Sudden intense visual sensitivity over last week

I’ve been on the MAV train for 7 months now and have tried 3 medications without success: Effexor and then Nortriptyline and Prozac – the latter 2 made everything way way worse, the effexor didn’t do much of anything. I am now feeling the worst I’ve felt since this all started, particularly with the visual vertigo. It’s almost impossible to walk around outside without feeling like I’m going to fall over from the dizziness that the world causes me. I’ve had visual vertigo this whole time, but not nearly as bad as now. I’m wondering if my condition as a whole actually progressed into a worse state or if it’s just a temporary exacerbation due to the trialling and weaning off of meds, much greater anxiety (this really has me shaken up), the start of my menstrual period and – oh yea – a 3 hour plane ride. I know that MAV can go through cycles where symptoms change, but since this is the worst I’ve felt since it all started, my fear is that it’s getting PROGRESSIVELY worse (and will continue this way). Does this sound familiar to anyone? :\

Adrienne

Adrienne,

How long since you have been off the meds? I wonder if you could be experiencing some sort of withdrawl. I was on 10 mgs nortriptyline for only a month and had to go off because it gave me horrendous insomnia. Even at that low dose for that short of a period I have withdrawl symptoms (“brain zaps”). All of the things you mention could lead to a worsening of symptoms as well as the normal up and down cycle of this malady.

Book

Hello,

Just to agree it could be the come down off the meds - I had very bad symptoms coming off effexor. Also, plane trips are my biggest trigger. I respond very badly to altitude changes and have spent weeks recovering from plane flights. So all in all, you probably aren’t getting progressively worse, you’re probably just having a bad setback caused by either of these triggers.

H