Was diagnosed 3 years ago with MAV by a neuro-otologist. Only have mild headaches (only one one side though), no aura, no actual dizziness (but a general form of disorientation). Bending down and getting back up gets me disoriented. Loud noises tend to make it much much worse.
I think this all started when I quit smoking about 6 years ago (though I’ve always had Migraines). Cold/cool humid weather makes it worse. Warm (80+) dry weather makes it much better. Mix of cold/dry makes it worse. Head constantly feels pressurized.
Was prescribed venlafaxine but that stopped working after a while. Took a Zyrtec a few days ago just to see what it did, and almost a week later and I’m doing great. Hope this continues.
Not entirely related, but I had COVID and lost my smell for like seven months. During that period, during my good days, my sense of smell was also stronger.
Glad to hear you are doing better! Are you taking the Zyrtec daily? Do you still take the venlafaxine or stopped once it really didn’t give much symptom relief.
It seems like some on this forum have had the same issues where an SSRI or SNRI stops working and maybe need to change to another type or class of medication.
I’m taking the Zyrtec daily for now, but it’s only been a few days. Stopped taking the venlafaxine (about a year ago) as it didn’t really do much for me after a few months, despite doubling the dosage.
Will say that Zyrtec has been more effective than I can remember Venlafaxine being, even at the beginning; of course I’d need to see how it works in the long term. Maybe it’s just a change in the weather or noise coincidental with my Zyrtec. Wife tells me this is the happiest she’s seen me in years.
An even more pertinent question to ask yourself if the Cetirizine helps longer term is why. It’s an antihistamine. That may eventually help you discover the root cause of your own particular issues and that IMO is the very best road to a solution. Good luck with that. Be good if you can decide to update in due course. May help others.