Vertigo/Dizziness/Nausea

[Elaine D]

Hi everyone

 

Apologies but I have not been on the forum for a long time - been very busy doing my Family Tree!

 

I wonder if anybody has some suggestions - I have RRMS and suffer from vertigo/dizziness and nausea. I was having a bath (or trying to) last night and I ended up being very sick (fortunately down the nearby toilet)!

 

I usually take Betahistine Dihydrochloride and took two tablets before bathing. This did not work at all and feeling very nauseous is something that I find very hard to cope with sometimes.

 

If anybody has any suggestions as to how to help with this problem would be very very gratefully appreciated.

 

Many thanks and hope that everybody is well today! - Best regards - Elaine

[vix]

Hi there

 

I also have RRMS I have only suffered from the vertigo thing once and I hated every minute of it, totally knocked me out for a couple of weeks but the only thing I found that helped was laying down.

 

I was also on some anti sickness tablets (cant remember the name at the mo) I suggest that you see a doctor before it gets any worse

 

Vix

 

xxx

[Wish]

This is interesting about 10 years ago I started with very bad dizzyness and sickness, it got so bad at times I had to crawl to the bathroom as I couldn't stand up straight, felt like I was on a very rough ferry journey, I was diagnosed by ENT specialist with something called Menieres Disease, for which I take Betahistine to help control the vertigo and occaisionaly when its really bad Stematil (anti sick drug) perhaps your GP could give you some of that?

 

This is interesting to me as at the moment I am in Limboland (awaiting MRI results) I have never mentioned these dizzy problems to my Neuro as I thought it was irrelevant, maybe I should now? I have to say the dizziness is a million times better that what it used to be, I used to be awful, it was a real struggle, I remember one time going into see my childs headteacher about a dinnerlady job, it was a bad dizzy day and as I turned to walk out the room, I fell straight to the floor in a heap I was so embarassed I think they thought I was drunk!

 

Anyway, I hope you get sorted, speak to your GP about the Stematil, it does help.

 

I

[Elaine D]

Hi Wish

 

I had the first vertigo attack back in 2004. I was bang in the middle of dx so my GP thought I had got a middle ear infection. I too was totally incapacitated. I could not move without being sick and the only way to stop it was to use anti-sick suppositories. My balance had totally gone so I was sleeping on the couch 24/7 for about two weeks. Would hate to go through that again.

 

I did try Stematil but it didn't work at the time so perhaps I should try them again as last night's episode was a bad bout.

 

Do mention your symptoms to your neuro. My symptoms definitely are related as I never fully recovered from that first bout.

 

Best regards

[DizzyDora]

I've all this and more before my dx, been in limboland for years but after getting an MRI found out I had something called Arnold-Chiari Malformation of the brain. Now the thing is ACM mimicks MS the symptoms are identical, I'm not for a minute suggesting you have it, but I also was being treated for Menieres disease for years but since my dx have been told that Vertigo/dizziness/sickness/ear noise/ walking on a Ferry with floors made of sponge, is one of the main symptoms (along with all the others!) of ACM! Just a thought to bear in mind when you see your Neurologist.

 

Wish, definately mention your symptoms to your Neuro, they are very, very important

 

Elaine, I take Betahistine (Serc) tablets to help with the dizziness and Prochlorperazine tablets, they stop the sickness in it's tracks.

 

Love DD xxx

[Elaine D]

Hi DD

 

Many thanks for this. I am so fed up of feeling so nauseous because it stops me from functioning. I am fortunate in that I am retired due to my ill health so thankful that I don't have a job to worry about.

 

I am currently on Copaxone as I developed neutralising antibodies to Betaferon and that (touch wood) seems to suit me better. The only other medication I am on is Fluoxetine and the Betahistine for the nausea.

 

Do you take the Prochlorperazine in addition to the Betahistine?

 

I have heard of Arnold-Chiari syndrome but never gave it a thought. I had my MS diagnosis from my first MRI which showed areas of inflamation. I have not had a lumber puncture or Evoked Potential tests.

 

Should I ask the neuro about it next time?

 

Best regards

[Christina]

Just to add my experiences to this topic. I was also diagnosed with Meniere's Disease for the last 12 years because of vertigo and dizziness. My dizziness has never disappeared and I have constant wobbly balance. However it's a while since I last had a vertigo attack, eventhough I often feel as if I will have one. I have all the symptoms DD mentioned - feeling like I'm onboard a ship in rough seas. Luckily I've never once been sick with this, although I know most people are.

Serc (betahistine) the drug used for Meniere's, seems to work for some people but not for others. The jury is out as to whether it's actually any better than a placebo and many ENT consultants don't rate it highly. Stemetil (prochlorperazine) is the drug of choice for actual vertigo spins and vomiting. It is highly sedating and should only be taken for short periods because it doesn't allow the brain to compensate quickly following vertigo attacks.

 

The other drug often prescribed by ENT is cinnarzine (Stugeron), the travel sickness drug, which also causes some drowsiness but not as badly as stemetil. This is available over-the-counter too, so is readily available and pretty safe.

 

If you do go back to Stemetil, ask the GP to prescribe the type that dissolves under the tongue, it's called Buccastem and is not vomited back up but is absorbed through the mouth.

 

I'm not sure, and DD will be able to answer this one I'm sure, isn't Arnold-Chiari picked up on MRI? If so, I was just thinking you probably don't have that since it would have been spotted on previous MRIs.

 

I think it's interesting that there are a few of us on the forum who have been previously diagnosed with Meniere's and then later MS has been found. I have wondered too if my vertigo which started way back was just part and parcel of MS all along. In my case, I've never developed hearing loss which you would expect with Meniere's. Just a thought.

 

Chris x

[DizzyDora]

Hi again Elaine, yes I do take Prochlorperazine alongside the Betahistine tablets but only when I am sick. As Chris it's not a drug to take for long periods. I'm surprised your GP gave you the serc tablets for the nausia, they usually are prescribed for the dizziness and vertigo. They work by improving the blood flow to the inner ear to help with the balance. My dose is 8 mgs 3x daily but when I'm bad I up the dose to 16 mgs 3x daily until the attacks settle down.

 

Yes Chris they found my Chiari via an MRI

 

Hugs DD xxxx

[Christina]

I agree with DD, betahistine is not usually prescribed for nausea but more to aid circulation.

 

DD - do you think you have Meniere's now or do you wonder if the vertigo problem is part of the Chiari syndrome?

 

Chris x

[Elaine D]

Hi Chris, DD, Wish & Vix

 

Thanks so much for your responses - indeed very helpful and I will ask my GP for Prochloro. cos the Betahistine is not quite working on its own.

 

Wish - I hope you have positive news on your MRI - you sound as if you have been through a tough time having to be put through the machine.

 

My neuro is really good so I will talk to her about taking Prochloro. with the Betahistine (but only when I am sick).

 

Again, thanks so much for your help.

 

Regards

[DizzyDora]

Hi Chris, No, they now know it is to do with the Chiari, there was always a big question mark over the dx for Menieres because I didn't have the tinnitus all the time nor was I deaf all the time, you have to have both to be properly dx with Menieres. The full criteria for Menieres is dizziness, deafness and Tinnitus.

 

Hugs DD xx

[Christina]

Hi DD

 

It's the same for me - I have pulsatile tinnitus but not the sort that's usually associated with MD and my hearing has never dropped either - that's why I've always queried the dx and now ENT are saying they think the balance problem has probably always been a part of MS, although neuros aren't committing themselves because of previous normal scans. I still think it is though.

 

Chris xx

[DizzyDora]

It just goes to prove how symptoms and conditions mimic each other, you and I have the same or similiar symptoms, which could have been Menieres disease, but have been dx with totally different conditions

 

Hugs DD xxx

[Wish]

hmmmm this is an eye opener, I used to have to go for audiology tests every 6 months to see if the MD was damaging my hearing, the hearnig test always came back fine. I did however and still do at times get the high pitch noises and buzzing in my ears, although I have to admit the dizziness is 100 times better than it was years ago, my balance was awful at the time too. It all flared up at a really stresfull time in my life, my sister in law was diagnosed with cancer she was only 15 and we were very close, she sadly died 2 years later, I did wonder whether the MD was caused by the stress of all of that.

[DizzyDora]

Wish I'm so sad you lost your Sister in law to Cancer, it is such a shame. I lost both of my parents to it and my Sister is in remission with breat cancer.

You may be right about the stress, but to be definately dx with Menieres you would have to have permenant hearing loss and ear sounds.

 

Hugs DD XX

[Christina]

Hi DD and Wish

 

It's good to find two people who I can discuss this evil vertigo with regardless of what's causing it. It's a horrible thing to live with.

 

Chris xx

[-Kaz-]

I've only ever suffered from this during relapses and it wasn't nice.

I can't really offer any words of advice as you all seem to have it much worse than i did, it's good that you can chat with others who are in the same situation though, that's what i like about this forum!

Just wanted to send you all best wishes

[gillshutt]

A word of warning about the betahistine... I have these for when I get vertigo but they make me dizzy I was taking them for weeks the first time and hadn't realised that my vertigo had gone and it was the tablets causing it

 

I only take them now if I'm really bad and bouncing off the furniture trying to walk in a straight line... it calms that down but I still get the sensation of falling forwards if I stand still.

[Christina]

A word of warning about the betahistine... I have these for when I get vertigo but they make me dizzy I was taking them for weeks the first time and hadn't realised that my vertigo had gone and it was the tablets causing it

 

I only take them now if I'm really bad and bouncing off the furniture trying to walk in a straight line... it calms that down but I still get the sensation of falling forwards if I stand still.

 

Hi Gill

 

The thing about betahistine (Serc) is that they are supposed to work by being taken regularly over a long time and aren't meant to be taken short term. They expand blood vessels to the inner ear and everywhere else too, improving blood flow. I have never found Serc at all helpful and they can cause heachache, indigestion and stomach pains for some people. I personally don't think they are much better than a placebo and there is much debate amongst the ENT consultants about how useful they are. Many consultants don't rate them at all.

 

Interesting they were making you more dizzy though, but that could be to do with increasing blood flow.

 

Chris xx

[DizzyDora]

Yes Gill and Chris, I've heard that they can do that for some people, I suppose it's same as with any medication, what works for one doesn't always work for others.

 

Hugs DD xxxx