Long story short after 2 years of of constant 24/7 symptoms, I got diagnosed and went on Zoloft and Topamax and got my life back. I was in remission for about 8 years maybe? I would say I was almost 100% on most days.
Then, this summer I got ischemic colitis and ended up in the hospital. For those who donāt know, itās like having a stroke in your colon. Iām only 30 years old so this was crazy to get.
I stayed in the hospital and they gave me these crazy antibiotics that are horrible, ciprofloxaxin and flagyl.
When I got out, I couldnāt even walk, my dizziness was so bad and I couldnāt move my head.
This was a month ago. I have defininelty improved but Iām not where I was. My doctor is currently upping my dose of Zoloft which I havenāt done in years and I am started a lot of migraine supplements.
Has anyone been through this?
Will it go back to baseline?
Do you have any tips?
My doctor has helped me before feel almost 100% so I feel they will put me on the right track, but I cant believe how I went from normal to dizzier. Itās crazy.
If you use the siteās Search facility you will find very many instances of people experiencing a reoccurrence of MAV symptoms or an increase in symptoms following trauma, many sort of trauma from denistry, following childrenbirth, excess alcohol at a Special Social Event. Happens often. A spell of illness in hospital would certainly qualify even apart from the period of enforced bed rest which could bring on similar symptoms in a person who never normally experiences vestibular issues. MAVers retain their susceptibilities for life. So I guess it pays to remember the āpreventativesā are exactly that. They prevent symptoms occurring by masking them. They are not a cure. The condition remains there underneath so can reappear when triggered. I imagine you should return to baseline in due course. Quite often it does seem to take an increase in dose to achieve though.
Was there some suggestion ischemic colitis could be caused by the drugs you take?
I looked at the searches and it made me feel a little better. This is the first time I had a relapse. My doctor said this isnāt like a flu or cold and it was much more serious so its normal to have my VM flare up and would take at least a month to to see improvement.
I was in the hospital for 5 days not getting up at all. Then I started klonopin then stopped it, then I started up on my Zoloft again to see if that helps. And on top of that, I just started going back to work. Itās been crazy.
Do you believe going up on the preventatives will help? I can only go up on my Zoloft because she said Iām capped on my topamax.
No, the Dr. could not really find a cause for the colitis. He just said stay hydrated and make sure my blood pressure doesnāt drop. Iām still so puzzled by it.
Over the years I have read a lot about MAV and I have always noticed most people who, like you, have experienced some further illness or trauma and appeared to relapse seem to end up having to increase their drug dosage to get back to where they previously were/return to their baseline however one might wish to describe it. People who stop a preventative completely and then relapse and have to go back to taking preventatives appear to find the same. I am not a doctor and have no idea why this might happen. The only way to find out if it helps you is to try it and see. Your previous dose may prove sufficient. As you have been ill with colitis you cannot expect a full recovery instantly. Perhaps it may take a few weeks before you feel OK again and then the original dose might once more be fully effective.
Cannot see why you are puzzled by getting the colitis. People do get sick all the time. It happens. I once had colitis or something very similar. Despite being in hospital, tests and scans Nobody could explain why or indeed what I was suffering from. Eventually mine went away by itself. There often isnāt an answer to many medical questions. After all why have we all developed MAV in the first place? Nobody knows.
No, Iāve been on the Zoloft for about a year and a half and the desiprimine since 2017. The desiprimine wasnāt helping as much as they liked so they lowered the dosage and added the Zoloft and wow, what a difference! Iāve been battling this for a very long time, but it began as episodic and the episodes would be years in-between them. I went to all sorts of docs and was told a million different things-sinus, anxiety???, meunieres, and none of them really seemed to fit. Finally, I had an episode in 2016 that lasted for two weeks and then I decided to do something. I went to three neurologists; the last one being Dr. Kramer who I found from someone on this site! He really knew what I was talking about and things have gotten much better since then. I still have days, but I no longer have months of feeling heavy headed. Jigna has told me, many times lol, that it takes time but it will get better. It has, and yours will, too.
Well I was on 125 mg Zoloft and now they upped me to 150 so Iām praying this helps. Itās already been over a month I was in the hospital and although itās improved itās now where near my baseline. I donāt want to put a time stamp on it but I hope it happens soon
I had guessed as much. Best delete it then. You should find a little dustbin for that purpose just hit the little dots by the Reply button. I had expected as much.
Oh, yes. The weather definitely is a factor; humidity or rapid changes and I sometimes wake up with a headache and head pressure. Usually ibuprofen and just doing daily stuff helps that. I never let it stop me from doing anything. I carried on going to the gym, walking the dog, going out with friends, etc. only if I had a severe attack would I stay in bed and they usually only last for a day or so.
Do relapses get worse before they get better? Iāve had constant dizziness for a month now and I feel itās getting worse. Iām currently almost 2 weeks on upping my Zoloft
Iāve gotten to 100% before and Iām so confused how this happened. Could it have to do with antibiotics they gave me?
Yes could be caused by those antibiotics. If so it should eventually go away. An increase or return of symptoms is very common after illness.! Once the increased sensitivities are present they will fluctuate day to day even from hour to hour. This increase in symptoms may take time to settle down again. There is no reason to suppose you wonāt get back to how you were before you were sick. The more stressed you become the longer it may take. You need to try to relax and occupy your mind with some distraction like a favourite hobby while you wait but wait you must.
Ah then maybe they were the cause. Yes hoping or lowering the dose can cause increases can any other change for example even changing from one manufacturers drug to another and then again MAV symptoms will morph/change for no obvious reason at all. It is an unstable condition and fluctuates due to that instability.
Best forget about trying to work out which because you never will be certain. Could be any of them or a combination of them. Nobody will ever know. Safest just to wait it out and best to remember to spread out the trying out of new meds etc over a longer time period in future for that very reason. I would suggest you leave VRT alone until you are much more stable. Apart from anything else VRT will make your symptoms worse and you will only worry more than ever. Anxiety and worrying can make MAV symptoms worse.