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Menieres Brainfog

Posted , 5 users are following.

justin93
justin93

Hey everyone

I am wondering what you all do for the brainfog that is associated with menieres I have crippling brainfog everyday and almost say it bothers me more that being unsteady and dizzy all the time. How do you all combat this ? I have tried many things like Nootropics and even Modafinil with only marginal results. Do you find once betahistine meds start taking the dizziness away that the fog goes away too ? The only time my fog disappears seems to be when my dizziness and such goes away which is rarely. I am normally a very clear headed individual with lots of brain power so beig impaired like this is just awful.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • tanney
    tanney justin93

    Posted

    I'm not clear on what you mean by brain fog. Can you provide examples?

    Have you just recently started Betahistine? What doseage are you on? Are you carefull about avoiding salt, alcohol, caffeine and other stimulants?

    • justin93
      justin93 tanney

      Posted

      I have not started the meds yet no I was not prescribed them just yet. Diet first however I'm a bodybuilder so I already had a strict clean diet. have lowered sodium a bit and no caffeine. So brain fog as in I feel slow. I have issues thinking, problem solving, concentrating, word recollection, memory. Just an overall fuzz over my brain. Things that normally would be simple feel mentally exhausting. Basic math, computer work, even just following conversations sometimes. It is to my knowledge brain fog is pretty common with Menieres sufferers.

    • tanney
      tanney justin93

      Posted

      thanks for clarifying, Justin. I've had MD for 40 years.....the last three years bilaterally. Brain fog as you describe it has not been one of my symptoms. I, however, have found that Betahistine (Serc) taken in sufficient dosage (usually 16mg three times/day....though some of us require higher dosage) has been very effective in eliminating/reducing vertigo, ear fullness, tinnitus and imbalance. I recommend that you seriously consider this med. If you are in the USA you will need a prescription that will need to be filled at a pharmacy with a compounding facility as Betahistine needs to be compounded here. If you are in the UK or most other countries you can order the branded form of Betahistine which is called Serc. If you have specific questions about this med or MD in general fill free to private message me. Good luck!

  • NeddyO
    NeddyO justin93

    Posted

    It is not clear from your post that you have a positive diagnosis of Meniere's. It is important to have a professional assessment and MRI scan to eliminate other possibilities one of which is BPPV. There are several excellent videos on Youtube showing you how to treat BPPV with the Epley manouevre - you can do no harm trying this to see if it helps.

    Assuming you have Meniere's Betahistine should help you a lot. Things to bear in mind - it takes at least a month to become fully effective - most people taking the standard recommended dose get none or only marginal benefits. The dose needs to be increased until you are fully controlled - in my case 64mg tds . If you are fortunate it will reduce tinnitus and your hearing may recover somewhat. If you are taking powerful antiemetics they are most likely causing the 'brain fog' so as soon as betahistine starts to work reduce and then eliminate them. Each 'attack' of Meniere's increases the damage to your inner ear and soon becomes irreversible so the sooner you start betahistine the better - if it later turns out to be something else no harm will have been done.

    Good luck.

  • pat69697
    pat69697 justin93

    Edited

    I started with menieres 25 years ago. only one ear was affected and the hearing loss minimal although the tinnitus was quite bad. at least back then i thought it was bad. about 12 years ago the other ear kicked off and the vertigo is now every day but the spins and vomiting have lessened. i have brain fog most days. i call it my muzzy head. feels a bit like a hangover!

    i take 16mg of betahistine 3 times a day and have done for the past 25 years. i am now also 80% deaf in one ear and 20% in the other. I dread to think what i would be like without the betahistine. I gave up work when i was 58 as my job involved driving to see clients and i knew i was no longer on the ball. I find stress exacerbates the symptoms.

    Its a bugger of an illness because unless you have it nobody seems to really understand. I get people saying Oh yes i go dizzy when i stand up quickly. I no longer tell people about the symptoms.

    I'm in the UK and it took years to get a positive diagnosis. ive spoken to quite a few menieres sufferers who get brain fog but others don't. We are all different i suppose.

    • arcticblueice
      arcticblueice pat69697

      Posted

      Its very true what you wrote about people not understanding Meniere's symptoms, I gave trying to explain it. Now I just keep it simple and say I don't feel well. I left my 20 year engineering career hoping to find something less stressful. Stress is one of my main triggers with this wretched disease as well. Best wishes...

    • pat69697
      pat69697 arcticblueice

      Posted

      yes stress kicks mine off too. this coronavirus is starting to get me stressed too.

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