The course of this disease is different for everyone. I'm 43 and was diagnosed bi-lateral at age 29. I can tell you that I haven't had any vertigo in the last 5 years and rare attacks prior to that. But initially, they were very frequent and lasted 6-8 hours per episode for the first couple of years. One thing that helped me with the nausea, was trying to get the message from my eyes to my brain to match the message from my ears (like watching the horizon on a rocking boat to avoid seasickness). For me, being a passenger in a car on a freeway just fixing my eyes on the road passing next to the car would ease my nausea (the visual "spinning" matches the ear "spinning" message to the brain). If you can't get to a car, then watching a massive spinning top (it's gotta take your whole field of vision) can help too if you can find one in a toy store. Or you can make a video tape of spinning and watch the videotape when your ears are spinning. Good luck to you, I know it's terrifying, I've been there. Get as much stress out of your life as possible. Stress is a trigger for a lot of people (though everyone is different)

For me I had one attack two or three years ago then again two weeks ago. Unfortunately I can't focus on anything because it hits hard and fast and then I'm in a faint. After I wake up I'm sick as a dog at both ends for hours on end. I've always been extremely seasick, can't even watch someone rock. When this occurs I can't lift my head, it feels as if someone is pressing down on it.

I take a diuretic every day for mine. I have like 70% excess fluid in one ear that shouldn't be there. The diuretic has kept me pretty stable for the past 4 years. I've only had a few minor bouts that were brought on by a hormone imbalance. I am still suppose to watch my salt and am better at it but sometimes I am bad and don't. I have a hard time giving up the chips and dip. so the diuretic helps. Maybe they could try that. My specialist doesn't seem to like to prescribe antivert even though I think it helps my nausea but instead gives me valium to keep on hand in case of an attack. If I have to I will use both. I haven't really had to use either in a long long time and it was brief.

I am seeing the doctor on Wednesday. They did an MRI and I guess he wants to see the results. They want to rule out a tumor in the inner ear. I will ask about the water pills. As for getting stress out of my life...lol good luck;)

Well this is interesting to read dz because I've also had 2 really bad episodes of this Catherine Wheel effect thing as I call it. Prior to this year I'd had ear probs for 20 years then over the last 8 years I started falling over a lot for no apparent reason! And then began the spinning just a month ago and I too was 'sick at both ends' as you nicely put it. But to be honest I didn't associate the runs with this syndrome until I saw your posting. I've been seeing my doctor for gastric problems as well as dizziness not realising they were due to the same cause. Today she finally said she thinks it is Meniere's but before sending me to hospital etc she's trying me on Betahistine Hydrochloride after I said I didn't fancy the 'sudden death' side effect of Prochlorperamine that I was given previously. I wondered if you had tried either of those treatments and how you found them. BH improves the blood flow to the inner ear. I'm also going to try ginger for that too. I too don't like the idea of going deaf, as I lost my hearing in this ear for 3 months several years back. Thankfully it came back but it was a horrible experience. So I'm hoping the BH will do the trick for me. I hope you find your best meds too.

I found answers to some of these questions at MenieresResearch.com

Here's another site with lots of information:

http://www.menieresinfo.com

Hope this helps, I'm just starting to try and understand Meniere's too.

I've looked at some of the medical journal papers, and I don't think antivert is regarded to be very effective during attacks, vallium is better. It does help me. The main thing is now I take daily dyazide, it made a huge difference from always feeling unstable and having several severe attacks per week (similar to yours except that I felt better after sleeping), to being pretty much normal for the past 4 years.

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I've suffered with Meniere's on and off for several years but recently the attacks have become more severe and hit without any warning. I've just been discharged from a week's stay in hospital having suffered a particularly nasty attack. I am not allowed to drive, go out alone or fly. My meds make me drowsy and my balance is still way off. I'm scared this debilitating disease is here to stay and life as I know it will be no more.

Hello.. I was diagnosed with Meniere's 2 weeks ago. I had severe dizzy spells for over a year and my doctor told me it was sinuses. After trying just about every sinus med available, my new doctor finally ordered me an EEG and MRI. They concluded it was Meniere's. They put me on Antivert, and it made it worse. I'm now on nortriptyline, and it's pretty much stopped the dizzy spells.

Grace you say "I didn't fancy the 'sudden death' side effect of Prochlorperazine..." I'm also taking Prochlorperazine ~ what's this about? I have asked my doctor and he has assured me it is quite safe but now I am very concerned. I'm also taking Ondansetron for the sickness but it seems to be ok. I researched the Procholorperazine and note it is also used to treat psychological disorders!!! Has anyone else had any trouble with this med?? I'm supposed to be back at work next week but I'm so drowsy on the meds I'm not sure I will ever get back to normal!

My mom has a serious case of it. She's been to many doctors. The course of this disease is different for everyone. She's in her 60's.

You can cure vertigo as i did. It's becoming common knowledge that Meniere's is caused by a viral infection and can be cured in 85%~90% of cases by taking Valtrex 1000mg three times a day or Zovirex 800mg five times a day for 4~6 weeks. These drugs are not even mentioned by most ENTs could lead many a reader to consider drastic, ineffective and irreversible surgical management which is still being pushed bymany lagging doctors. See Sources I have added:

"Effectiveness of Acyclovir on Meniere's Syndrome III Observation of Clinical Symptoms in 301 cases," Mitsuo Shichinohe, M.D., Ph.D., The Sapporo Medical Journal, Vol. 68, No. 4-6, Cases of 301 MD patients treated with antiviral meds The results were: In 82.5% of cases diagnosed as Meniere's Disease, 85% of cases diagnosed as Meniere's Syndrome, and 89.1% of cases diagnosed as vestibular dysfunction, vertigo disappeared, and tinnitus and hearing were improved.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Massachusetts Medical School,
Morphological and clinical evidence supports a viral neuropathy in Mnire's disease (MD). Quantitative examination with transmission electron microscopy of vestibular ganglion cells excised from a patient with MD revealed viral particles enclosed in transport vesicles. Antiviral treatment controlled vertigo in 32 of 35 patients with MD (91%). PMID: 19142031 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I will bring this to the attention of my doctor on the Valtrex. That seems like a pretty high dose to me. I'm very sensitive to medications. I will ask though

You can start with 1000mg X 2 per day for two weeks and see the result. Most people don't have major side effects at that dosage and some people stop after that. in any case its the only treatment i know of that deals with the root cause, all other treatments have more side effects, require long term medication and mainly aim to reduce the effect of the viral infection by shutting down your brain functions (e.g. Antivert) or reducing the amount of fluid in your earby dehydration (e.g. Diuretics) or reduction of immune function (e.g. steroids). Of course the worst of all is the barbaric destruction of your balance system by injection into the ear, not reversible, not proven and totally not needed in 90% of cases. Good luck 2 u !