Glad to hear you have been ok. Iām still having spinning, it was getting better but started up again. Itās really ridiculous
Terri
Oh no Terri, sorry about the spinning still. I know when it hits me it can last days or even weeks of on and off spinning. Itās nerve wracking really knowing that it will come back but not knowing when or where youāll be. The migraine I had Tuesday night was the worst one yet and Iām still dealing with the after effects but able to get things done around here. Having a little trouble working on the computer but otherwise not too bad today.
Hopefully the medicine youāre on just needs some time to work itās magic? Is it something youāre supposed to take every day or just to relieve symptoms? Iām not familiar with many of the meds yet as Iāve only been prescribed one so far and ended up going off of it after 5 weeks. Hoping for something different from the doc next week.
Hope you feel better soon!
Thank you Lulu sorry about your migraine. Thatās terrible. The meds are just for symptoms. I actually just called the Dr to see if there is something else I can do or take . Iām in CA & had to cancel my flight home due to this . Ughhhh
i dont think its necessarily true that meds are just for symptoms. in many cases, they can restore order to the brain that is persistent. this is why many people are often able to come off of meds
Terri, I hope you make it home soon. I know exactly what youāre going through and have had to cancel both small daily trips and a week long vacation last year because of Vertigo. I still make plans and hope for the best but things just donāt always go according to plan.
Keep pursuing treatments that can treat more than the symptoms and maybe help you recover completely. From reading here and elsewhere itās a process, but there is hope to end the cycle. Iām hoping for that myself. We seem to be in the same boat! Apparently itās a pretty big boatā¦maybe even a VM Cruise! 
Hang in there and keep us posted!
I agree Sheepdogā¦and Iām hoping for that drug that restores order to my brain and everyoneās here. When I saw the neurotologist for the first time in November, he told me I might be able to resolve (cure?) my issues in the next 5 to 10 years. Since Iām 73 and I plan to live well into my 90ās I told him that should give me at least 10 years VM freeā¦at least I got a chuckle out of that!
Iāve had migraines off and on my entire life since about 13 so Iām used to just being treated for the symptomsā¦so much so that I canāt take certain meds any longer. If thereās a permanent solution out there Iām looking forward to it!
cant promise anything but im pretty sure youāll be a LOT better off than you are now in way less than 5-10 years lol
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Thanks for the positive vibes Sheepdogā¦Iām not a quitter and so I think youāre probably right!
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Since Iāve had vertigo since Sunday, my DR Prescribed Prednisone. I donāt have a major headache today & the room is not spinning but Iām still dizzy. Has anyone had any luck with taking prednisone? Thank you
Hi Terri, I havenāt tried prednisone or anything really for the last 15 years other than Tylenol and Meclizine but my symptoms have only gotten much worse since early last year. It sounds like it might be helping thoughā¦fingers crossed for you!
Terri - When my symptoms once again spun out of control (sorry for the bad pun) last Spring, my neurologist prescribed prednisone along with a couple of other drugs but they did nothing to stop the daily, very intense vertigo. It was only after I went back on topiramate and titrated up to a therapeutic dose that my brain finally settled down from vertigo to merely dizzy and nauseous. I had the same experience the last time my brain went crazy so for me topiramate is the drug that works.
Lulu - Weāre the same age so I get that some drugs are problematic for us for various reasons. That said, I think itās reasonable to ask your neurotologist for rescue as well as preventative drugs (I have two triptans ā one oral and one injectable, clonazepan and two nausea meds in my emergency arsenal). In my experience, the preventative drugs can take a long period of experimentation and even when you find one that makes life better, it may not be the ācureā weāre all hoping weāll discover. In the meantime we have to be able to at least manage basic functions in our lives and need some relief! Let your doc know the emotional and physical toll this is taking on you and ask him/her for short term rescue drugs to help you through the worst days. It will get better!
Clonazepam is a great abortive drug for vestibular migraine. It is a controlled substance and must be used exactly as prescribed but we are a patient population that benefits from it greatly and at the doses required (<1mg a day), it seldom causes dependence.
Thanks for the info SFnative. I definitely could use some immediate relief as Iām spinning almost everyday now for hours at a time and with a migraine concurrently. Iām barely able to type a response here TBH. The only thing I really canāt take is any kind of NSAID. I abused aspirin for too many years and it finally caught up with me in 2012ā¦thatās an irrelevant story though. Otherwise, Iām pretty open to anything that will help! Thanks again for the info and encouragement.
Thanks Sheepdog, Iāll add that to my list of things to discuss with the Neurotologist on Thursday. I guess Iāll find out more about what kind of doctor he is then.
I would avoid outright asking for a prescription for Clonazepam. Lots of doctors are scared to prescribe it. I would bring it up more along the lines of āIām looking for a vestibular abortive, would you consider āclonazepamā to be an option? Iāve read that a lot of people find success on itā
Something like that ā doctors get sensitive about controlled substances.
Good point Sheepdogā¦Iāve never really taken anything like that before. When I was younger all the migraine meds were based on aspirin if I remember correctly. Iāve only taken pain medication otherwise very briefly for post surgery on two occasions. I donāt think Iāll even mention it directly but just ask if there is some kind of rescue kind of thing I could take. Weāll see what he says.
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Iāve found that sometimes triptans help, sometimes they donāt ā they work best with mild attacks, not so much with violent ones. My neurologist prescribes clonazepam in very small quantities per month to keep on hand as an abortive, and I only use it for vertigo attacks or when Iāve been dizzy for two or three days in a row. I usually take .5mg. Usually it will stop the vertigo so I can at least safely get to the bathroom without crashing to the floor. I does make me sleepy, which is often a blessing. Since I donāt like the sensation of feeling drugged, itās not something I take for milder symptoms, but itās truly a lifesaver for me when my brain (and my life) is spinning out of control.
Thanks SFnative, Iāll mention triptans to the doc for sure as any relief is welcome. Youāve been very helpful sharing your experiences with this strange and unsettling disease. Iām sort of counting the days until I get to speak to the doctor again and hoping heās got some good ideas of meds for me to try.
Had my televisit with the neurotologist and I went very carefully over my symptoms and incidence of them after going off the Nortriptyline. Also had the opportunity to ask a lot of questions. I explained that right now my Vertigo symptoms are much worse than headache/migraine symptoms. Nothing unusual in blood work or brain MRI. He prescribed 0.5 mg of Clonazepam but he said 1/2 tablet at night until I see him again at the end of February so I donāt know until I pick the RX up if the actual dosage is 0.25mg or 0.5mg. Iām a little nervous about taking it but Iāll give it a try. He didnāt prescribe anything else although I did ask for a rescue kind of thing but he wants me to see a neurologist that specializes in vestibular migraines first (I kind of thought he didā¦LOL). I have an appointment with the new doc, also at the end of February. Two days in a row of neurologistsā¦canāt wait
Adding to clarify that Iāll be taking 1/2 of a 0.5mg dose at bedtime until I see him again in about 5 weeks. Can I have the occasional margarita with thatā¦ 