Damn - I am sorry to hear that you have problems with both ears. I am hoping that my Meniere's stays in my left ear only as my right ear is pretty good.
So that's three week's done with Acyclovir at 2400mg per day (800mg three times a day). For the next three weeks I am going to step it down to 1600mg per day (800mg twice a day) as per the Gacek literature.
Hi Al DM, Just read this thread and am wondering if the steroid injections worked for you at all? Any info would be helpful, I'm booked in to have an injection in a couple of months and would love to know if they helped (or didn't). Any info would be great, Mike.
Hi Mike, Well, I had the steroid injections in October and I haven't had any Meniere's episodes since then. After the 3rd injection, my ENT told me that the hearing in my affected ear improved slightly - I didn't really notice any difference though. I still have tinnitus and a partially blocked feeling in that ear. But, no dizziness, no vertigo at all. That said, I am also doing the JOH regime and taking Acyclovir, so it could be any of the three things keeping it at bay, or even just a remission period. Make of that what you will. I would say definitely have the injections. It's a little uncomfortable, but not too bad.
Thanks for the reply, that's good to know. I'm going to try everything. First the injections, then if they don't work, I'm going to try gentamicin and then if that doesn't work, a Labyrinthectomy. I've tried the regimen, betahistine and a diet with zero salt or sugar but they only seem to help a little. Although actually, I find the low salt and sugar diet seems to help the most. If I eat food with high salt it's regular drop attacks in a matter of days. Are you able to eat more normal food now following the injections? That's what I'm hoping for, not just an end to the vertigo but to be able to eat an interesting and more varied diet once again. Glad to hear you have had some relief! Mike.
Mark, I eat a 100% "normal" diet. No restrictions whatsoever and I enjoy probably far too much salt and alcohol. I don't eat much sugar at all though - but I just prefer savoury to sweet food. I am thinking about trying gluten free in the near future though. No big deal to me as I tend to do low carb for a few months and then relax the diet for a few months (I also have T2 diabetes). All the best, Al
Hi Al, Thanks for all the info. Sorry, one more question. In a previous post you mention that "Well, I found out how to get the Acyclovir and it will arrive next week". Annoyingly, my doc wont prescribe this for me but I'd like to give it a go. Any idea where I may be able to get some? Thanks, Mike.
No problem. I don't know where you are based, but I am in the UK so this may not be helpful. I use an online pharmacy called Dr. Fox (www.doctorfox.co.uk) and they will dispense Acyclovir without a doctor's prescription. You have to fill in an online consultation form - and here's the fun bit - you have to say that you have genital Herpes as part of that form. For some reason, Acyclovir is available for that without needing to physically see a doctor....
Great, thanks so much for the info Al, I really appreciate it, I've never heard of that site. I'll give anything a go to be rid of Meniere's!
Hi again Al DM, I've just had a dexamethasone injection and am ready to start with the Aciclovir. On the Dr Fox website you suggested I'm looking at getting the "accord 400mg Aciclovir tablets" to treat and prevent genital herpes! Just want to check these are the ones that you took. Also, How much do you take daily and at what time do you take them? For example, do you take the 800mg in the am, afternoon and pm? Any info would be great, Mike.
Mike, Really sorry for the slow reply, but yes those are the ones. I started with a high dose and then tapered down to a maintenance dose. So first 2 weeks was 800mg three times a day, then I went to 2 weeks of 800mg twice a day and now I take 800mg every morning with the rest of my JOH supplements. All the best, Al
No worries at all, thanks for taking the time to reply. Hope the meds are working well for you. Thanks again, Mike.
Hi Al DM, Just writing to ask how you're getting on with the antivirals. Did they work? If they didn't I thought this link may be handy: Buy Valtrex - Effective Herpes Treatment - Pharmica Apparently, after reading more about anti virals on this site and elsewhere, Valtrex has better results than the Acyclovoir so taking them instead may be worth a go. Trouble is they are quite pricey! If you have time, let me know how you got on. Mike.
Hi Mike, Well, it's quite difficult to tell to be honest. I haven't had any major events since I started on the Acyclovir, but is it related to that or not? Meniere's is very difficult to pin down. In the last 10 months or so, I have had maybe 4 days when I got a little bit dizzy, but nothing major at all. These were all "I'll just sit down for an hour so" type of events that passed pretty quickly and didn't give me any nausea or severe vertigo. I also can't think of any contributing factors to these. Could have been too much salt/alcohol/different barometric pressure? I just don't know. So I will take that as a win for now and continue with the JOH regime and Acyclovir.
That's good news, I'm sure the Aciclovir must be helping. The Gacek research suggests that vertigo will be eliminated if anti virals are taken but, you're right, it's really hard to know with Meniere's. I'd say 4 days out of 10 months is pretty good going! Take it easy and thanks for getting back to me.
I am on a 2 mg. of diazepam, which just started taking before I went to bed - and still had a full blown attack of vertigo. I am going to experiement and take 3 mg. tonight.
I too have had vertigo attacks when I am at the table, especially after biting into something hard. I suspect this comes from the disc slippage in my neck. I often eat at the table wearing a cervical collar with my chin tucked into it to keep my neck vertebrae in better alignment.