Hello, all. New to this forum but not to dizziness! Difficult to say when it began, as it has increased slowly. I had motion sickness for years. Then dizziness/wooziness now and again. Sensitivity to certain types of camera work in movies. Misery in places like shopping malls and airports - anywhere with a lot of noise, light, movement, patterns on walls, carpets, etc. You get the picture.
I first consulted a neurologist, ENT, audiologist in 2015. In short, the best “guess” by exclusion of all else was vestibular migraine. It has become worse since then. More or less chronic, to varying degrees from some wooziness to better-to-stay-home. The main problem is walking and in noisy/light-flashy/visually busy environments. I can be happy in a chair or standing still, somewhat off-balance pottering in my small apartment, though my head can be foggy and heavy even here.
I take an SSRI, which I believe does help somewhat as I tried weaning off, with poor results. My recent turn for the worse followed a dose of Covid - but I can’t be sure that was a causative factor. I am checking in again with ENT tomorrow.
Thanks for listening, sisters and brothers!
Welcome to the forum, @Masonetta! 
We’re so glad you’ve joined us here at mvertigo.org, where everyone is friendly and eager to help! It’s a supportive community filled with people who understand what you’re going through.
If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to check out the Welcome Topic here and the Posting Guidelines here. They’ll give you a great start on navigating the forum and connecting with others who share similar experiences.
Feel free to share more about your journey, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need support! You’re not alone in this. 
Do you have a history of migraine, or family history. I think VM is a funny one, I remember my pharmacist telling me it was rare, I replied its likely underdiagnosed as people get fobbed off with other diagnosis. On the other hand some doctors assume that a dizzy patient who has had migraines, even one must have VM. And that isnt the case either.
If your SSRI isnt helping as much as you would like it might be time to consider alternatives. We have a medications poll somewhere on the site and a whole catergory devoted to it. The tricyclic antidepressants like Amytiptyline are popular as they are vestibular suppressants. Or there are others like beta blockers, Propranolol being the obvious one. In the US, Venlafaxine, aka Effexor, an SNRI is becoming increasingly seen as the gold standard for VM.
This condition mightily sucks but the consolation is there are a lot of meds out there to try. Tgere are also the new CGRP meds as well. Good luck.
Thanks! I just had a visit with a new ENT this morning. I like his approach of starting from scratch and reconsidering what might be going on. He asked good questions, listened to my history, ordered a new round of audiology testing. He seemed surprised that I hadn’t been given better advice on medication (as you suggest) if it is, indeed, VM.
Yes, I have family history of migraine and certainly have migraine of some sort. Just need to sort if something else is going on, too, and better meds. And my daughter was diagnosed with Meniere’s since my last round of doc visits, so maybe more attention there.
Welcome to the forum! Sorry you find yourself with these awful symptoms.
Does she have low frequency hearing loss? Does she hear a “roaring” during attacks?
I ask because Meniere’s is very rare, especially amongst younger people.
Will follow up on this with her, thanks. (And she has trigeminal neuralgia, to boot.) She just turned 50.
The problem with a Meniere’s diagnosis is that there aren’t many great treatments that are not destructive in nature so it’s an extremely good idea to get multiple additional opinions.
The symptoms of “Vestibular Migraine”, “Migraine Associated Vertigo” and “Secondary Hydrops” are also very similar to Meniere’s. The first two have reasonable treatment protocols and the last one tends to “burn out” spontaneously.
Vestibular conditions tend to have very similar symptoms, making diagnosis very tricky, the difference in symptoms can be wafer thin.
Tinnitus, balance problems, hearing loss, ear fullness, vertigo are common to several different conditions. Doctors usually start with the most common, like say BPPV and work down the list.
I’m glad your ENT doctor is taking a proactive approach and starting from scratch. Hopefully you’ll find something to help you.
Welcome to the forum. I’m sorry you find the need to be here, but you are in the right place for others that understand what you are going through.
I get the doctors telling your daughter Meniere’s disease. That’s what they told me at first. But, the more I researched it, the less convinced I was that Meniere’s was my problem.
Finally, on my third Neurologist, they suggested it wasn’t Meniere’s, but she wanted me to go to the ENT for testing for Vestibular Migraine disorder. Another three hours at a new ENT, and VM was confirmed.
Ever since then it’s been a balancing act to get the right amount of the right medication to ward off the dizziness and vertigo.
I just complete a long stretch of no symptoms, and now we are trying to figure out a new medication that will put me back on the right path. In the meantime, I sit in darkness and try to avoid sudden movements.
Hi Masonetta,
I know it is not a solution but have you tried wearing blue sunglasses? My son’s cheap baseball sunglasses are the best for me. I am able now to do shopping and go to the supermarket without a problem, and even the airport! I also wear them inside the house in sunny days. The doctor told me that blue is better than black and it is true. Regarding Covid, it also worsened my symptoms, but it will pass. It is not permanent. I take Nortriptyline 10 mg. and I am ok (90%). Good luck with everything.
Thanks, @MariaF. I have tried a couple of types of “migraine” glasses but haven’t found that they help. I do wear dark sunglasses outdoors. I’m going to investigate further! Best to you
I agree. I purchased expensive migraine glasses and they were a waste of money. My eye doctor gave me reading and computer glasses that protect my eyes from the blue light, and those are good. Though the screen can also be a problem for me. But in general for stores, airports, etc, the cheap baseball blue glasses are the best for me.