Hi, I new to the forum. A little about me. Im 33yr old female.
I had my first vertigo episode 3 years ago when i was diagnosed with Vestibular neuritis. Unfortunately the nerve damage for me was permanent. I underwent 6 wks of rehab to regain some balance. I had very little at this point.
I managed to get my vertigo to a point where i would get a vertigo episode maybe once a month and recovered pretty quickly. Minimal eye fog and balance was pretty good. I managed this with the help of a chiro and lifestyle.
At this point i had 2 kids and fell pregnant with my 3rd. The pregnancy was bliss, zero symptoms and no vertigo at all. This remained until a few months ago. About 7mths post partum.
Vertigo came back worse than ever. Very long episodes of vertigo, taking days to recover, headaches and eye fog. Im always sensitive to lights and noise but this was hightened. Not great when you have 3 small kids.
This have improved slightly with vertigo still happening bit recovery is a bit better.
My gp changed my diagnosis from bppv to.mv. this has been great because of all the resource but also a bit overwhelming.
Im currently taking high dose asprin when feeling symptoms , this is effective however im taking it alot. I have tried a beta histamine before which made me feel worse.
My lifestyle is all a trigger. Noise, lack of sleep, hormones. Im a bit lost as to where to go from here. I dont know what to do in terms of supplements . The whole diet thing looks awful. No coffee !
I go to the gym which seems to trigger me also . Im trying to find a way to still go and adjust things.
I would appreciate any advice.
Also has anyone had any sucess using the pill to control hormone fluctuations ? I seem to get vertigo when im ovulating and have my period.
Hi Jasmin and welcome to the forum. So sorry to hear about your horrible experience.
I am one of the many women here who find hormones are a massive trigger for their vertigo. In fact I just had a terrible bout yesterday just in time with ovulation (though more often I get flares around the start of my period).
With your new MV diagnosis, the best place for you to start will probably be with a neurologist, who can take you through the various medical options. Most people find relief eventually with the right drug.
I manage my MV without medication, other than the right dose of levothyroxine for my under active thyroid (this improved the vertigo also), and am mindful of lifestyle and diet. But I don’t have 3 small children to look after! I have identified big triggers over the years and have been working on my will power to eg prioritise routine and rest, avoid alcohol and caffeine (the decaf options out there these days are great by the way!)
In terms of supplements, there is lots of information on the forum, just use the search box. But I would start by seeing a neurologist who has an interest in migraine.
You may have already been on the national Migraine Centre site and seen this information on menstrual migraine and contraception: https://www.nationalmigrainecentre.org.uk/migraine-and-headaches/migraine-and-headache-factsheets/menstrual-migraine/
I think like Springer said you need to push your GP for a neuro-otologist or neurologist referral and in the mean time if you can possibly afford it see someone privately (and if you like them get on their NHS list If you are in the UK). Have you tried taking an abortive like triptans and/or an Nsaid like naproxen when you get menstrual VN symptoms? Your GP can prescribe these. You could also start on a preventative like pizotifen, amitriptyline or propanalol - build the dose up slowly whilst waiting to see a specialist.
I can see that a gym would be full of triggers - clanging, lights, loud music(often) lots of movement - you could try to do some more gentle classes for a while like pilates.
There is no one definitive migraine diet - some are more prescriptive than others. They tend to be informed by the trigger foods that patients have reported to specialists. Do you think any foods are a trigger for you?
There are threads about supplements on the site and this poll:
