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February 10, 2012

Patient Discussions: Meniere Disease - Symptoms Experienced and Effective Treatments

Question:Please describe your symptoms and effective treatment for meniere disease.

Comment from: 35-44 Male (Patient) Published: January 16

I have suffered form Meniere's for about 10 years. It started with fullness in the left ear and then, one morning, a whirling sensation. I was scared and had no idea what it was. I was transported by ambulance to the ER. They thought it was high blood pressure. A few weeks later, I checked with an ENT. He diagnosed it as Meniere's. I am going in for surgery tomorrow because of the vertigo. I am at my wits end with the vertigo.

Related Reading: high blood pressure

Comment from: msmistya, 25-34 Female (Patient) Published: January 16

I was diagnosed with Meniere's about five years ago. I have awful vertigo and ringing in my ears, but no nausea. My doctor prescribed meclizine, which helps. I started taking a multivitamin a few months back and have seen major improvements in the vertigo. I was dizzy daily before, now I still have the "sensation" but not the overwhelming, dropped-to-my-knees attacks like before. I don't know if taking the vitamins helped or if it's my imagination, but I can tell a difference when I don't take them. The vertigo gets worse.

Related Reading: meclizine

Comment from: Nancy, 45-54 Female (Patient) Published: November 19

I had two Meniere's disease attacks about four years ago. I was extremely sick, could not open my eyes or eat, and was in bed for two days. When my hearing was checked, I already had 30% low-base hearing loss. I tried the water pills, and they just did not work that well. I reduced my sodium intake to around 1,000 mg a day (which is very bland food, but you get used to it). I have not had vertigo or an attack since. When I get a slight queasy feeling or tinnitus (I know I have had too much sodium that day), I will take a half of a motion sickness pill.

Related Reading: motion sickness

Comment from: WhatHelpedMe , 35-44 Female (Patient) Published: October 16

I would highly encourage everyone to insist that their physicians give them a trial of hydrochlorothiazide, which is a diuretic. I had roaring tinnitus, with fullness and pressure (no vertigo) in my right ear for months, and did all the tests, nothing was working to alleviate the roaring and thumping sound. I noticed that when storm fronts approached, there was a pattern of it worsening, and that I heard tones in two different pitches (example: if I called someone on my cellphone, the dial tone would be lower in my affected ear, and higher--normal--in my unaffected ear. These are all symptoms of atypical Meniere's, in other words, no vertigo, but all of the other fullness/pressure, roaring symptoms. After putting up with this for 6 months, I finally insisted on my doctor's trying to treat it as Meniere's, and sure enough, the very day I tried the hydrochlorothiazide water pill, the fullness was much relieved, the pitch difference would be gone for the day, and the roaring would be almost unnoticeable. Please try this and pass the word on to others, in case their doctor's tell them it's just incurable tinnitus. I have to take the pill for the rest of my life, but it is very much worth it. It also prevents further hearing loss. So it's important to have this treatment.

Related Reading: hydrochlorothiazide

Comment from: mammy donna, 45-54 Female (Patient) Published: March 16

I have had the symptoms for about 10 years but was actually diagnosed with Meniere's disease about four years ago. I have all of the common symptoms, but in the last year, I have started having the sensation of loosing my stomach (like when you are on a roller coaster, and you go over the top or that big dip at the bottom). It is so realistic that I actually let out a loud moan. I have never read of a symptom like this. I have said many of times that it is a good thing that I am totally incapacitated during these attacks. There are times when I would rather be gone than to go through this feeling.

Comment from: Skye, 35-44 Female (Patient) Published: March 10

I have just been diagnosed with Meniere's disease, although I have been suffering with symptoms for more than nine years. The first time I had an attack, I was so scared. I was too dizzy to see the numbers on the phone to call my husband. It felt as if I was going to be flung off the Earth! It made me vomit and walk into walls. I've had a few attacks like that since, but they don't seem to be quite as violent anymore, just more frequent. I don't have the ringing or hearing loss, and that is why it's taken the ENTs so long to diagnose it. It is quite debilitating. I feel tired and kind of spaced out at best and then the dizzy spells in between; especially when I look up, lie down, etc.

Comment from: widget, 45-54 Female (Patient) Published: January 16

I have been treated for Meniere's disease for three years now. My vertigo was so bad that on the onset I had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. I could not get off the floor without assistance. Since then, I have learned to stick with a low-sodium diet and to stay on my diuretic.


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Meniere's Disease - Treatments Question: What was the treatment for your Meniere's disease?

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Suggested Reading on Meniere's Disease by Our Doctors

  • Related Diseases & Conditions

    • Tinnitus
      • Tinnitus is a ringing or swishing that seems to originate in the ear or head. Most of the time it is not a serious problem (it is however, a nuisance to those that suffer from the condition). Causes of tinnitus include loud noise exposure (firearms, loud music), medications, and other diseases (Meniere's disease). Treatment options are limited for tinnitus. Tinnitus can be prevented by wearing hearing protection when exposed to loud noises.
    • Nausea and Vomiting
      • Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are not diseases, but they are symptoms of many conditions. The causes of vomiting differ according to age, and treatment depends upon the cause of nausea and vomiting.
    • Vertigo
      • Vertigo is a feeling of spinning movement, and at times accompanied by nausea and vomiting occur. Vertigo is most often associated with an inner ear problem. The treatment for vertigo can be lifestyle changes and medication if necessary.
    • Balance Disorders
      • Balance is a state of body equilibrium or stability. We often take for granted how dependent we are on a healthy balance system. When the system breaks down, however, patients will describe symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, lightheadedness, or motion sickness.
    • Noise Induced Hearing Loss and Its Prevention
      • Noise-induced hearing loss may be an acoustic trauma (temporary hearing loss), or permanent due to an acute acoustic trauma. Experts agree that continual exposure to more then 85 dBs (decibels) is dangerous to the ears. Ear plugs and ear muffs can help prevent noise-induced hearing loss as well as decreasing exposure to loud noises.
    • Deafness, Hearing Loss
      • Hearing loss (deafness) may be present at birth or it may manifest later in life. Deafness may be genetic or due to damage from noise. Treatment of deafness depends upon its cause.
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