Treatment with Medicine – I’ve tried both Antiviral and Immuno-suppressant drugs, neither of them worked for me. The thought behind these treatments? Some doctors believe that there could be a link between Meniere’s and the Herpes Virus, or that it is an auto-immune disease. I don’t know if either of these are true, but some people get relief from these treatments.
Other drugs I’ve been on: Antivert or Meclizine (meclizine hydrocloride)- this is a vestibular sedative, it is prescribed to help with the dizziness. (I think it rather ironic that one of the side effects from this medication can be dizziness.) This worked for a while, when I was having slight dizziness, but it didn’t help stop the vertigo. As my symptoms progressed I was put on Valium (diazapam), this is another vestibular sedative. I had much more success with this drug at preventing the vertigo. However, I had to take more than was recommended to help stave off an attack. Another drug that has been very beneficial to me has been Phenergan. This is an anti-nausea drug that is also a vestibular sedative. I had it in pill form and suppository. If I start to feel dizzy I immediately take a Valium and a Phenergan, sometimes that’s all I’d need. Other times, I would continue to feel bad, like an attack was imminent, and I would need more. I would then take another Valium and a Phenergan suppository. I don’t know if it’s just me or not, but often I would feel like I desperately needed to go to the bathroom and the first suppository would come right out. I would then use another and often that would do the trick and an attack would be averted.
However, sometimes I would have an attack no matter how much I tried to avoid it.
I’ve also been on a diuretic. I know I’ve been on more than one, but the last one I was on was Dyazide (hydrochlorothiazide and triamterene). The thought behind this treatment is the same as with a Low Salt Diet. It is used to reduce bodily fluids especially the fluid in the endolymphatic area.
As with the low salt diet, I’m not sure if this worked or not for me. I was always afraid to stop either the low salt diet or the diuretic for feat that my symptoms would increase. I was taken off of the diuretic after my latest treatment (the Cerebral Spinal Fluid treatment), and my symptoms have been under control.
Not really Medicine, but thought I’d include Supplements – I’ve tried many supplements that promised help with tinnitus and Meniere’s. I didn’t find any help from these. However, some patients swear by them. (Dr. Kaylie said there were no scientific evidence that any supplement actually helped, but if some people found relief he was all for it.)
For even more information on these therapies and other treatments for Meniere’s go to Meniere’s Info.com.
Please leave a comment telling what Medication Therapy you have tried, and how it has helped, or hasn’t. If you have a blog, be sure to leave that address so others can read about your experiences.
Next Post: Treatments for Meniere’s Part 3 – Endolymphatic Surgery
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Medications I have tried:
1. Hydrochlorothiazide – I took 25 mg twice a day in the beginning 2 years ago and honestly noticed no difference in my pattern of symptoms. I have continued taking 25 mg once a day, along with a low salt diet (~2000 mg/day), mainly in an effort to protect my good ear – just in case.
2. Acyclovir – I tried this next, about 3 months into my diagnosis. I started off on 800 mg 5 times a day and for the 3 weeks I was on it, my vertigo did subside significantly. Then I began tapering the dose and it came back immediately. Next I took it 5 times a day for about 3 weeks and again my symptoms improved. But my doctor isn’t convinced MM is viral and wasn’t comfortable leaving me on antivirals indefinitely. And while I know they are relatively safe, I didn’t relish the idea of taking pills forever with the constant fear that the vertigo could come back. I don’t think my trial was very scientific, so I can say with 100% certainty that the antivirals did work.
3. Not sure if you want to consider supplements as medications, but I tried the John of Ohio (JOH) regimen. I have even less faith in putting supplements in my body indefinitely. There are too many variables in the supplement industry and too little in the way of unbiased published studies to prove their long-term safety.
Over time, my philosophy has been to treat the ear and leave as much as the rest of my otherwise healthy body alone. Not everyone goes that route, but that’s been my approach.
So as not to leave things hanging, I have had success in getting rid of the vertigo, anyway, with intratympanic gentamicin. It’s not perfect, but I am able to function again and for that I am utterly grateful.
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Angelea,
Thank you so much for telling everything. I did mean to say in the post that I was including supplements but they weren’t really “medication”, I’ll edit that right now.
Thanks again. looking forward to your guest post! wendy
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My Primary Care Physician, my ENT and my Neuro-otologist *all* hate Antivert and all refused to prescribe it. Interesting, right? They feel like it only makes the Vestibular system “drunk”. It was so weird they all separately said that Does phenergan knock you out? I have taken it for Migraine associated nausea and vomiting and it makes me sleep for 24 hours straight! I can’t stand it. I could not tolerate a diuretic as I could not keep hydrated enough to keep from triggering Migraines. But as you know, I’m highly sensitive to medications, so these last two comments probably aren’t surprising.
*I take diazepam, but have not found it helpful in preventing an attack. I didn’t realize it was a vestibular sedative. My neuro had explained it as changing the way nerve impulses are transmitted to the brain. But, I have no clue what I’m talking about. However, it is very helpful in calming an attack after it is in progress.
*I take Robinul (glycopyrrolate), which is an anticholinergic daily. I started it in November, and then stopped it because I thought it wasn’t working and my vertigo got much more severe. So, I restarted it and I believe it helps keep the severity down even if it is just a little bit.
*I’ve also had steroid injections, but I did not get any relief from that what-s0-ever!
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Kelly, Thank you for sharing your experiences. Phenergan used to make me sleepy, but not so much anymore. I used to be much more sensitive to drugs, but now it takes a lot more of some meds to work than what they suggest. Like diazepam, and phenergan, I have to take more than is suggested to stop an attack. And yes, I may sleep for a while after that, but that’s ok with me, much better than throwing up for 12 hours…of course that makes me sleep for a day anyway. : ) It’s funny that I can’t take a lot of pain pills because they make me drunk and sick to my stomach. But I can tolerate Hydrocodone (Vicodin), but I often need a bid dosage for it to work. I haven’t heard of Robinul, I’ll have to look that up. I take Maxalt and Hydrocodone for my migraines, sometimes adding Valium and Phenergan, depending on if it makes me sick or not. My neuro told me to take the Valium to try to help me relax during a headache, so I can sleep it off. (of course, I often wake up with a headache…yuck)
Hope you are feeling better. I’m glad you like this series. wendy
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What is the “cerebrospinal fluid treatment” that you mentioned in your article?
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Hi Guy,
This is a long story.
I talk a lot about this in my blog….but to make a very LOOOOOOG story short…I was in a study of sorts at Duke. They were seeing if people with Meniere’s and migraines might have abnormal cerebrospinal fluid levels and if these were addressed then perhaps the other symptoms would be addressed. For me it seemed to work at first, but later it appears I was just in one of my remission periods. I do that. I have spells where I just don’t have symptoms for a few months, then they will come back with a vengeance for months. I don’t really know how it worked for the rest of the group. So I can’t tell you how it all worked out. I know having high CSF is not a better diagnosis, it is hard to regulate. If it’s low, it can be easier. So, that’s my story in a very small nutshell.
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