Hi everyone. I'm new here and I really just would like some insight on other people with Menieres Disease of how they deal with day to day living. I was diagnosed back in 2011 but wasnt getting Vertigo but once a year back then. I gradually went to twice a year to every other month to one or twice a month to a couple times a week to almost every day. I've been watching my sodium intake and cut out caffeine (which is really hard since the vertigo after affects make me tired and I generally have low blood pressure). I never feel right. I have 24 hour a day Tinnitus. Hearing loss and constant aural fullness. The vertigo comes and goes with severity but what gets me the most is I havent felt right for a whole day in probably 9 months or more. Im on a water pill and I take Meclizine as needing - which is usually daily. Please if anyone has any advice I would really appreciate it. Thank you
Me personally I wouldn't take a diuretic for MM. Try an antiviral, it helps many of us with suppressing our symptoms. Search the forums database for Dr Gack's antiviral studies and on page 104 is his doses for MM and the forums for info on antivirals. Show it to your doctor. I have been symptom free almost 3 years now being on an antiviral except for very low tinnitus which background noise drowns out
Hi Jenn, your MM sounds like mine, I had vertigo about 4 times in two years and then it hit with a vengeance. Have had tinnitus and hearing loss since 2010. But after starting acyclovir in July 2015, my vertigo has greatly decreased, and my hearing came up and tinnitus went down until about a week ago when I came down with a cold and ended up with ear infection and my ear drum broke in my good ear, now hearing has decreased again and tinnitus is way up, I am still taking acyclovir full dosage, also do JOH regime and am not giving up! I was on my way to getting better so I know it can happen! Good Luck to you on your journey to wellness. Interesting, my vertigo has not come back for a week since I got the cold virus.
Definitely push your doctor for anti-virals. They may not work for everyone - but they work for ALOT of people. You have to have the full dose regimen to be effective. At least or 6 months to know for sure if it works or not. For the vertigo attacks, ask your dr (demand if need be, like the a/v) for a prescription for Ativan. I suffered for over a year violent vertigo with room spinning for 6-8 hrs until a different dr prescribed. I put the tablet under my tongue (key!) and it will shorten my full attack to under 2 hrs. Ativan is highly addictive so it should be taken only as needed for full vertigo. for my "off balance" days, meclizine works for that. Stress and being tired/not enough sleep are major major triggers for me. I can't stress enough the anti-virals. I have gotten relief not just from the vertigo (their intent) but also the major ear pressure. Good luck
I have heard so many say that anti vitals are hard on the liver and kidneys, do you have any research or information on this?
shill if you search the forums I have posted long term studies of acyclovir and val. 5-10-20 years and the studies attest to its safety and very little resistance. But one should have blood tests every few months maybe 2 times a year or so, your doctor would know how often is appropriate, to monitor the kidney and liver levels just to be safe.
here one of my posts containing the stuides: http://menieres.org/talk/index.php?topic=1020.msg30654#msg30654
I'm taking antivirals but I've also been on a diuretic for years and I drinks tons of water. Also the low salt diet helped me a lot but I was big on salt before.