Meclizine, anyone? Anything! Relapsing Feel helpless

Does anyone take Meclizine, when the dizzys hit? Does it help control the rocking sensation? Or does anything else?

I had been feeling somewhat better, and am going back to work on the first, so of course I am having a big time relapse of the rocking, disequilibrium sensation. Lasts all damn day. Find myself taking a lot more Valium, like in the beginning. Not spinning, but still rocking away & had a hard time taking my walk this AM.

I did stop the STJ and 5htp, as I wanted to give CoQ10 and B2 a fair run for their money. Hadn’t used the STJ for long, only a few days, but there are too many warnings of interactions with 5htp that even tho I was taking only 2/3 of the recommended dosage of SJW I felt that was pushing it. I felt great last week on Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday I was crashing. Tuesday is when I took SJW for the first time so I think that may be a little sign?? :smiley: Too much for my brain with the 2 supplements? However I did have coffee Tues and Wed and not the right diet, and didn’t eat enough but would that set me off for 5 or 6 days??? Seems too long does that happen to any of you??

Am not having much anxiety that is a good thing! Still taking the butterbur/feverfew neuro recommended.

I have tried Nori, was way too tired even to get up in the AM. Have now given Inderal 2 tries; both gave up on second day as I cannot function. Low dose too, 5 mg this last time. And Topamax made me beyond stupid, increased phonophobia and caused me to become disoriented. Oh and the shortness of breath too that was a scary drug for me.

Feeling super super sad just now…got any advice?

Thanks you all are my lifeline right now…no insurance, no doctor, no hubby/partner… The cat still loves me. = )

Aw Kathleen I really feel for you, I know how bad it is when you relapse and its so scary. I am going through it right now. I am so sorry you don’t have anyone to support you. I don’t think I could’ve got through any of this without my partner and my mum. It is such a scary thing. Do you think it could be anxiety about going back to work that has made things worse? Are there any other meds you can try for MAV? pizotifen, amitriptyline, gabapentin, lyrica, flunarizine? I am sure there must be others as well. I am not sure what is available in the USA… I really hope it is just a blip for you and things improve soon x

1 Like

So sorry you’re feeling so rough Kathleen, particularly without support. It must be very, very hard on you, I just wanted to say that when I took SJW a few years ago it made me ever so dizzy, on top of my usual dizziness. I nearly mentioned it when I read a litle while ago that you were about it take it but as everyone is so different I didn’t want to say anything that might put you off. Sorry I can’t help with the meds, but hope you’ll find the right one to help you turn a corner soon. Felling so helpless is just the worst thing…

Brenda x

Thanks, Jem and Brenda, for the kind words.

I am trying to contact our local Health Cntr now, to get an appointment. I don’t think they will know a lot about MAV, but I have this forum thank god & am going to try asking for ami.

Its not expensive here & lots of people have good luck with it.

Hopefully this will get me started getting well this is just horrible to deal with as you know!!

Thanks

K

Hi Kathleen,
Sorry you’re feeling so rough and alone :frowning:
The only thing I can speak to is the Meclizine. It was one of the 1st meds I used when this all started last Nov when it was still thought I had an inner ear infection (and maybe at the time it was…who knows). Anyway, yes, it did help some, it got me through some holiday functions with family (a dinner and a day spent outdoors) but I was taking it like candy. It’s sold OTC as Bonine and Non-Drowsie Dramamine.
Might be worth a try. Wouldn’t cost much and you could pick it up at a drug store.
Judy

Thank you Judy!

Hopefully it will help tide me over until I can get another preventative going.

K

meclizine is useless for mav, benzodiazapenes provide relief for some patients

I am so sorry your going through this! Is there anyway you could give Nori a shot again? I took it for 18 months and it worked wonders. It did make me tired in the beginning, but it did pass. I started at 10mg and would take it late afternoon so I wasn’t too tired in the morning. Eventually it caused insomnia and I had to take it in the morning. If tiredness was your only complaint I may try it again??

Good luck. This too shall pass!

Darren’s got a point…I’m guessing you’re grasping at straws and if I’m remembering some previous posts you might be in between insurance right now…so I’m just giving you my 2 cents worth. Please remember I’m very new to this. I’ll throw another 2 cents out there as my acupuncturist suggested this some time ago…what about those seasick bans?
Just something to think about, certainly not claiming I know what I’m talking about,
Judy

Thanks for everyone’s input. I really appreciate it.

I am thinking of giving the Nori another try, and sticking to 10 mg a night. And also have thought about taking it early too to help stave off that AM tiredness.

I’ll talk to doc about Nori and Ami and see what he/she recommends. I have to go to a local clinic & they won’t see me until next week.

I do recall that I was coming off prozac at the time I took nori (first GP wasn’t very interested with me, had no patience for the the patient!) so it could be a viable option.

I think Nori has less SE’s than Ami??? Guess it depends on the person.

Anyway, will make a trip to the drugstore tomorrow, look at those band thingys if they have them! And ask the pharmacist about Meclizine. I just need a temporary fix on the dizzys, to get me thru the next week or two.

Thanks all :smiley: K

Hi Kathleen,
Hoping you get caring advice from your clinic and the nortriptyline or ami helps. The nori did make me tired early on but got through that. The anti-nausea bands are called ‘Sea Bands’ here in Oz. Do you have any Valium or other benzo to take? I’ve found Ativan helps with the balance issues.
Barb

Thanks Barb,

I have Valium and Xanax, but the Valium seems to have stopped working for the dizzys as it is wont to do, so am setting that aside, will try the Xanax today.

Last night I took a benadryl, which made me dizzier at first, then slept like a log, and woke up this AM can’t really tell if I’m better or not!! Still feel off balance. Too early, I am always a bit slow in the morning!

I have also now had a flare up of bursitis in my left shoulder. Ugh. Only last night took my first Advil, am hoping that pain killers don’t give you a dizzy relapse like they do a headache relapse because this baby is killing me!

When it rains, it pours.

When I first got knocked down by this shit, they gave me a double dose of meclizine in the hospital. It gave me an amazing case of the twitchies (restless leg plus plus). Otherwise, no harm. I did take meclizine, normal OTC dose, for a while, no harm, some benefit.

Kathleen,
SJW is a very potent serotonin antagonist…and 5htp is as well. If you aren’t going to try a prescription, these supplements can be pretty good for some. I think by quitting them, you dropped out on your serotonin levels and your brain isn’t happy about it.
THe feverfew, b2 etc don’t affect sero.
Serotonin is one of the biggest factors in migraine, which is why the antidepressants work well, as the abortives work well for traditional “migraine” headaches.
I would sugget if you were getting better on the sjw, and/or5htp, sero might be the key for you.
Either get back on them, or try an SSRI like celexa and see if that helps you.
BTW, I take 100mg 5htp nightly and am on a pretty healthy dose of cymbalta, which increases sero as well…never had a problem.
Kelley
ps
In answer to your question, meclazine was the first med I tried, and it just made me tired. However, promethazine works great as part of my cocktail, and they are similar. IF you look promethazine (phenergan) up, it says for nausea, vertigo, anxiety and insomnia…

Kelley

I had kind of been wondering the same thing…about SJW and 5htp…maybe SJW I started too much too soon??? I used to take just 100mg of 5htp at night, and even with an SSRI i don’t think it was bad.

Just now I am going to wait; a miracle of sorts has happened & I will actually be able to talk to my kaiser doc, even tho my membership wont be active again until the 1st, and so i will be able to ask her about the next preventative which I think will be a revisit to nori or a shot at ami…original GP was not very impressed with my illness or getting me better, just getting me off his back. He should have told me how long it takes to get over SE’s on these meds, etc. and not let me stop so quickly. Or change drugs without tapering off the first one!!

So I will see what doc says. In the meantime I don’t think 5htp is a bad thing for me to take so will probably start again.

Thank you for your input!!

Kathleen

Good Luck Kathleen,
Keep us posted!
Kelley

The first time I had actual spinning vertigo, meclizine helped. The next time, meclizine didn’t. And last fall, after my head had settled into a perpetual fog of “not right” (visual vertigo), I tried meclizine again and it made the vertigo worse. You’ll know pretty quickly with meclizine if it helps - unlike all the migraine meds (SSRIs, anticonvulsants, etc.) that you have to take for weeks on end, fiddling with dosages up and down, before you have any idea if they’ll help. If you’re desperate, I’d say it’s at least worth a try - just in case.

Hi Kathleen!

Just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you and I am so sorry to hear that you arent doing so well. Did u ever try the meclizine? It never did help for me. Was one of the first rx I was given. The doc was stumped when I told him it had no effect and it made me exhausted. But if you havent, try it, its worth a shot. I never did have the true spinning vertigo. Just the disequilibrium and rocking.
I truly hope u find a new migraine preventative that works for you. Maybe a combo? Have anything in mind? You are in my thoughts. I truly believe you will find the right med! Topamax has helped me ever so slightly…but it took such a very long time. I hope it continues. Wishing u the best! Xxxx

Lisa
:mrgreen:

Hi again all!

Just got home with a month’s supply of ami at 10mg per night.

Pharmacist said Meclizine might help dizziness so I may pick some up still. I also have Xanax - it helped a little today so finger’s crossed.

Hoping that this, drug number 4, will help!

Thanks everyone for your kind words, info, advice & support I was so down and out!

:smiley: Kathleen