Over the past few years I have heard quite a lot about Betaserc and how it pertains to Meniere's Disease. The first thing that should be commented on is that Betaserc is not allowed in the USA but is used extensively in Europe, Canada and other places.
But first what is betaserc? Betaserc is short for betahistine hydrochloride, a drug that is manufactured by Solvay. It is also referred to by as betahistine. The reason that is many conclude that is beneficial to MD suffers is that it increase the flow of blood by dilating the blood vessels.
Although it was legal in the United States for awhile the FDA changed the ruling on it because there was questions as to whether it was effective. There seems to be contrary to feelings about the drug considering it is one of the leading prescriptions for MD in other parts of the world. Hopefully the FDA will reconsider this drug that has the support of many doctors in the USA.
To find out about my history of Meniere's disease click here
Feel free to comment and subscribe to my feed if you like
thanks
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
81 comments:
Just a clarification here-- betahistine is not illegal in the US. It is not an FDA approved drug, but it can still be prescribed "off-label" in the US. Very few US otolaryngologists use it however, because of the conflicting information available about its efficacy. I have prescribed it on infrequent occasions when patients have requested it. Those patients have told me that it is somewhat helpful. I don't think it dramatically changes the course of Meniere's disease and generally, I think it is less helpful than dietary modifications and diuretics.
Phil Anderson, M.D.
Thanks for the clarification and the comment Dr. Anderson.
@Dr. Anderson: I was recently diagnosed with MD in Europe (Portugal). It's the first drug they use there (also encouraging low-sugar and low-sodium diets, obviously).
I was hesitant to take it b/c I was moving back to the US soon and knew it was not FDA approved. However, eager for relief, I decided to give it a go. 24mg's two times daily. I was encouraged to stay on it for a min. of six months before seeing full effects of the drug.
The doctor explained that this drug is best used in patients with very EARLY MD. It seems to be less helpful in patients with more advanced disease (In me recent experience, now back in the us, doctors give the drug to patients only after diet has not helped, etc. In my opinion, this drug and diet should be the FIRST things doctors should have their patients do). My European doctor explained that catching MD early, and administering this drug at high doses, can be very effective in preventing the severity and frequency of attacks and, therefore, helping prevent more advanced MD.
He told me that I would not see immediate results. I did not. However, after three weeks, I noticed less ringing/roaring and the attacks were less severe. After one month, I stabilized. Usually, when stressed- out or ill, I get intense ear pressure and, often, a headache lasting 2-12 days. However, that’s about as bad as it gets (knock-on-wood, right!). Ringing is now down to a mild hiss or ring usually only heard when it is very quiet.
This drug, has, without a doubt, given me my life back. I pray it continues to do such a great job. Even if this drug only helps , for example, 5% of MD’s patients, I think ALL specialists owe it to their patients, especially those with early MD, to prescribe this drug at a high dose (start high and then, maybe, go lower after as deemed appropriate) along with diet changes and stress reduction/management (before I went on the drug, when I was being stubborn about it, I tried the diet changes and it did little, if anything, to help me).
There has a to be a reason that in almost all other countries, this is the first drug of choice given to patients. I’m saddened that US doctors feel so strongly that it doesn’t work. Heck, chemo doesn’t work for all patients. Everyone deserves the right to try this drug. You just never know, it may work!!
You can get Serc at compounding pharmacies here in the US and out of drug stores in Canada (online, etc.).
Natalie at narsenau@hotmail.com
Thanks Natalie for the comment about betaserc. You are right about how in the us it isn't mentioned much. but I am glad to see that it is working for you.
I think that I am going to use your comment in an upcoming post because it is important to show that some people do find relief with betaserc.
thanks again
My mom is using Betaserc for years now. She is still having MD attacks. Anyone can suggest an alternative treatment?
There are various treatments for meniere's disease. It is always best to check with your doctor to see what is available.
David
I had started Betaserc or SERC (Betahistine Dihydrochloride)over ten years ago for Meniere's Disease and had great success that eventually led to almost complete remission. I received tremendous relief from ear pain and pressure from hydrops and the noise associated from it within the first day of use. As well as a big improvement in my hearing. Being here my entire life in the US, I have had to try the compounded version of this drug and it did not work as well as the SERC by Solvay brand of this product. Getting a doctor that is willing to prescribe this here is a real pain. They are afraid of malpractice suits and it's not worth their time if they don't believe in it in the first place. All I can say is persist until you get it. This stuff is virtually harmless.
thanks for the insight Serc. I am going to talk to my doctor about it next time I have an appointment
thanks again
David
David,
If you have any trouble with getting your doctor to agree to giving you a prescription for betahistine dihydrochloride. Might I suggest that you try an excellent source here: http://goldpharma.com (Type in "betahistine" in their search box).
They are a pharmacy from Spain that will sell you name brand (Solvay) Serc, based on a health questionaire of your present condition that you provide at the time of purchase online. I have used this source and find them to be very reputable. I have no qualms about buying from them. I also have no connection to their company, so I have no vested interest. Over the years I found that the brandname product worked much better than the compounded version. The compunded version cost me more, especially since insurance will most likely not cover this. Best wishes!
I'll have to check out the site,
thanks
David
Betaserc works great for vertigo. I've been taking it for almost 6months until I don't need them anymore. Betaserc works long term. You need to take it for at least 2 weeks or more for it to actually work. However, it won't cure vertigo entirely. It might work for MD temporily.
If not, try Stugeron. Stugeron is much more stronger than Betaserc and it works like a charm. The side effects are extreme lethargicness, feeling tired the whole day and just wanting to sleep. But I manage both Betaserc and Stugeron for a month plus, going to work feeling real crappy but I was happy at least the dizziness went away. My sickness stuck around for 2 months. It slowly faded away after constantly taking the medications everyday. But it came back about 2months plus later again. I consumed Betaserc again and it worked mildly but at least the dizziness was not as strong.
Thanks I don't think that I had heard of stugeron before
David
Outside the US Stugeron is the brand name for our US equivalent of Meclizine, otherwise known as Dramamine II (Non-Drowsy)Formula. Not all true about the drowsy part, but somewhat less then their Original Formula (Diphenhydramine).
Thanks for the info. and comment
David
I do not know, I have been taking betaserc for 4 months now, but no improvement. My doctor said to keep taking it. If any one know of someone who took betaserc for more than 4 months, please let me know. I am dissy, cant keep my balance, any hope of regaining my healthy status....please advice, I am really depressed
Please let me know if one took Betaserc for more than 4 months! Any chance to regain balance and get rid of dissiness?
I wish that I could help you but I haven't taken betaserc. Some of the folks that have written comments say that it has worked for them.
I wish that I could be more help.
David
Betaserc(France) + Arlevert(Germany) ; this combination seems to work for me - with medical advice, of course. Arlevert is a sort of ... stugeron(cinnarizine)+dramamine(dimenhidrinate) with very good effects. Also Diamox and low salt(Na Cl) diet.
thanks for the comment!
David
This is to the anonymous poster regarding Betaserc not working after 4 mos. You hadn't said what dose that you are on, but most recommendations are 48mg. per day. Serc works best for true Meniere's with cochlear hydrops (stuffy pressure in-the-ear sensation). I have been on and off it as needed for well over ten years, and it usually helps. However, some people seem to not receive any benefit at all. The good thing about Betaserc, is that it is a relatively harmless histamine.
Steve
I'm not on Betaserc because it is difficult to get in the US. I have heard that some people like it and some don't.
David
I'm going to agree with your posters that say the compounded form does not work as well as the form given in Europe and probably Cananda. I've had to get the compounded form since moving back from Portugal and while it still works great, I do notice some break through symptoms. When I found a box I thought I lost from Portugal, after two weeks, I felt better maintained. It must be an absorbtion issue. I'm moving back to Europe (Germany) in a few months and will quickly ditch my compounded form. I'm hoping I can walk into any pharmacy and get it w/o an Rx (anyone know?) until I establish care and get a formal Rx.
Natalie
David,
My post was really in reply to an "Anonymous" post above, on March 7th, 2010 2:38PM. The person exclaimed after 4 mos. of use, that they were not receiving any improvements.
BTW, Regarding Betaserc or SERC, I hadn't corresponded with anyone over the years that claimed that "some don't" like it for any ill effects, but rather that it really didn't help them. However, at least a larger majority claimed that it at least helped them. Some have been symptom free after using it.
I am a brain surgeon (practicing in Costa Rica) diagnosed with MD. After a major vertigo attack I was immediately started on Betaserc 16 mgs three times a day. I haven't experienced significant improvement, but I don't expect immediate results.
We don't fully understand MD. It cycles, (I was symptoms free for over a year without diet or medication) so it will be hard to know if I improve due to Betaserc or the natural behavior of the disease. I am still experiencing intense ear pressure and headaches. So far I have had 3 minor and 2 major vertigo crisis... last one has taken me a week to recover from, and I am not OK yet.
I doubt Betaserc will make a significant difference. Not because of the medication itself, but because of the underlying mechanism of MD. Nevertheless, because it is a H3 blocker (with no problematic side effects) I will continue on it.
I am yet to see a good double blind controlled study for Betaserc and MD... I would appreciate if anyone can direct me to it or them.
Thanks Dr. Huertas for your perspective on Betaserc. My own doctor doesn't believe that it is effective either. But I have received comments from folks who have MD and who say that serc has helped.
It really is difficult to say what does help with this disorder. I know in my own situation the gent injections helped somewhat.
thanks again for the information
David
Hello Dr.Huertas,
Here are some interesting studies on betahistine dihydrochloride that you can review in the hyperlinks below.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1763646
http://www.springerlink.com/content/30t33cjr4gx4r9d8/
http://www.backgroundfacts.com/menieres/Beta_From_NORD.htm
http://www.waent.org/letters/20100301-serhan.htm
Steve I couldn't open any of those links
David
Sorry about that David, I had some bad code next to the links. This should be better.
PubMed Abstract
Betahistine dihydrochloride in the treatment of peripheral vestibular vertigo
Numerous Studies
Credible Serc Testimonial from a Turkish Oncologist with Meniere's Disease
thanks Steve!
I had been having another bout with some allergy aggravated Meniere's symptoms for the last month or so. The symptoms have been plugged up ears and almost no hearing with mild dizziness. I had been in remission for years until an episode of the same last year and now this past month and into June.
Anyway, I place my order for Betaserc with "Goldpharma"in Spain back on May 25th, and I received it about ten days later this last Friday, June 4th. Within the first two days (this weekend), I have been getting my ears to open up. I can hear much better now without so much pressure.
I have had this experience with betahistine or Betaserc every time I use it, when the symptoms start-up and don't go away on their own.
Serc has been a life saver for me. It has for the most part prevented me having attacks. On some occasions I maybe a bit heavy headed and slightly off kilter but no violent attacks. I also take a diuretic, and when needed back it up with Gravol. I have found that I must use the name brand product. The generic drug does not work for me.
I would caution you if you have dizziness which is not spot on like the Mineres spells to check your diet. I went through a period where I was having numerous dizzy spells each day. I told the doctors that they were not the same as the true Mineres attacks. They did not believe my view. A niece suggested that I eliminate all diet sweetners, aspartame being the worst from my diet. Within a week to 10 days my improvement was remarkable. I was being poisoned by the sweetner, in addition to having the Mineres problem. If you wish more info on this, go to the site Gateway. It has endless research on the sweetners, and how they affect the human body. Many off the shelf medications have aspartame or one of its cousins in it. They will add to your balance problems .
I have suffered from MD for over 3 years (age 66)and it comes and goes illogicaly although I think emotional stress (relationship related)and extreme tiredness are prime movers. Took Betaserc 16mg (3/day) 2 years ago for 2 months, felt unwell generally so gave up, probably too soon. MD attacks are getting really bad and very frequent, violent rotational vertigo, higher than usual loud tinitus and uncomfortable ear pressure so have decided to take Betaserc again starting today! Last night had such a violent attack fell onto furniture and floor now have gashed arm, bruised head and painful ribs, what a life, but many suffer alot worse from all sorts of conditions, thinking this helps a little to carry on. Incidentally I live in the Algarve Portugal and the Solvay Betaserc tablet is very available at all chemist shops without prescription. Mike
@anonymous
I know what you mean about the aspartame my wife had asparteme poisioning a few years ago and she ended up in the emergency room. After that she hasn't had another diet soda. Hopefully one day I will also be able to kick the habit.
thanks for the comment and please stay in touch
David
@MIke
I have heard from others that betaserc is not for them. I hate that you had such a bad fall after an attack, hopefully you will find something that will help.
You are right about stress it definitely is one of my meniere's triggers. but it is difficult not to be stressed when you think that an attack is about to come on.
Take care and stay in touch
David
I started having vertigo about a year ago and after lots of ear and brain tests it was found to be MD. I started taking meclizine and after about 3 months and lots of vertigo episodes I changed to triam/HCTZ - a diuretic. Since then I was vertigo free, with some mild dizziness on and off, but in the last couple of weeks it started again. I was looking into betaserc to se if it could help me or should I increase the triam?HTCZ dose.
Did any of you try triam?
Thanks for listening
Agnes
Agnes,
I also take triam/hctz and it seems to help me. As for the betaserc some people have a lot of good luck with it and others not so much. The FDA doesn't approve in the usa but in most parts of the world they do.
good luck and stay in touch
DAvid
Agnes,
Sorry to hear about your fall and injury. I believe Triamterene HCTZ is usually prescribed for most people diagnosed with Meniere's disease. It works on a different method than most all the other Meniere's meds. HCTZ is used to remove water retention caused by sodium intake, or from poor circulation in general.
I had found that low dose Valium is the most effective for stubborn vertigo. It dampens down the vestibular nerve considerably. Beware, that Valium on any long term base, is very addictive physically, not so much mentally addictive. You have to be slowly dosed down (weaned) when on long term use of any benzodiazepines "pam" drugs. For incidental use (a few attacks per year), it is very effective and not addictive. Meclizine or Dramamine can't hardly touch really bad vertigo.
I have taken it for 6 months and it seems to cut the tinnitus. I had to switch down to 1 capsule per day from 2 because of severe eye dryness and bleeding.
I don't think that I have heard of those side effects before. Thanks for the info. and stay in touch
David
Anonymous,
Betaserc caused you to have "severe eye dryness and bleeding"?
Was the bleeding coming from your eyes or somewhere else?
I HAVE JUST COMMENCED TAKING ARLEVERT, 20MG CINNARAZINE AND 40MG DIMENHYDRATE, SUPPOSED TO WORK BETTER AS A COMBINED PILL THAN TAKING BOTH DRUGS SEPERATELY. ONLY STARTED 2 DAYS AGO AND THE IMMEDIATE SIDE EFFECTS FOR ME ARE DRY MOUTH, NOSE AND EYES, THIRST, SLIGHT BLURRY VISION AND A SLIGHT DIZZY HEAD - BUT NO SIGN OF THE VIRTIGO ATTACKS I WOULD USUALLY HAVE AT THIS TIME OF THE MONTH. HURRAY!
Hi Lisa,
I'm glad you found something that works. Hopefully it will continue to work.
stay in touch
David
I would have liked to have found this blog 2+ years ago. I was diagnosed with MD 2+ years ago and my doctor suggested controlling the symptoms through low-sodium diet. I did very well for about 9 months then started cheating on diet. This definitely seemed to lessen the intensity of the symptoms and fewer attacks. I recently went back for another hearing test and check-up partially because the symptoms were returning. This time he suggested I try the diuretic. I've felt worse since starting that 2 weeks ago. Another Dr was familiar with betaserc and has another MD patient. She uses betaserc and claims she went from falling down attacks to no attacks. I'm trying to place my first order for betaserc. Although my symptoms are much less intense than many, they are bad enough. i will update after trying betaserc.
Hi Zane,
the low sodium diet isn't very easy to stay on considering how much salt everyone uses on their food.
I use a diuretic also and I think that it helps me but then again with meniere's you never really know what seems to work.
Let us know how the betaserc works for you for some its great and others not so much
stay in touch and let us know how things are going
David
Hi there!
This is such a great blog!! So happy I found it! I have been hooked all day reading it.
My husband has had MD for about 5 years now. It sucks major ass! I feel absolutely helpless! There is nothing I can do for him other than taking the kids out of the house or away from the bedroom when he is having an attack. His attacks are quite bad. They last for days. He can't get out of bed or open his eyes. Extreme vomitting. Poor guy has lost 80% of hearing in his affected ear.
he was on Serc for about a year. Helped a little but not much. We live in Canada (Toronto). I found a doctor in Michigan who specializes in MD so we went for a visit. He put him on Prednisone. A strong steriod. He was on 18 pills for the first week and slowly coming off of them.
Question, he seems to get these major attacks at the change of seasons. Does anyone else's attacks happen like this? Also, his eyes have been really bad since the MD was diagnosed and just before. They keep getting worse too. He doesn't wear glasses but we are thinking that we should get him checked...maybe that would help a bit?
We have a family trip at Christmas booked for Mexico with our 4 year old and 7 year old. Really hoping we don't have to cancel!
Hi,
you never really know what works for meniere's unless you try it. Some people have luck with serc and others don't. I took predinsone this summer for a bad rash, that is powerful stuff. I don't know if it had much of an effect or not.
Many folks have commented that the change of seasons causes attacks.
I hope you get to go on your Christmas vacation. Stay in touch and let us know how your husband is doing
thanks
David
Hi, Betaserc cures MD or it prevents from having attacks? thanks
Hi Carlos,
I believe most take it to prevent an attack
David
Hello David - and all others who have posted comments here.
I guess it's safe to assume that you are all MD sufferers, so know full well what this debilitating condition can do, so there3’s no need for me to go into detail about my MD.
I was diagnosed as having MD in 1993. After a few years of suffering that turned my life upside down I was lucky enough to have had a period of about 8 years when it "lay dormant" after burning out, allowing me to lead a normal life.
It came back with a vengeance in September 2009 at a time of considerable job-related stress. Whether the stress was the trigger or not I will never know - such are the vagaries of MD..
I recently started a blog of my ow. One of the topics I will be talking about is my MD hoping to seek the opinions of other sufferers. So after starting my blog - sparse as it is right now - I started looking at other personal blogs that focus on MD. In the past my research was focussed on "professional" sites about MD - but now I see from the vast input on your site David - and on other personal sites - that there is more to learn here.
But - to cut to the chase. The thread on betahistine caught my attention so I thought I would share my experiences with you.
When I was first diagnosed I was prescribed SERC - and I took it for several years thinking it was helping me by preventing more attacks of the vertigo and vomiting that so often disabled me. I assumed that things would be worse without the SERC.
For some reason that I now forget I decided to stop taking the SERC after a few years, and all of a sudden my MD just seemed to go away. Coincidentally - or otherwise - at the same time I went to see a colour therapist who without any prompting with the help of his dowsing stick told me that I had something wrong with my ears and he could fix it.
Well - I think maybe he did fix it! Placebo effect perhaps? Who knows?
Due to the length of this post – I will finish this in another post…
Part 2 - more recent events.
As I stated in my previous post my MD returned in September 2009 and I have been through some torrid times with it, experiencing the full range of attacks from mild uncomfortable dizzy spells, to full on attacks that put me in bed for up to 24 hours, plus drop attacks - probably the scariest of all because they come totally unannounced.
My doctor suggested a low salt diet, reduce my caffeine intake, and also give up alcohol as there is anectodal evidence to suggest that all three - along with stress - contribute to MD.
I have been salt-free, caffeine-free and alcohol-free for over 12 months now and can not say one way or the other if it has been beneficial.
My doctor also prescribed betahistine - 1 x 16mg tablet, three times a day. I also had a range of other medication prescribed - prednisone, pseudoephedrine - and some other stuff - of course not to be taken all at the same time; and he left me free to try the options as long as I stuck to the presrcibed amounts.
(Also in the mix – November2010 I had a grommet inserted into my left ear - are they called tubes in the US? - this certainly reduced the feeling of fullness in the ear.)
To cut a long story short - I stuck with the betahistine this time around, and as I started to feel better (but far from normal) reduced my intake to 1 tablet a day, then half a tablet a day just as a maintenance dose. I seemed to be stable for some weeks - then back came the MD with a vengeance - so I went back on the prescribed dosage and my MD seemed to get worse - with short sharp spells of vertigo, vomiting and drop attacks being the norm.
Then - recalling that several years earlier I seemed to improve when I stopped the SERC - and I differentiate between SERC and the betahistine I have now because I don't believe generic betahistine is the same as the original SERC I had - I reduced my betahistine about a week ago - and yesterday came right off it, and for the first time in several months I have had only one mild attack in the last three days, as opposed to two or three attacks every day - no fluffy headed feelings or dizzy spells either - and I am convinced that I can feel a new vigour within my body as if my strength are coming back to me.
Next step - I am going to see the colour therapist again! Seems a logical thing to do!
Incidentally - I tried some of the prednisone as prescribed with no noticeable effect and the pseudoephedrine works well for head colds but no noticeable effect on my MD.
And before I sign off - there is one other th ng that I have done to improve my quality of life - and I am so pleased that I strongly recommend it to others...
As we all know MD causes tinnitus and deafness. Since September2009 my hearing in my left ear has dropped to about 15% of where it used to be; and my right ear hearing was already bad anyway at about 50%.
I have invested in some good quality hearing aids - and now I can hear things I had forgotten I had ever heard before! I also find that they help mask some of the severe tinnitus - and as a result I believe I stress less about what is going on inside my ears.
Cheers, Rick
Hi Rick,
Betaserc or as it is sometimes called just serc, seems to be a topic that always brings on a lot of traffic and comments. Some folks think that it works well but others don't have any luck with it.
With american doctors it doesn't seem to be too whereas in Europe and Canada it does.
I really appreciate your comments and I hope that you stay in touch and let us know how you are doing
thanks
David
Hello again
My gut feeling is that betahistine DOES have a positive effect - INITIALLY - but then the body gets used to it being in the system and the positive effects of the betahistine wears off. At that point the side effects - dizziness and nausea - can kick in, causing the MD sufferer to feel that an attack is imminent - maybe the side effects then trigger an attack. Anyway - for me - no betahistine for a while - and no MD symptoms now since I stopped taking it.
Feeling as I do right now, I am now 100% confident that my planned motorcycle tour of Europe will definitely go ahead without!!
Cheers
Hi all
it's been several weeks since I stopped taking my (prescribed) betahistine, and I can report that as of today, I have not had any meniere's attacks, dizzy spells, fluffy heads, or anything similar for three weeks.
There is however something else in the mix other than stopping taking betahistine.
Three weeks ago I visited a colour therapist - and it is since that visit that it has all been clear sailing for me.
It is so fabulous to have my life back!
Good luck to you all.
Cheers, Rick
That's good news, Rick! I hope things continue that way.
keep in touch
David
Rick, what does a color therapist do, exactly? How do you account for the help you say this person has given you?
I'm jumping on this thread because I'm being prescribed SERC after many, many years of MD treatment, because I am still dizzy around the clock. My ENT specialist told me that every Meniere's patient she has is dizzy lately, and she thinks it is due to an allergen that's in the air as spring gets started. No idea what it is, but some of her patients are responding to SERC, so we're going to try it on me and see what happens. I'll let you know.
The most frustrating thing about MD for me is that there is no drug or treatment that works for everyone. It's so hit or miss...
Hi Everyone and hope you're all having an undizzy good day.
I am taking SERC (16mg) 3 times a day and since the doctor increased it from 1/2 tablet to 1 whole tablet thrice daily, I haven't had any attacks. The SERC took about a week to work and I am so relieved to have had 9 days without an attack, nausea or vomiting. I also take Stemazine for the vertigo, nausea and vomiting. I have even ventured "out into the world" on Saturday to do my grocery shopping but am aware that an attack can come on so suddenly and try not to panic. I've been housebound and terrified to go anywhere for almost 3 months. My doctor also told me that SERC doesn't work for some people but I'm just so glad it worked for me. It's not on the PBS so it's expensive but at least here in Australia, it's available. Oh, I also changed to a low sodium, no salt diet and I'm a vegetarian. I found a wonderful website that has low sodium recipes if anyone is interested.
I also agree entirely with Natalie's post. Thanks Natalie.
Rick, can you give us a bit more information about colour therapy please? Sounds fascinating.
Take care all.
Sharon
I'm curious to know whether anyone else has had problems with SERC and asthma? I started taking it back in April, but had to stop because I started having worse asthma attacks, requiring me to use my emergency inhaler. My doctor said to hold off on the SERC for awhile, until allergy season seems to be tapering off. That's where I am now. She said she'd never seen anyone else have that reaction to the SERC, but as soon as I stopped taking it, I stopped having bad asthma attacks, too.
Anyone else experienced that?
Jeddah-Betaserc
I had my "imbalance" sometime in 1990's occuring once a year and continue to get worse upto 2000's. Am not aware of my sickness only when I consulted an epecialist "EENT". I was diagnose with VIRTIGO and benign MD. SERC are very expensiv in the Phil's that I just get my medication good for 4 mos only and stop..then here comes the attack that I need to close my eyes for more than 24 hrs (witout eating/drinking) to regain my balance and stop dizzeness. Only SERC help me..I started my low sodium diet early 2000's. My VIRTIGO attacks only once a year. In 2006 I move to KSA where I continue my regular (1 x 16mg ever night without a doctor advise -very cheap/affordable here. In 2009 I stated to take it every other day. Since then I never had an attack (knock on wood) and was now able to drive without experiencing dizzeness (in 40 deg heat for 30 min). I can play badminton with a tremendous speed (head movement) without falling. I still feel I could not leave taking the pill althoug someimes I forget to take one in a week but have a strange feeling. Only now i am having difficulty to get my wife pregnant.
I will appreciate if a doctor give some advise if I have to disontinue BETASERC..I got no side effect during this long period or may be tolerable as I am an active badminton player...
I need a permanent solution for my Vertigo. i've been suffering of this problem since 2007 and till today i'm having medicine of Betahistacine dyhydrocloride (16mg*2 twice in a day) along with Alzolym 0.5. Currently im facing sleepyness, tired, headache almost everyday. i exercise for vertigo also but now a days it difficlut for me after come back from office to do it. Is there any side effect of betahistacine dyhydrocloride????? Since im taking it around 5 years. Is ther any other way to remove the problem permanently like surgeion or any chinese therapy????? Please adice in my email tipu2u@hotmail.com.....thanks Sarwar
Sharon,
Could you please share with us the recipe website you mentioned?
Thanks - Johann
David, have you done something different with the most recent posts section? For some reason, it's not showing on my screen any more. I see the header, and the entries flash on for a moment, then they disappear. Just thought you might like to look into that...
Best,
Peggy
Hi Peggy,
there must be a problem with blogger right now because the settings haven't changed.
thanks for letting me know
David
I am having success with klonapin 2x per day along with meclazine 1x per day.
Anne, how are you staying awake? I find meclazine puts me to sleep like nothing else, and any variation on diazepam would probably push me right over the edge, if I took them together. Wow. But I'm glad it's keeping your vertigo under control.
Hi...just had what might be my first meniere's attack last week. Been on Serc (Canada) for that time and am still unsteady...still have ringing...am still exhausted. The only thing that has mostly abated is the nausea. But am grateful for the suggestions I am reading here and for the generous sharing.
Hi,
thanks for commenting
and stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.
David
Hi-
I am new to this site...searching for a solution to my roaring (low-tone) tinnitus and increasing ear pressure.
I have had MD since January of 2007. The tinnitus and fullness is in both ears. I have lost 30% of my low-tone hearing in BOTH ears...ENT said he had NEVER seen this before - yet he had never heard of Celiac Disease (CD) either! The MD diagnosis came about within 6 months of being diagnosed CD - which went undiagnosed for at least 5 years and therefore caused a lot of damage. I went gluten-free immediately - which cured my rash, depression and other symptoms within 3 weeks. I lost 32 pounds over a year. Sadly, since my CD was not diagnosed earlier the MD is just another result of the autoimmune domino effect - once you have one you are vulnerable to more. I take triamterene HCTZ once a day. I have only had one vertigo attack and it only lasted a few seconds. Since the fullness/tinnitus is increasing I am feeling slightly dizzy sporadically and am worried it will progress. Reading here I have not noticed any mention of gluten-free diets. I write to encourage others to try a gluten-free diet since my MD has never advanced to the terrible vertigo episodes many complain of on this blog. I am not good about watching salt since I already eat gluten-free and dairy-free. I never add salt but I don't count sodium mg's. After reading here I may go to the SERC.
I am 60 years of age. I have this ear popping very frequently and ringing in my ears. I consulted an ENT and was prescribed Betaserc 24 1 tablet twice a day. I started experiencing servere nausea and headaches since i started. Thinking it has something to do with my digestive system, i consult a Gastro and was scope, scanned and found nothing wrong. Later i was told that it is the side effects of Betaserc. I experience the following:
(1) Headaches throughout the day
(2) Fatigue (just want to lie down)
(3) Stomach upset
(4) Loss of concentration.
Its been 4 months and the ringing has not stopped one bit, headache is worse and nausea in the morning is terrible.
Seems like betaserc is the worst medication i have used so far. Am i wrong?
Muru, I would call your ENT and tell them what you experienced. I tried Betaserc and found that it increased my asthma attacks, but my ENT said she'd never heard of that before. In any case, it didn't help the Meniere's symptoms for me.
Definitely call your ENT and tell them the Betaserc didn't work, so what ELSE would they recommend? Meniere's isn't an exact science, and there are plenty of different remedies to try.
Hi Peggy,
I did see the ENT and all he tell me was its all the side effects of the Betaserc (not forgetting the laugh on his face). He told me that we have to live with the problem. The medication on alleviates the symptoms for some but doesn't work for all the people i met. They all told me the same story. Be careful, Peggy, this is one of those blockers that meddles with the nerves in your ear. You don't know what other nerves its hitting on. I get shooting pains in my ear once in a while too. I have since stopped for 3 days and feel much better but the side effects are still lingering especially in the morning. Makes you drowsy and makes you want to lie down.
Hi Peggy,
Checked on the asthma thing for you. Yes, betaserc does aggravates asthma as well. You should read the side effects of betahistine. Below is what it states:
"Betahistine is contraindicated for people with peptic ulcers or tumours of the adrenal gland, such as pheochromocytoma. People with bronchial asthma should be closely monitored."
Betaserc was this doctor's ONLY suggestion? Wow. If that's the case (and I didn't misunderstand your post) then you need to see another doctor, because there's a huge number of different remedies. No, not everything works for everyone, but you need to try some other things before the doctor gives up and tells you to "live with it."
And you're right that the nerves are very intermingled in there. When I had my vestibular nerve severed in the left ear, one of my concerns was the possibility that the surgeon might nick the facial nerve, which is wrapped in the same nerve bundle as the vestibular nerve.
SO much of what happens in your ears/nose/throat/eyes is connected and affected by what's going on in another area.
Good luck... I hope you find something that works and a doctor who is more responsive. I've been lucky, in that my ENT is always willing to think hard about the problems she's trying to address in her patients and consider new things. I think for a doctor, Meniere's can be like a giant puzzle. Some enjoy figuring it out, while others just want to get it over with and move on to the next patient/puzzle.
Hi Peggy,
Thank you for your post. You have been very helpful.
I did some research on this and did see other ENTs and found nearly the same answer "we have to live with it". Any medication, no matter what, only relieves the symptoms temporarily. I discussed this with a number of affect people,one of whom is my mother who is 83 years old and my grandma who is 101 years old. I found that those who used medications to relieve the symptoms now suffered worse as they got older. Rationale? The brain knows that something is wrong and it compensates an evolves (adapt is better word). But because we use these medication, the brain decides to sit back and watch. When that happens and the disease progress further with age (which it definitely will)there wont be any medication to match the severity at that point and we will suffer terribly. My grandma has the disease (i didnt know) but takes it as part of growing old and ignores the symptoms and accepts it as "wear down". She lives in a remote village in India. She has never seen a doctor to date. The same with my mom. The only difference is they don't go to work but we do and we need to get rid of this.
I know this sounds odd but I just wanted to share this view. I have a friend who is 70 and his symptoms are worse now with all the medication and more confused with the severity of the side effects at that age. I also found that the disease is mostly the result of some other underlying problem elsewhere. In my case, i am not having enough sleep at nite (just cant sleep past 4am, another age related issue) and also i have 3 coronary arteries blocked and corrected with stents.
One last thing. I was told by one doctor friend that it is best not use these medication especially if we have other major sickness such heart related. The reason is when there is a heart related episode, the cardiologist will be at lost due to confusion created by all these medications. Eg. I sweat in occasionally in the middle of the nite and not sure if this is due to the betaserc or my heart. Betaserc makes you sweat especially when the headache hits you in your sleep.
Sorry for the long post. Is there really anything that could be used generically just to lower the symptoms as and when needed without such server side effects? Eg like panadol for headaches.
Muru - there are some dietary supplements that are said to help, such as B12 complex vitamins and gingko biloba. There are some others, but I would have to look that up again.
Also, your diet can be adjusted to minimize effects -- minimizing salt, alcohol, caffeine and other stimulants, and avoiding any foods you have a sensitivity to. Others on this blog have said it helps to avoid foods that are considered to have histamines, but this is a very long list of foods, and I can never remember all of them. I'm sure you could Google that.
There are other medications that help some people, for example, motion sickness remedies like meclizine. Unfortunately, meclizine made me incredibly drowsy, so I stopped taking it.
Regarding your night-time sweating, forgive me for asking, but are you a middle-aged woman, by any chance? I went through menopause a few years ago, and around that time I was having night sweats as well as palpitations. I had my heart checked, and I don't really have any problems there, so it was simply one of the effects of menopausal body changes.
I'm intrigued by your theories about the effects of the medications and aging, and honestly, it's probably as valid as any other theory about Meniere's Disease. There are no proven answers, so we all just have to figure out the best way to live with it for us and our lifestyles.
For me, it was worse when I was not taking any treatment than it was when I was using medication, and now that I've had the labyrinthectomy, the symptoms are on a plateau. I no longer have the vomiting and vertigo, but I do have chronic imbalance and dizziness that make it difficult to do a lot of things.
I wish someone had a real answer to all this.
Dear Peggy,
Thank you once again. I will google the food that has histamines. I am in Malaysia and my diet is very low salt. I don't take coffee, tea or chocolate. Diet wise I think i am ok but will checkout as you advise. There might be a food in there that could be heavy on histamines.
With regards to Ginko, i tried that but had some bad reactions because I am taking blood thinning and anticloting agent medication - asprin and Plavix. My cardio says as it is i am already well medicated for blood flow and blood vessel dilation.
You shouldn't have gone for the invasive procedure. From what i know, it has never worked instead it creates total loss of hearing in most cases i know. I read in one of the literature in India that this is one of those things in our lives that indicate the start of aging. Some start early because they abuse themselves in their youth (like disco, loud music,doing crazy jumping) and when they age they get hit very badly. I am one such person. I used to be in the pubs from 5pm to 3am nearly every alternate day when i was 25 to 50 years old. So i deserve what i am having now.
By the way, I am a 60 year old male. So no menopause problems. I live in an housing location where most of us are now between 57 and 65 years old. Our children have all grown and left. So we all go 45 minutes early morning walks and we talk. Some of them have reduced the problem considerably by dropping all the medication they can live without, including vitamin supplements. My mom used to suffer badly from this until we stopped all her gastric and bp (her bp was only high temporary)medication. Now all she takes is Plavix to improve her blood flow. Now she is up and walking about, the dizziness is no more but has slight heavy head all day. That i guess is due to her sleeping most part of the day.
Since i stopped betaserc a few days now, the headache has subsided considerably. Just having occasional nausea and dizziness. Like i wrote earlier, there is no medication that can cure this problem because its not infection but an aging failure of components except that the symptoms are made worse by our other medications, food and lifestyle. I am going to try and live it out and see where it takes me.
I found a fiend in you,Peggy. Thank you. You can always write me. My email id is mani19581021@yahoo.com. Please do take care.
Hi Peggy,
Quick note. Just checked the list of food containing histamines. OMG, using the list i could eat only bread and water.
After stopping Betaserc for 4 days, i notice that this medication has withdrawal symptoms that can be quite bad. I am still having severe headaches at different times of the day with body weakness due to this headache. It seems better to suffer the symptoms of the disease instead of the side effects of the betaserc 24.
Muru, I'm not sure you should actually include bread in your diet. Water only. (Bad joke, I know. I was also astonished at how many foods I would have to eliminate if I was trying to eliminate histamines. But I suppose you could try to get rid of SOME of them and see if it helps.)
Regarding my surgery, I actually think it was the right thing to do and the only way to go, for ME. Although I still have some symptoms, I no longer have the ones that were totally debilitating. I asked my doctor what she would do if the patient were herself, her daughter, or her sister, and she said she would have the surgery. So did a number of friends and family members who have seen me go through the worst.
The thing is, we can all only do the best we can with what we are given, and make the choices that seem best at the time, then deal with the results as well as we can. I considered the surgery for months before doing it. It wasn't an easy decision, but I'm OK with it. Now I will work on the symptoms that remain.
Meniere's isn't easy to figure out... and there are so many other physical ailments that could play a role, as well as lifestyle variations, dietary differences, and so on. I also found the Betaserc to be more trouble and less benefit than I had hoped.
I'm still working on getting it all "right." :)
Hi Peggy,
I too have taken the same approach. I am off betaserc and many of the symptoms have disappeared. Especially the bad headache has gone. What remains is a sort of nausea (stomach upset) and slight head heaviness but no dizziness. I guess the heaviness is due to too much lying down the past few weeks. I can drive, go for my morning walks and do things at home. As you rightly said, we should just work around the symptoms instead of taking blind shots at different medication knowing very well there is no cure.
I posted my email address so that either of us and can send a message in case we find things that work.
Take care. :))
Sounds good, Muru. Best wishes for better health and fewer symptoms. :)
Wish your family and you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Peggy.
Im on high dose of betaserc 48mg x 2 times per day for 1 month. Its been a week from last attack and my head feel almost normal. Feel a little dizzy when woke up in morning but eventually it goes away.
My MD attack usually occurs when i looked down at certain angle for a certain period 5 to 10 minutes. Usually it happen in the morning when i feel very hungry.
Rght now i feel fine, hope it will continue but with MD you never know, ive had attack on my second day with high dose betaserc but not to bad.
Hope this will go away.
Post a Comment