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What triggers an attack

Posted , 7 users are following.

Mcfrith
Mcfrith

Hi, I have recently been diagnosed as having Possible Menieres Disease and affected equilibrium. Was really bad between Sept 2013 and January 2014. GP prescribed Betahistine 16mg (in a pink box) three times daily. I was not too bad between Feb and April but then when I needed to get repeat prescription the pharmacist gave me SERC in a blue box. Within a couple of days I started to have dreadful attacks and often a couple of small attacks every day. I went back to GP saying I was concerned the change in medication was causing me the problem, but he said that could not be possible. I was then told that other than Betahistine he was not sure what else he could do for me. I mentioned Stemetil and he wrote me a prescription for that. I'm now 3 weeks into taking just Stemetil and am having attacks daily. Today I was driving home from work and dizzy spell came on for no reason, getting worse when I looked left or right  when I turned my head. Has anyone had similar experiences?

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • sarita68311
    sarita68311 Mcfrith

    Posted

    Hi i suffer from menieres have done for just over two years now and I started getting attacks daily but at mo am ok my doctor prescribed betahistine and prochlorperazine which I find helps with the dizzy spells. I have just been referred to do balance exercises which I have to do three times a day not sure if they will help or not. My ent doctor has also fitted me with a grommet and this has seemed to help x
    • DizzyDora
      DizzyDora sarita68311

      Posted

      Hi Sarita, good luck with your balance exercises, I had to do those but they did nothing to help me. That's not to say they won't help you of course. Menieres is a horrible condition, it got to the point for me that I couldn't plan to go anywhere. I was almost house bound because I knew not long after I went out I would get an attack!! I ended up having a grommet fitted, which kept me free of attacks for nearly a year, then they started up again. I had a Gentimycin injection in my ear in December. So far I've been fine, and lets hope it stays that way lol x
    • Mcfrith
      Mcfrith sarita68311

      Posted

      Hi Sarita,

      Thanks for your reply. Ive been having good days and bad days but I am interested to find out more about how it is affecting other people. What are you good days like and how many good days (string of days) do you have? Also what are the bad days like?

    • angela79369
      angela79369 DizzyDora

      Posted

      Hi - could you tell me about your gentimycin injection please? I've had the grommet fitted and dextramethosone injection at same time 30 July under general anaesthetic. I've had 5 spins since the op. How are you doing now after the gentamcyin? And how did the administer it? Under local or just as outpatient? I have a post op follow up with ENT at the hospital on 25 Sep and want to ask for a further injection, hoping it's something they can do on the spot? Or wait for another appointment. How did it happen for you?  Thank you. :-)
    • lauren22134
      lauren22134 sarita68311

      Posted

      hi! i need some urgent help.

      i have been prescribed betahistine for possible menieres disease im only 19.

      i was also prescribed prochlorperazine and was wondering if these two are okay to take together as the betahistine makes me feel very nauseous and the prochlorperazine helps with that.. help !

  • DizzyDora
    DizzyDora Mcfrith

    Posted

    Hi Mcfrith, yes unfortunately, I have many, many times.

    I'd like to clear up the mix-up with your medication, both Betahistine and Serc are both the same, BUT Serc are considered to be better. I'm basing my information on a Menieres support group that I belong to. Apparantly it's to do with how both medications are made and the binders that are used. I take Serc and am ok on it, it's fantastic for some but others not so. You're having a flare up at the moment, they can last a week or weeks, like you my tablets did nothing for me during those times. Are you having Vertigo attacks?

    • Mcfrith
      Mcfrith DizzyDora

      Posted

      Thanks. Can I ask what meds other than Serc you take? Do you also take Stemitil when having an attack?
  • sarita68311
    sarita68311 Mcfrith

    Edited

    Hi dizzydora,

    im so glad you are fine at the moment, I had the injection too when they fitted the grommet, but I still have good days and bad days. On my good days I go into my daughters school and help out but I would like to get a job but I still have too many bad days and this gets me down a bit x

    • DizzyDora
      DizzyDora sarita68311

      Posted

      Hi Sarita, yes I was the same, it's horrible, especially the Vertigo attacks, when I have the Vertigo attacks I was so bad we had to get the Doctor out and he has to give me an injection. I'm surprised they gave you Gentimycin at the same time as your Grommet. The usual course of action is they fit a Grommet first to see if it works and if not they give you the injection later to kill off your balance mechanism.
  • sarita68311
    sarita68311 Mcfrith

    Edited

    Hi dizzydora,

    I just hate the attacks when they r bad I'm so sick it's horrible and lasts for hours and hours, but most days I have dizzy ness and am off balance but I try and get on with things and try and not get me down. I just wished I didn't have it, it just came on suddenly a couple of years ago x

     

  • tahsin1234
    tahsin1234 Mcfrith

    Posted

    I came I could not figure why these attacks. We have a facebook group. Meniere's group. A member of our group suffering from Ménière's mother. and the people that live in Meniere's mother nearly 30 years ago, it took two years and then wrote that now. recently resumed attacks. he stood for 30 years, I asked him how these attacks. Unfortunately, it does not know itself.however, the mother's age at that time also said the downswing. Said his father died 10 years ago. Meniere's attacks, even during periods of gloom, but I have never experienced again. now reappeared. how these attacks 30 years ago now that, regretfully cause and re-start period that result in the emergence of a kind that could not solve.

     

  • jackie72283
    jackie72283 Mcfrith

    Posted

    I believe stress is a significant factor.  Try relaxing breathing exercises and not doing stressful things and taking a break 2 or 3 times a day. Also the sea sickness bands help me. 
  • angela79369
    angela79369 Mcfrith

    Posted

    I'm a firm believer in betahistine, the proper betahistine either in pink or yellow boxes.  Refuse to take serc in blue box as, in my mind, I had a spin within hours of taking it and believe it was responsible.  I'm sure it wasn't, it could be menieres was a in a bad phase at that time.  Get referred to the ENT at your hospital by the GP if you haven't already.  They increased my betahistine to double the dose that the GP will give you i.e. instead of 16mg x 3 a day I'm currently on 32mg x 3 a day.  This has helped greatly with the daily symptoms we get. I had the grommet insertion + steroid injection on 30 July 14 unfortunately I've had 3 spins since.  But that is still less than before when I felt rubbish most days and spun every 6 days approx for 6 mths.  Yes I've had a spin come on whilst driving too and it is awful so I stopped driving for the bad 6 months. Confidence goes downhill when bad and anxiety increases for fear of when the next one will be and where you will be when it comes on.  I think Stemetil is just for sickness isn't it? Rather than helping with the blood flow in the ears? I also lurched from wall to wall to be sick in the bathroom and had to get my head down for fear of falling off the roundabout.... 31 times this year.... I was hopeful for the grommet + steroid injection from my last post, maybe as someone said, it gets worse before it gets better.  Re the looking left or right, when you get that aura of drunkenness come over you, get yourself in a safe position and comfy and shut your eyes and if you can sleep then it's over quicker.  Let us know about your meds if you get prescribed anything else that helps?
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