This past January I was diagnosed with Mennieres syndrome. I didnt have the fogginess but had lightheadness with strong ringing to both ears. My general practitioner was of no help so I seeked out ENT specialist. Two werent of much help but the third made a big differance for me. I had many test run and then was put on steroids for a month which brought the symptoms down about 60%. He then put me on Topamax and this made another 20% change. Unfortunately I hit a plateau and there was nothing more he can do. At this point I was only suffering tinnitus. I began to feel depressed about this when I read that someone with the same problem sought help with accupuncture and it really made a differance. I am now into my fourth week of accupuncture and it has really brought down the volume to my ringing. It would fluctuate here and there at first which was alarming to me but it was explained to me that it was normal until treatment settled. The ringing is still there and I am still going for therapy but there are times when I can barely hear it. Now Im about to begin a homeopathic remedy. I was told by someone who had this that the homeopathic remedy healed him 100% where modern medicine failed.
I hope this is helpful to you.

Thanks Maipen for the reply.
Can you tell me which Homeopathic rememdy you are going to be using? Is it just to stop the Tinitus?

thank you

Hello,
I have Bi-Lateral Meniere's which was brought on by another condition called Chiari 1 Malformation.. I was DX August 2008 when I demanded an ENT referral after I started having all kinds of werid symptoms along with the ringing ears the ENT DR ordered a Brain MRI if it had not been for him. I would still have DR'S thinking I was crazy. . From the onset to being DX with these 2 condition it was 4 months during that time I lost a large portion of my hearing in both ears and now wear aids.

Have you had a brain MRI by chance? Looking forward to hearing from you.

Hugs,Jacki

Hi Aremerald,
I havent had a brain MRI, but I did have a CT Scan which came up normal. Ive also had lots of blood work done which came back fine as well.
At this point I believe this Fog is due to having Menieres Disease, and now looking into finding what triggers it for me and if theres any remedies out there to lift it when it does occur.

thanks so much for the reply ...

hi maipen,
i generally have brain fog and a bit of stuttering ater an attack.about two weeks can't think staight and can't think of words sometimes.i go back to normal after that.

Hello,

I have Meniere's Disease and Fibromyalgia. The brain fog you describe sounds like 'fibro fog' which is common to fibromyalgia. I have often wondered about the connection to these two illnesses, as the symptoms seem to overlap and I wonder if it is not part of one whole syndrome. Have you ever been seen to rule out Fibromyalgia by a pain management doctor? I suggest you might go that route if you have not. Good luck!

Brain fog is definitely one of the joys that can come along with Meniere's. Mine occurs and lingers if I have a really bad bout of vertigo. I make no sense, I can't concentrate or do much at all really. Haven't found a way to shake that one, but thankfully my attacks have truly become less and less frequent.

I find that "Brain Fog" is all I ever really get. I dont ever get vertigo attacks or Tinnitus. Just one day out of the blue I will get foggy and it will last as long as it wants. I do find that if I eat stuff that has alot of (bad) sodium or MSG it gets mich worse...so I dont eat stuff like that anymore. I guess sometimes I do get the heavy feeling in one ear but never any vertigo attacks, just always get brain fog. It's tough to live with when it comes but I guess theres nothing that can be done. Sometimes I think my working out and Kickboxing helps out a bit, I hope it keeps it bay but even that cant stop it 100%.

thank so much for all the replies!

OMG!!! Thank yo so much for your post!! The foggyness oh yes i remember, i had that for about 3 years, my doctor said he never heard of it! I am so thankful someone else knows what im talking aobut !!

I have read a lot of people with Meniere's complain of "brain fog" although it is not one of the standard symptoms (hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and fullness in the ear). I have had Meniere's for about 9 years (I've had all those four symptoms) and I don't experience the fogginess myself. My ENT once told me that some people can have migraines whose main symptom is vertigo, I could imagine how brain fog could be associated with that because migraines are involved with the brain, whereas Meniere's is mainly involved with the ear. So, not sure if it is strictly from Meniere's, but could be from something that often comes along with it. The thing is, Meniere's is not that well-defined itself, being diagnosed through symptoms and the elimination of other possible conditions, rather than being totally understood from a mechanistic point of view. So sometimes it is unclear what symptoms are really part of it... but like I said it is common for some Meniere's sufferers to report brain fog. Still, if it was me I would try to keep looking for other potential causes, just in case.

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]

Yes, i have the brain fog most of the time...my doctor says it is all a part of the menieres. I see an otolaryngologist at KU Med center. The fog is such a weird sensation, and I have trouble making my friends and family understand what I am experiencing...If anyone out there has something that helps with this brain fog syndrome, then I would love to hear about it....

I don't get "brain fog," but my scalp gets very tight and I can't seem to stay focused. It also makes me queezy. My vestibular therapist says that it's not unusual for Meniere's patients, because we try to keep our heads as still as possible when we are feeling dizzy. I hadn't noticed it, but I was always "propping" my chin up, with my index finger on my cheek in order to "stabalize" myself. That ending up being one of the 1st things she told me not to do anymore. It's a difficult habit to break.It's a sensation that is difficult to explain. My head feels like it's in a vise grip without a headache.

I was diagnosed with Meiniers Disease 2 years ago. One of my symptoms is the 'Brain Fog' (as I call it) The brain fog stays with me for long periods of time (months sometimes) I can't think straight when the fog comes.

I have been told by my specialist (Ear Nose Throat) it is part of my Meiniers symptoms. I have had all the work ups looking for brain tumors or miss functions and it all comes back to the meiners.

I also have riging in my ears, but most of the time it is just 'white noise'.

My symptoms seem to be seasonal, running March to June.

I've had three severe vertigo attacks, the last one over 10 years ago, knock on wood. I can't go on rides in amusement parks, or look at black and white pattern prints as they spin. I can't watch scenes in movies where the camera pans circularly around the subject. I have the tinnitus occasionally in one ear, and if I lay on that side, I can feel fluid moving in that ear; it will wake me from a sleep. I have cyclical fatigue, but don't know if it is related. If I have a minor attack, I can still function, but get extremely fatigued, and experience the brain fog for one to two days. I only take the antivert if I have a major attack.