I was just diagnosed with MAV on Friday. According to my test results, it appears that I have both central and peripheral causes for my vertigo. The ENT thinks that I suffer from MAV and that one of my vertigo attacks was an inner ear infection, which caused loss of vestibular function in my left ear. The rest of the attacks he said were from MAV.
I have been given a very long list of things I can’t eat any more and a Rx for Elavil. The ENT told me if the meds didn’t help or I had trouble with the side effects to go back and see the neurologist and if I had any other problems with my symptoms to see my GP. I looked up Elavil on the net. It seems to have a lot of nasty side effects. The ones that concern me the most is an increase in suicidal thoughts and tendencies as well as weight gain. The site I was on highly recommended that the person be monitored by a doctor for the first 12 weeks.
Any one have any experience with this drug?
I’ve been trying to figure out what the odds of having a form of migraine that attacks the inner ears and an inner ear infection that completely destroys the vestibular system in one ear are.
Does MAV make you more susceptible to inner ear infections? Could the peripheral damage have been caused by the MAV? Should I be worried about the other ear? (My symptoms are in both ears)
Unfortunately, I can’t answer your inner ear questions. I had my first MAV attack after a very bad cold/sinus thing and an international airplane trip. Came back and promptly fell on my keister and stayed dizzy for days. That was 1999 and I’ve been dizzy on and off since then. (Long story.)
I’m now on Elavil (Amitriptalyn) and a beta blocker called Toprol XL. Have been for a few months. Started on Toprol and then added the Elavil. When I started on the Elavin I was sleepy for a whole day or two after I started. But, every day got much better and I only feel kind of wiped out when my dosage gets upped. I haven’t had a weight gain. I sleep SO much better than I did before. And it has helped with my MAV. No suicicidal tendencies whatsoever for me.
Have you talked to your doc about other drugs to add on to it for MAV treatment?
It was an Ear Nose and Throat Dr. that diagnosed me. He said that he did not know enough about MAV to effectively treat me so he suggested that I to go back to the neurologist who referred me to him. I really did not like the neurologist so I’m going to go back to my family Dr. and insist that she refer me to a neuro-otologist who has experience in both neurology and the inner ear.
The ENT Dr. was going to give me a beta blocker (can remember the name) but because I have asthma he said I can’t use beta blockers.
It good to hear that Elavil didn’t cause too many side effects.