Diamox (Acetazolamide)

Has anyone used or been recommended this diuretic to reduce head pressure? It’s supposed to help reduce vertigo incidents

Cheers,

James

I have used diamox only for altitude sickness for some hikes I have done.

There are many diuretics that a doctor can prescribe for SEH. Some of them can have bad side effects.

Is your night time vertigo happening daily ?

Almost daily, and almost always when I lay down.

I probably should just be patient and wait it out as I know this condition has morphed several times already, mostly for the better, rather than jump back into meds.

Just thought that a diuretic might actually address part of the problem rather than just numbing the experience, as Ami does.

Have you ever used Diamox for more than a day - how were the side effects?

I have taken it for 3 continuous days before an hike. It is an off feeling, Feels like a mild flu ,no appetite and frequent urination expected from a diuretic.

Thanks. Doesn’t sound like it would be an improvement :slight_smile:

Have you ever done the valsalva maneuver. It is one of the test’s for PLF not sure it will work right now since yours might have healed. But in the past did you ever try valsalva and did you get vertigo while doing it ?

Yeah by the time Id seen an ENT who was convinced I’d had a fistula it was something like 1.5 years in!!! So much for emergency medicine!!

He based his diagnosis on the collection of symptoms I had, the hearing and vestibular tests and the trauma had experienced and the temporal relationship to my symptoms (15 minutes after pointing a shower into my ear I became severely dizzy for the first time in my life, you don’t need to be a genius ENT lol)

I have also had a couple of tell tale if less formally recognised symptoms: a feeling of fluid movement within the ear, a kind of bubbling and a brief muffling of hearing as I got up from bed. This started the morning after the incident and has happened to a lesser and lesser extent since then almost EVERY MORNING. Very occasionally I had this sensation during the day when I would get a squishing sound by my ear when moving my jaw. This was rare though. The steadyish decrease in the morning sensation has been a source of encouragement and a marker for healing.

With hindsight another tell tale sign was later in the condition when going on haunches I would feel dizzy when getting back up and actuality this would last up to a day to some extent. A clear sign of pressure induced dizziness imho. Perhaps that’s good enough as a valsalva alterative?! :slight_smile:

Later on I developed an occasional episodic (every few weeks) cracking from my jaw area when opening my jaw wide when eating. This I take to be the dried leak residue in my eustachian tube breaking up. Probably blood and perilymph.

I’m personally a bit wary of Valsalva; it must put pressure on your wound. Is that a good thing?! Leave well alone imho!! The fistula is under a lot of pressure (basically almost head pressure which can increase depending on activity). and struggling to heal as it is.

No in answer to your question though it got me wondering if it would work however just today I happened on this paper linking Acetazolamide successfully with Visual Vertigo which surprised me. Interestingly the summary states there is ‘no effective pharmacotherapy available for treatment-resistant cases’, and, perhaps of even more relevance thinking of the times people on here have discussed it, Greatest improvement was reported in symptoms triggered by being a passenger in a car. which would seem to mean Acetazolamide might be worth a try for people whose visual vertigo is triggered by being a passenger in a car.
*Acetazolamide: A New Treatment for Visual Vertigo - PubMed

Did you ever resolve this? Sounds like you had a case of BPPV, which can be helped with certain exercises.