Anyone have any idea why this happens?
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Hi, my name is Sarah. Although this is about my ears, it is also about the medication I take for dizziness so I thought it would be ok to post it here as well as the ENT group. I am desperate for an answer.
Basically, each time I try a new medication for my dizziness my ears really suffer.
Since being diagnosed with MAV I have tried Propranolol, which did work (for 3 months) but then the dizziness came back and rather than go to a higher dose I asked my GP if I could try Topiramate instead. This worked well for the dizziness too but ended in disaster. I was ok on 25mg but then I went up to 50mg and within a week my ears felt strange. I shrugged this off and carried on but then my hearing began ‘zoning in and out’ (not completely), a bit like I was hearing under water. I noticed almost as soon as I took a tablet sometimes that my hearing went quieter. I carried on about 3-4 weeks on the 50mg. This culminated in a blocked ear feeling, ear pain/pressure, hyperacusis and numbness. It took three weeks after discontinuing Topiramate to get back to (almost) normal after this.
I was given a hearing test about 5 weeks after this and there was no hearing loss registered. In fact the audiologist seemed to indicate that my hearing might be slightly better?
I went onto Betahistine then, which caused no notable side effects but didn't really work either.
I then tried Venlafaxine but had the blocked ear feeling/pressure and sensitivity virtually straightaway (and slight tinnitus as well) and had to discontinue after less than a week. I tried it again and the same thing happened. My glands came up also.
I was then prescribed Zonisamide (50mg a day) and almost straightaway I felt something happen in my head, like a detached feeling and my ears went strange again. By the 5th day my glands were swollen in my neck, the back of my head hurt and my ears feel very painful and like there was pressure round them! I stopped, then tried a lower dose (25mg) but my ears still felt ‘blocked’ and there was pressure and pain.
I was then prescribed Amitriptyline. This time my glands didn’t come up but after 3 days on 5mg, and then 3 days on 1mg, my ears are feeling so block/pressured and there was some pain again that I don’t think I can go on with this. And it gave me loud tinnitus on the first night.
This is really getting me down as I need something to control the dizziness and each time I try something new, the same thing happens.
Does it sound like I suffered ototoxicity with the Topiramate and now whatever damage was done is being exacerbated each time I take a migraine preventative medication?
Does anyone have any idea what this is or have any advice for me. I can’t get a satisfactory explanation for why this happens from anyone. Thanks if you can help.
0 likes, 2 replies
eleftherio33095 Sarah12011
Posted
Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN
Clinical Neurophysiologist,
Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology
Sarah12011 eleftherio33095
Posted
The audiologist just said that my hearing was within the normal range, she checked a previous result and i can't remember if she even finished the sentence, it started out something like "in fact.." I just took it to mean that rather than my hearing being worse (as I had expected) it was the other way. I thought this may be due to slight hyperacusis. I didn't even question her as I the audiogram had been to determine if I had lost any hearing and it appeared not.
I have never had an abnormal audiogram. In fact before I took Topiramate I had never had any issues with my ears at all (other than dizziness). My hearing was fine and I don't even recall ever having an earache.
Now I have tried 5 medications to help with my dizziness and 4 of these have given me these horrible ear symptoms and I have had to stop.