antivirals. Give them a shot!!! If they work great if not don't get discouraged. you have many other options.
^ That is the truth. Many become disciples, and some become so evangelical in their endorsement that they will brook no argument that contradicts their own version of their truth. So suck it and see. But don’t be disappointed if it is not the magic bullet that some claim it is....
I've been on AV's for about 8 months now and I still have tinnitus and ear fullness from time to time. I did not experience the complete healing that some do, however my vertigo attacks have subsided to one every few months now so I feel they've helped some. You also have to take that into consideration when analyzing AV's sometimes there isn't a complete regression of symptoms just a moderate.
This board is not the right place to ask these questions, as these are the really tough cases. So while 90% are finding relief in the regular world, it might be closer to 50% here. There is also the issue of some brands (e.g. Mylan) not working very well. Give it a try, and hope it works. If not, then move on to something else.
That sounds like a success story to me. I would have been happy to just stop the vertigo. And you may also be preventing further hearing loss and bilateral damage. Have you tried going back to the max dose for longer?
I have thought about going up in the dosage, my doctor prescribed the full years prescription so I would just have to explain why I ran short. My vertigo attacks are spaced much further apart so it may be hard to tell how effective upping the dose may be. Might be worth a try.
It will probably get better anyway, just more slowly over time if you stay at the maintenance dose. But getting rid of vertigo is Job #1.
Bulldog Why do you say that the overwhelming majority indicate that AV don't help??? I read otherwise everywhere??
He's getting that from a poll on this site. Obviously, most people who are "cured" no longer hang out to fill out polls, so it over-represents the tough cases. The data from 1000's of patients nationwide is about 90% success rate, just like Gacek reported in this peer-reviewed paper. http://www.mm3admin.co.za/documents/docmanager/6e64f7e1-715e-4fd6-8315-424683839664/00056616.pdf
Sign me up on the success side of AV's. Three months into Northstar acyclovir 3G per day stepped down to 2G per day and my life has returned. I was getting "seasick" most days for months. Hearing was seriously degraded in my bad ear and the tinnitus was off the charts loud. Now no balance issues, noise level down, and my hearing is much improved.
I tried the AVs without any success and eventually had the gold standard for single side meneres , the Laby . I encourage everyone to try everything they can to fix the problem , but be careful not to spend years jumping from one fix to another just to wind up right where you started . I am an advocate for the laby because it gave me and countless others our lives back . Good Luck !!
I agree with what you're saying. It seems that not everyone responds to any treatment the same way that another may respond. We each have to assess what is the best path for our particular needs. I'm happy you're happy with your approach.