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Stopping a Menieres attack when one is coming

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by Rachel, Jan 3, 2018.

  1. Rachel

    Rachel New Member

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    Has anyone had luck in stopping a menieres attacke when you feel one coming on? If so, how did you do it?

    Also, when you have an attack, do you get very cold?
     
  2. Marta

    Marta Active Member

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    I heard from my doctor that there are people who can stop an oncoming attack. According to him they stare at one point ( how bizarre!) and it goes away. I did try it but it never worked for me.
     
  3. mbgphoto79

    mbgphoto79 Member

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    For me it depends on how fast it comes on. I usually get a warning, up to 12 hours in advance. This usually is a change in tinnitus, pronounced fullness in the ear and increased anxiety. If I’m lucky as such, I can usually stop a full out vertigo attack with 4mg Valium, 25mg meclizine and 8mg ondansetron. However, occasionally I’ll get blind sided and I’m in a vertigo attack before I can respond. If that’s the case and I start vomiting, I usually have my wife call the ambulance or have her drag me in to the ER where they can start an IV and get some fluids and anti emetics in. Otherwise I will heave until I loose consciousness.

    I do get very cold before an attack, to the point of full body shivering. I also get tingling in my arms and feet.
     
  4. mbgphoto79

    mbgphoto79 Member

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    Interesting. If I stare at a point far away while I’m turning or moving it helps to lessen the dizziness. Once the nystagmus starts with a full attack there’s no focusing on anything for me.
     
  5. mbgphoto79

    mbgphoto79 Member

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    Funny you bring this up, I’ve had increased tinnitus and fullness for a couple days now. Thats usually not a big deal, but today I’ve had a few “spells” where I feel lightheaded, like my head is going to lift from my body. With a few deep breaths and relocating my eyes that would pass. That is until about an hour ago, I’m cooking soup and a huge rush comes over me. 10 seconds later the nystagmus starts. I chewed up a Valium and took a zofran, and within 10 minutes the vertigo stopped. I’ve never had this happen. I’m back to the usual dizzy and deafening tinnitus, but less fullness. Ahh, fun with the ever unpredictable MM.
     
  6. Woodsrider

    Woodsrider Member

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    I usually know when it’s coming and nothing stops it. I get extremely hot while vomiting and sweet bad. Once the atttack starts to go away I get cold and have to change my sweet soaked clothes and cover up with a blanket till I fall asleep.
     
  7. Nickyschick

    Nickyschick Member

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    Same for me.... I know the signs ( tinnitus gets super loud, fullness in my ear is worse, lightheaded, and brain foggy.... I can sometimes stave it off with 10 - 15 mg of Valium... if that doesn't stop it then I try to get to a place where I can lay down and if I can lay down in time 50% of the time I can stop the vomiting.... otherwise full on spinning and the vomiting starts ( along with diarrhea - that's fun - often at the same time of course) - I am usually shivering with the chills ( fun when you are puking your guts out) - and will sleep with several layers of clothes and blankets - then I get the sweats - nystagamus ( I think that is almost as bad as the vomiting) - and just ride it out -- Does anyone else get crazy nightmares? I find I get the worst very real feeling nightmares where I know I am dreaming but feels so real.... crazy.....
     
  8. yanksgirl

    yanksgirl Member

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  9. rwj6001

    rwj6001 Member

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    First of all, I'm assuming you are referring to the actual vertigo as MM symptoms (ringing, fullness, etc.) are constant for me and only vary in degree from one day to the next. Some years ago, when my symptoms were cycling, I could always tell a vertigo attack was coming, but even that's gone now and vertigo can hit at anytime, although I usually get some indication something bad is coming as moving my head starts to feel like i'm underwater or something, like I move my head but the sensation of movement lags behind the actual movement.......its weird and hard to put into words.

    As far as the vertigo itself, for me it depends entirely on the severity of the attack. If it's only going to be a low to med level, then I can usually pop a valium, sit down in my recliner and just relax, making sure to not move my head at all, this works almost all the time. Of course when I'm at work or anywhere else, its all about minimizing my head movement and getting home asap if possible. Sometimes, I'm forced to ride it out wherever I am.

    If it's a full blown, high level vertigo attack, forget it....I'll be on my knees on the floor and fighting the urge to vomit (although I always lose that battle) sweating like a stuck pig and basically feeling like I'm going die, and/or begging God for some relief. That usually lasts for several hours after which I'm exhausted and can only go to sleep.

    It has been better since my surgery and since I've been on the JOH regime....only had a few small to medium vertigo attacks.
     
  10. mbgphoto79

    mbgphoto79 Member

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    Exactly me. The strange feeling of the lightheadedness..so odd. It's as it someone is lifting my head from my body. I always find myself getting bug eyed when that happens..
     
  11. Lupo

    Lupo New Member

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    Meclizine, ondansetron taken as soon as I knew an attack was happening ( kept a pill fob around my neck). Attack length would vary always tried to remain very still and not move at all. ( Big stainless steel bowl at my side so would not have to move to throw up) I remember getting cold and it became a welcome sign that the attack was ending.
     
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  12. Pupper

    Pupper Active Member

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    If it's going to be a full blown spinning attack nothing short of a tiger tranquilizer is going to help. That Menière gonna rock you like a hurricane.
     
  13. tdoak

    tdoak Member

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    Good description Pupper.
     
  14. rwj6001

    rwj6001 Member

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    Right on! Scorpions.......Rock you like a Hurricane!

    Full blown - high level vertigo attacks (or the attacks from hell, as I like to refer to them) are an unstoppable force....Once they start, there is no stopping them, they don't reason, they don't argue, they don't take prisoners, they show no mercy and they are relentless in their ability to turn me, a full grown, very athletic and strong man (if I must say so myself) into a blubbering baby, crouched down on my knees, curled up on the floor begging the good Lord for some kind of relief.

    They are one of the worst things that I have ever experienced in my life (and I've been through some rough shit) and I wouldn't wish them on my most hated enemy.

    ....at least that has been my experience.
     
  15. mbgphoto79

    mbgphoto79 Member

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    Agreed, RWJ. Once one is on you, there’s no turning back. I’ve had multiple thoracic surgeries, gout, pulmonary embolisms, kidney stones, broken bones... none of them can compare to the encapsulated nightmare that is the MM attack.
     
  16. Melc

    Melc Member

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    My vertigo attacks were violent and always lasted a minimum of 12 hours. I vomited until there was nothing left to vomit and then I dry heaved until the attack abated.

    When I switched to a different Oto after relocating she took me off the diuretic and Serc. She prescribed .5 mg of Ativan, sublingually at the onset of a vertigo attack. I was skeptical. The first time it happened and I used the Ativan I was amazed that the vertigo stopped within half an hour.

    Knowing that I could stop the attack lessened my anxiety about having attacks in public. That lack of stress lessened the frequency of my attacks.
     
  17. shawry

    shawry Member

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    Normally when I have an attack I will firmly plant my hand against the wall to maintain myself, while focusing on a item

    Otherwise if im not in public ill strip
     
  18. rwj6001

    rwj6001 Member

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    Mel,

    That's interesting that you could stop and/or reduce the the vertigo using Ativan, I've never heard of it being used that way. I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences? Are you still having the vertigo attacks and do you still use Ativan to stop and/or lessen them? Is there still some vertigo until it goes away completely or does the Ativan reduce it altogether?

    Thanks for your feedback!
     
  19. Melc

    Melc Member

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    You’re welcome, Rwj. The Ativan stopped the vertigo. Vertigo lasted until the Ativan kicked in, usually 20 to 30 minutes and then I was good to go back to my normal activities. I could feel the Ativan kicking in as the vertigo became less violent until it stopped altogether.

    I seem to be in burnout or remission from the vertigo so I have not used the Ativan recently. If the vertigo returns I would use it in a heartbeat. I believe stress and anxiety was exacerbating my Menieres.

    I have no idea why the vertigo stopped as I was on no regular regimen of meds or diet. I think that knowing I could stop the vertigo made me less uptight about having an attack.

    I don’t recommend benzos lightly, but my using .5 mg on an as needed basis gave me my life back.
     
  20. Pupper

    Pupper Active Member

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    A few bullet points. I'm not a doctor. Just some random jackass.

    --If your ear is gearing up for a full blown spinning assault no benzos are going to stop or lessen it.

    --The above is especially true at the early stages of Meniere's when both balance nerves are still in good condition to transmit powerfully wrong signals to the brain.

    --Benzos could certainly help a mild to moderate vertigo episode. I.e. if you're on the border of spinning and not spinning, a pill could suppress your vestibular system enough to keep you just on the good side of that border. So there'd be no spinning or at least mild slow spinning.

    --Point being; a pill's effectiveness is dependent on the severity of the episode.

    --Many times I've had the feeling of (what I could only assume) was a spinning episode approaching. Taken an anti-vertigo pill. And ended up with a mild episode. Can I then say the pill stopped a spinning attack? No, because I can't see the future. Maybe it was always just going to be a mild episode. No one can say. Correlation does not always imply causation. At times I've taken no pill and the episode was mild. So...who knows.

    --This doesn't mean you shouldn't take a pill if you think you're going to have an attack. But just be prudent about it and try not to panic yourself into taking them at any sign of instability.

    --Benzos help me to endure a spinning attack emotionally. So I take them for that more than I do to stop the spinning.

    --All this is said in the light of needing to understand your body, symptoms, signs, stage of your Meniere's, etc.
     
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