New

Hi Everybody,

I have been reading a few discussions and am new to the board. I am a 24 year old female and I was diagnosed with MAV by my ENT a few weeks ago- have been suffering since the beginning of March with vertigo and headaches. Had an ENG test which came back abnormal, however all MRI’s came back negative.

I visited an ENT who specializes in dizziness, she gave me a script for Antivert (which I don’t like taking because it makes me very exhausted!) and another script for Ativan. I have not filled the Ativan yet because I am not sure if I want to start taking something that I’ve read a lot of negative things about (dependency, bad withdrawels, side effects, etc.)

I’ve noticed my symptoms getting a little better but I still don’t feel normal. Any advice on whether I should see another doctor, take the Ativan, etc? I appreciate any advice/help anyone could give me!

Thank you :slight_smile:

Amanda

Hi Amanda,
Interesting that your one test came back abnormal. I am not sure what the ENG looks for, I had it and it came back normal. Ive had every test and always normal, so for me, it’s obviously MAV/brain chemistry issues. IF the antivert makes you tired, maybe just take it at night? I would try the Ativan just to see if it does anything…it will give you a clue as to what’s happening in your brain. The benzos (including Ativan) are basically low level anticonvulsants, they also raise your GABA levels…all of which calm the brain. IF it helps, it’s good to know. Personally, I take a very low dose of Klonopin (another benzo) daily and it helps me a lot. I have not had to raise the dose and because it’s so low, I don’t have any side effects at all. If it does help you to the extent that it’s worth pursuing as part of your cocktail, youmight want to consider Valium or Klonopin, as they are much more long lasting benzos…
On the other hand, a low dose tricyclic like Nortriptyline or amitriptyline might be worth trying. For many, a 10mg dose can really help…
Have you had any other “migraine” activity? Like maybe when you were going through your teen years? MOtion intolerance? THese are all things that point to migraine…
WElcome to the club!
Kelley

Kelley,

Thank you for the response! I think the ENG looks for general dizziness- like it tells you whether or not you are dizzy based on your eye movements? I don’t know, I don’t really understand it because if I feel dizzy shouldn’t that be enough proof that I’m dizzy? Hahaha

I had migraines years ago (maybe 10 years ago now) but they didn’t last very long, and I hadn’t had it in years after. I had mono about a year ago and I’m not sure if any of it is related but at any given moment I can feel dizzy or get a bad headache. I’ve also experienced a lot of deja vu recently (not sure if it’s related).

I think I will try the antivert at night first before starting on the ativan, if I’m going to be tired might as well be at night!

Thanks :slight_smile:

The best thing anyone can do is to identify what triggers the migraine, something is doing it and often it’s within our control to eliminate it or dramatically reduce its affect in our life. It can be foods, additives, fragrances, chemicals, other airborne offenders, all kinds of things. Some triggers are beyond our control, but if our health is at it’s optimum with what we can control, it makes the rest easier to deal with. Meds would be more effective if they are still needed, and maybe not even on a full time basis.

The ENG looks at tracking, whether you have abnormal eye movements, i.e. nystagmus which might indicate a problem in the cerebellum, it also looks to see if you have positional vertigo, i.e. BPPV, and finally it looks at whether there is damage to the inner ear through the caloric test,(hot air or water into your ears). So not sure what part of your test showed abnormal results. I have read somewhere that MAV people can, on occasion, show abnormal results in the tracking portion of the test.

Burd is right in suggesting that you look at triggers. One of the most common triggers is food. These are the most common triggers off the top of my head: MSG, including “natural flavoring,” citrus, aged cheeses, preserved meats, fermented foods, chocolate, caffeine, nuts, bananas, avocado. Some folks might even be sensitive to gluten or dairy, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, corn, eggs, and soy. The recommendation is usually to try the migraine preventative diet for three months to see if it makes a difference. There is probably a list somewhere on this site for the foods to avoid.

If you are getting better, that’s great, it may be enough to just tweak your diet or check for airborne offenders, molds etc. Sometimes a hormone imbalance can cause migraines as well. Another important thing to watch out for is that you are getting some exercise and that you are getting up and going to bed at the same time, even on weekends. That will help too.