Hello all, I’m new to this page but I found it in desperation for help. I was diagnosed with VM 4 years ago. I’m so sensitive to medication and I was prescribed Cymbalta to get the dizziness/ rocking under control. I’ve failed SO many meds. The only thing that helps is klonipin. So far I’m on 40mg and I’ve been on this dose for 1 week. I was on 20mg for a month and went up. I see no improvement and I’m severely dizzy. I would love to hear other peoples experiences with Cymbalta. I would also love to know if anyone else is sensitive to meds? I’m so desperate at this point. I’m getting married this year and I can’t even stand to cook. I never know how long to try a med for it to make me better could someone help out in telling me how long to try a med? When is it supposed to make you feel better and how long do you stick it out if there are no changes??? I know many people say they feel something within a month? Please any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Leigh - Many of us are sensitive to meds so you’re not alone in that. Many of us have to titrate up very slowly on dosage before we know if it will work for us. I don’t have any experience with Cymbalta so can’t tall you what to expect.
I use clonazepam (klonipin) as a rescue med and it’s the only thing that works for my vertigo attacks. My docs all warn me to use it sparingly as apparently it can become addictive so I only take it when my other rescue meds fail. I take topiramate as a preventative and have several options for rescue drugs, including triptans and a CGRP.
Have you tried other preventative and rescue drugs? It’s pretty much trial and error. If you haven’t already discovered Dr. Timothy Hain’s website, I’m linking it here for you. He lists the drugs he prescribes for VM, and his website has a wealth of information about VM. You might also spend some time on the VEDA website. They have a lot of information about vestibular disorders, treatments, etc. and a list of medical providers. You can actually call them and they’ll try to help you!
Don’t give up! You can and will feel better!
The standard timeframe to trial a med is usually three months. They can take that long to begin to work but everyone is different so some may experience relief earlier than that. Once you do start to feel relief it can still take many months or years until you feel full relief from VM, it’s a long road. I don’t mean to dishearten you with that info but just to prepare you to be patient. I know how horrible VM is, I’ve had it 15 years now and it took me quite a while and trying numerous different meds before I found one that worked. I now take flunarizine but before that every med I tried only made me feel intolerably worse. You’re not alone in being med sensitive. There are other things you could try while trialing different meds, such as a migraine diet or even supplements which may provide you with some relief, but remember it’s all trial and error and everyone is different. What works for one person won’t work for another. There are various wiki pages on this forum that provide information on VM if you want to look into other treatments like diet and supplements. I really hope you begin to feel better soon.
Thank you so so much for letting me know. This process seems like a long one. I guess my question would be, if I’m not seeing results within 6 weeks do I still give the med 3 months to see any improvements? I’m going to do supplements as well and see how that works. I’m so sorry you have been going through this so long.
Thank you for letting me know about VEDA! I’m going to check out Dr. Haines website too. I have tried a lot of other meds but unfortunately they either gave me side effects or made me feel worse. I realized I need to go up very slowly in dose. When you found something that helped for your dizziness, how long did it take? I guess my question would be if I’m not seeing any results within a month or 6 weeks do I still stick it out? I haven’t done any of the CGRP injections but I have tried Nurtec and it didn’t help. Klonipin is great but wears off fast.
Yes you need to give the meds the full 3 months to truly see if they begin to work. I know it feels like a long time when you’re feeling terrible but it’s the best option we have at the moment. It’s the same with supplements, give them 3 months to see if they help. I hope you find some relief soon.