1. Community
  2. Ears, nose, throat and mouth
  3. Vertigo and Dizziness

Is it possible to have bppv and Ménière's?

Posted , 7 users are following.

MackH
MackH

Hi,

I was diagnosed with bppv in my right ear. The ent doctor did the epley maneover and this helped a lot. I still suffer from dizzy spells but not as bad as before. My gp thought I had Ménière's so prescribed Betahistine 16mg three times per day. The ent dr said to reduce these which I was doing and I was down to one per day and feeling so rubbish.

My ears are very bunged up, sometimes painful, I have buzzing in both ears and I am exhausted all the time. When I have the cold it makes everything a lot worse... then I have awful painful head aches also.

I was wondering is it possible to have both bppv and Ménière's disease? I am back taking the 16mg of Betahistine three times a day and this is helping me cope, and I am able to work and function properly, this makes me think it's more than bppv as these meds don't work for that...

Any input would be fantastic... thanks.

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Waffalobill
    Waffalobill MackH

    Posted

    You can have a crystal floating around causing bppv and menieres. Menieres is a build up of fluid in the inner ear. Takes a specialist to properly diagnose menieres. Not just a ENT. A neurotologist. They specialize in the connections to the brain from vestibular system. Symptoms can be the same. Took me 11 years til I finally was sent to one and was told it's menieres. Not just bppv.

    • MackH
      MackH Waffalobill

      Posted

      Hi, thanks for responding. It's just so frustrating that it takes so long to get sorted out. Eleven years is an awful long time to wait. I have had this since last October. Have had a ct scan and it was fine plus hearing test was perfect. Should I ask GP for a referral to a neurologist? Or does a referral gave to come from Ent? S.

    • Waffalobill
      Waffalobill MackH

      Posted

      Neurologist did nothing. Had to go to neurotologist. When I first went to docs for it ,11 years ago, the vertigo was bad but the difference between ears vestibular response wise was hard to tell. VNG test was close in both ears. Now there's a big difference. Left ear didn't respond hardly at all. Right side was very sensitive. Plus hearing loss in left side increasing. Not sure about where you are or insurance but my GP could refer, ENT did mine. Was no neurotologist in my area. Needed ENT's knowledge of who was closest and qualified to handle my problem. I had to drive a hour and a half to go to one. Well my wife drove me. Lol

    • julia63553
      julia63553 Waffalobill

      Posted

      How on Earth have you coped for eleven years! I have had something or other that no one bothers about for a yearconstantly lightheaded ot dizzy and my head feels as though it's in a clamp.  Am pretty much housebound, live alone and quite honestly if it wasn't for the dog I would do myself in.

      Any coping strategies would be helpful,

      Thanks,

      juliatee

    • Waffalobill
      Waffalobill julia63553

      Posted

      I used to be a outdoors person. I used to spend my nights working my job, days working with my brother driving dump truck etc. Used to hunt alot as well. Hike in the woods. After this started I became afraid to do anything. No idea when my next bad episode would hit. My worst episode came 2 years after this all started. Woke up late afternoon dizzy. A couple hours later i couldn't move at all without the room spinning uncontrollably. Was in hospital 3 days. Since then I haven't done much of anything. Go to work, come home and stare at the wall trying to get control so I could go to work the next day. In August it peaked. I been dizzy real bad 24/7. No relief. Vertigo episodes every day. Lost my job, very deep in debt. Still waiting for my disability to be approved or denied. Finally have found out I have menieres but no help with it. The part that really gets me tho is the medical bills from docs who did nothing for me , hounding me for there money. Only job in the world where even if you do nothing to help a client, you still get paid.

  • karina0608
    karina0608 MackH

    Posted

    are you sure you don't have suffer from vestibular migraines? 

    Since you mentioned that you still have dizzy spells and constant headaches after they did the maneuver, it could be a possibility. 

    Did your doctor had you doing a hearing test to see if you had Meniere's disease? 

    I suffer from vestibular migraines and I feel dizzy constantly even when I don't get the headaches. 

     

    • MackH
      MackH karina0608

      Posted

      Hi,

      No one has ever mentioned migraines. Yes hearing test was perfect. S.

  • eleftherio33095
    eleftherio33095 MackH

    Posted

    It is not impossible to have both.  But one does not cause the other, and so having both would be something very rare.

    Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

    Clinical Neurophysiologist

    Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

  • lily65668
    lily65668 MackH

    Posted

    Try and find out whether there's a vertigo clinic in a hospital near you. It may also be called a vestibular or balance clinic. Then insist on being referred to it. They'll have the full range of specialists needed to diagnose and treat your condition.

  • Hayhue
    Hayhue MackH

    Posted

    I was told I have both but from two different doctors: one a physical therapist and one a neurotologist.

    Who to believe? No idea lol

    • lily65668
      lily65668 Hayhue

      Posted

      Does the spinning start only when your head is in a particular position - e.g. bending backwards to the right or left and/or bending forwards - and last just a few seconds? If that's the case it's likely to be BPPV. If it goes on for longer and there's no particular trigger, there's probably another cause.

      On balance, I'd go with the neurotologist's diagnosis, though I know specialised vestibular physiotherapists can be very good.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.