My Neurotoloigist says, "Anti-viral regiment" should not be believed.

From what my doctor told me, and what I understand, hearing loss in the low ranges indicates Meniere's. I don't know if it can indicate other things too. You might ask about that directly.

Yipes about the tinnitus being louder than the hearing. That sounds very difficult. My tinnitus got a lot better with the anti-virals. It's still there, but it is quieter and a much less irritating tone. Much easier to live with. It did get a little weird during the first few days of the anti-virals. Many people here said the same happened to them, and I was glad to know that in advance or else it would have scared me.

Since your GP prescribed the Valtrex, maybe ask that doctor about the pre-diabetes concern. That kind of doctor would know more about diabetes than the neurotologist I'd think. I'm hopeful for you with the Valtrex.

 

I hope you won't wait a month before starting the Valtrex--that seems like a long time to wait in the awful situation you are in. I am hopeful it will work for you, but if it doesn't then it will be good to know so you can go on to the next thing. Plus, the sooner you get on it the more it can help your hearing, I believe. Could you arrange to talk with the doctor about it by phone?

It's hard to describe what happened with my tinnitus. It was a metallic sort of echoey sound. A very weird sound that I hadn't had before. It did not last for long, but I think it happened a few times in those few days. Other people have had weird sounds at the beginning of taking the Valtrex. I think if it happens it is actually a good sign that the Valtrex is doing something. That really was the first sign of change.

 

Valtrex has very few side effects. One extremely rare one to watch out for is hallucinations. Extremely rare. And they go away as soon as you stop taking the meds.

Get blood work once a year to test for kidney and liver functioning. Also very rare, and easily detectable.

 

Jimmy, my tinnitus has various levels, from a loud roaring, an oscillating type "siren" sound, to very low pitches (at different pitches in each ear). It can be unsettling but fortunately it I know my eardrums won't burst even when it's at it's loudest . The tinnitus in my right ear began it's changes when I received the steroid injections in my inner ear to try to decrease the sudden hearing loss I had in what once was my "good ear". At times I thought a freight train was rolling thru my head. Suffice to say, the injections did not improve my hearing and the tinnitus changes persist. I've learned to live with it. As for the Valtrex side effects....I was diagnosed with Meniere's in the early 1990's. Fortunately, l didn't have any significant episodes of vertigo/dizziness for the next few years. My hearing recovered and I was tinnitus free. Subsequently, and without knowing it's further benefits, I was prescribed Valtrex 500mg daily in 1999 for herpes. In 2005 I developed persistent tinnitus and my hearing loss occurred more predominately toward 2010,but the dizziness/vertigo issues were still nonexistent. I stayed on this dosage for the next 17 years. Since I had not had any outbreaks of herpes in all those years I decided to stop the Valtrex, not knowing what would happen since I did not know then about the correlation with MM and Valtrex. A month after I stopped the Valtrex, my Meniere's symptoms returned. Occasional at first, then more frequently about a two months later, then it hit with a vengeance and hasn't really let up. My hearing has quite diminished, with all the weird tones/pitches,etc described by others here. I'm on a diuretic and have tried the MAV diet for five months. There were other mediciations that my Hopkin's ENT wanted to try, but I too wasn't sure I wanted some other drastic medication. While searching for some kind of answer, I found this site and finally found the research on MM and antivirals. I quickly contacted my GP and have been taking 3000mg daily for almost a month. For all those years I was on 500mg to today when I"m now on 3000mg I have had no side effects at all. The benefits I've had in this last month have offered such wonderful relief. It's still not perfect, I still have my days of being "off"... but I have true faith that it will continue to get even better. In hindsight I wish I"d never stopped the Valtrex in the first place...but that cant be undone now. I hope you conquer your fears of this antiviral approach and that you start your prescription soon. The quicker you start, the quicker you'll find out if you benefit from this or not. I believe you will find benefit.

 

Take a deep breath. No magic bullet. If you tried anti viral and it doesnt work then your doc was right in your case. If it does no harm then its ok to do a trial. Most all MM patients go away after a few years. It just sort of goes into remission and thats it. So many "cures" just buy you time and hope. Kind of like the Meniett Pump...my doc says if its a placebo its a good one....and may get someone through those few years. If no harm try them all one at a time. The Ohio thing, antivirals, Meniett, Betahistine, low salt, diuretics, ...absolutely. The best thing for you to know that there are good treatments via mainstream care if needed. After you progress through the flow chart of care if nothing works there are techniques to dumb down or destroy the bad signals to the brain. Risk being going bilateral. But even then there is hope and life. Good luck. Good caring people here. If you are unsure about your doc go get a 2nd or even third opinion. I recommend Dr Tim Hain in Chicago as a 2nd opinion site. Great guy. Will email you back same day. Read his writings and see if a spark jumps. Good luck. Peace.