Vertigo over a year no help

[momtocJ]

I have had vertigo since December 2006.  Most days it is mild and manageable, but lately it has become more severe.  I had an MRI done in January 2007 along with 2 ENG's which showed some type of damage to the right ear, but inconclusive.  The MRI was normal.  I saw a neurologist in July - everything was normal.  The persistent vertigo triggered panic attacks/disorder back in January 2007 and I have been on 300mg of Wellbutrin since that time.  Every day, I feel disoriented, hard to focus, somewhat blurry vision or trouble with eyes focusing.  It's almost like the groggy disconnected feeling when you have a cold.  I have constant post nasal drip and thick mucous in the morning.  During the day, the congestion is not so bad.  I haven't been able to sleep or lay on my stomach for over a year.  Every time I lay on my stomach, I feel a lot of pressure in my forehead and ears.  I would appreciate any ideas that you have.  It is beginning to really affect my life and my ability to enjoy life.

Shelly

[shellys818]

greetings
i am sitting propped on the couch recovering or at least trying from an attack that hit me in the night.  I woke up 2 nights ago in a complete spin.  I thought I was dreaming.  When I opened my eyes and realized I was alive and awake...I went into a full blown panic attack.  Which I have had trouble with in the past.  My fiance was near and helped me through.  He gave me my xanax which is prescribed for panic disorder.  I calmed over about a 40 min period.

I had this happen on one other occassion some 6 years ago.   I woke up in the morning, sat on the edge of my bed and the room spun around me.  I crawled to my sons room....(he was 15) I thought I was dying or having a stroke.  He helped me to emercency room...he did not have his license but did have his permit.  I remember this very clearly as A) it was terrifying and B) We had to call someone to bring us home.  The ER doctor on this first incident put me back into the position to cause the spinning, hence benign positional vertigo.  She treated me with a valium drip.  I remember asking her why valium?  She said it settles the nerve in the inner ear that causes this.

  So yesterday when I found myself back In the same ER some 6 years later I asked this attending about my last visit.  He had no idea what I was talking about.  He said he had never heard of such a thing.  And that the other Doctor must have given that to me for panic.  perhaps I was in a panic.  That sort of pissed me off because I dont like that fact that I suffer with anxiety.  I would love to NOT have this condition.  Anyway we left with antivert which is just making me groggy.  And to know for sure I did google BPV and Valium drip and found a list of articles regarding its use for this disorder.  So at least I know I am not crazy.  Has anyone else out there had this treatment.  I am still spinning and only wished for the drip as to STOP THE SPINNING IMMEDIATELY.  The thing about this valium one time treatment is that the vertigo went away IMMEDIATELY.  I am still spinning and cannot drive...and feel sick and groggy from the antivert which is for motion and car sickeness.  I am not going on a boat ride anytime soon...I want to be able to go to work tomorrow.

I would be curious to know why the attending did not go out and ask someone or google this himself.  I think he was a Physicians PA ???  I dont know how much schooling you have for this title.  I am sure quite a bit.  But he made me feel like I was hunting for drugs which is so not the case.  Anyone one out there know what I am talking about?

Best
Shelly

[Nancy T]

Please go see a neuro-otologist (also spelled neurotologist). You can find a list of them at the Web site of the American Neurotology Society. Neurotologists are ENTs with years of extra training in the inner ear, so they are the best specialists for dizziness/vertigo. (Note that the ANS listing includes some doctors who aren't necessarily ENTs or even MDs but perhaps research-PhD types, so you'd have to call offices in your area and ask about the doctor's training.)

Do you have attacks of severe dizziness or spinning? Or is it just an overall feeling of dizziness and/or lightheadedness?

Panic attacks, anxiety, and agoraphobia VERY commonly develop in people with chronic dizziness/vertigo. This is because the vestibular system is "wired into" the autonomic nervous system. It's all connected. Panic, etc. can be controlled with various medications--if one doesn't work well for you, another one might.

There are a handful of neurologists in the U.S. who specialize in dizziness "from the brain side." They are called otoneurologists, although this name is not anything formal and I don't think there is a certificate or anything that they will have. They are simply neurologists who are interested in dizziness/hearing issues and have done extra studying or fellowship or whatever with specialists in these areas, and they are pretty darn smart. Check out Dr. Michael Robb's site (an Arizona neurologist) for an explanation of otoneurology and a list of doctors he has on his site. Where do you live?

Best of luck getting it figured out. There IS help. Most people with dizziness do get better, but you have to find the right doctor to help you and/or the right medications, lifestyle changes, or whatever. It's a process. Unfortunately, ER doctors usually aren't going to be much help, since the cause of dizziness can be complicated and the territory of specialists.

Nancy T.

[momtocJ]

no history of migraine.  The ENG showed a "distrubance" in the right ear, but the ENG was inconclusive.  I have not een a neuro-otologist or oto-neurologist.  I didn't know they existed.  The ENT recommended VRT but said it was only effective 25% of the time.  They did do the Epley Maneuvre, but that didn't do anything.

I had 2 EMG's for numbness and tingling in the feet and hands, but it showed only carpal tunnel in the hands.

I went to urgent care on Friday because the vertigo was really bad and the Dr. put me on Zyrtec and Flonaize because she seemed to think that the constant post nasal drip and congestion and fullness in the ear was because of the constant congestion.  So far that has no helped.

[Nancy T]

Any personal or family history of migraine? There is something called migraine-associated vertigo which you can Google.

Do they think you had vestibular neuritis, one-time damage to the ear? Have they sent you for vestibular rehab therapy (VRT)?

Presumably you've seen a neuro-otologist (ENT with extra training in the ear), and hopefully also an oto-neurologist (neurologist specializing in dizziness)?

A great site for info on various causes of dizziness is Dr. Tim Hain's site, www.dizziness-and-balance.com.

Lots of different medications are available to try. Some people get relief from migraine meds. Some get relief from small doses of Xanax, Valium, Ativan, or similar meds.

Best of luck--that feeling you describe is really difficult to deal with day in and day out.

Personally, I was helped GREATLY by Strattera, an ADD med, but I've never heard of anyone else using or prescribing that for dizziness. Maybe it depends on the cause of the dizziness (in my case unknown, but I do have nerve damage).

Nancy T.