Vertigo/Loss Of Balance

[Sucrates]

Hey folks, anyone have any ideas about dealing with this?
There is no spinning but it feels like lowered input from the inner ear.

 

[RePeatRePeat]

Hi Sucrates,

Not sure what you mean since vertigo is defined as a sensation of spinning. However, I would like to know if anyone else on the board suffers from vertigo and, if so, how they dealt with it. I never had it before but now it is coming and going, as I have read it will. Sometimes it is very light and easy to tolerate, other times it ruins my day entirely.

 

[Heidi]

I use to have a lot of vertigo episodes, and I use to think that they were maybe due to a mild inner ear infection or fluid in my ear. I regularly had very mild earaches and sinus congestion. But I haven't had any vertigo issues that I can recall (so it's been much better) since I decreased my breathing and increased CO2. So now I think that the vertigo might have been caused by or exacerbated by hyperventilation and over breathing.

 

[Matt1951]

Google search the Epley maneuver, sometimes it works. Epley maneuver - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[tara]

I sometimes get dizzy when I spin too much. Tolerance varies a lot from day to day. For me I think it correlates pretty closely with general energy levels, and maybe with sleep deprivation.

 

[RePeatRePeat]

So now I think that the vertigo might have been caused by or exacerbated by hyperventilation and over breathing.

Thank you so much for this, Heidi. I believe you are on to something here. My vertigo began after a wicked cold during which time I began to have the starts of panic attacks. Never got into them deeply, felt like I was just skirting them but uncomfortable, nonetheless. Then I got hit with terrible vertigo and I notice now that when it comes on, especially at night, I often have that early panic feeling.

I have usually taken some extra lysine and theanine and sugar, but last night after reading your post, when I had difficulty with vertigo and the panic, I slowed my breathing and it made a dent in the vertigo! I already tape shut my mouth when I sleep (thank you, Tara, for telling me about this for night time panic attacks). I also massaged the base of my skull because it was tense and low and behold, it became easier to pause between breaths and to breath more shallowly and less often. And the vertigo settled down.

Tonight I am going to use a red light in the room, too, as per Drareg, in my "almost panic attack" thread.

I appreciate the people of this board so much!

 

[Infoleech]

Literally, an entire teaspoon of sea salt makes my "spinning" go away within 5 minutes every time I ever felt an episode.

 

[Sucrates]

It's not vertigo, it's dizzyness, there's been some tinnitus and other strange goings on too. People with meniere's and vestibular neuritis seem to do well on antiviral meds. I'm a few days into lauricidin and feeling a little better in terms of dizzyness and mental clarity. Lysine may have caused a bad reaction initially, I'm up to 2x 350mg per day now with no ill effects though.

 

[kaybb]

I have been diagnosed with MAV (migraine associated vertigo). Some people don't have migraine pain, just vertigo. There is info on internet. My neurologist specializes in it. More bag breathing is what I am trying and 1 tsp of salt.....I am going to try that.

 

[RePeatRePeat]

In addition to bag breathing, you may also want to include taping your mouth at night.

My vertigo seems to be kept at bay (I can still feel it want to start if I hold certain head movements too long) with keeping CO2 high and serotonin, adrenaline and coritsol low, but maybe it is coincidence. I already consume a lot of salt, but never more than 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

There seems to be a correlation for me between vertigo and tension in the neck muscles and the muscles at the base of the head so maybe those get tight as stress (cortisol, adrenaline, serotonin) goes up.

 

[kaybb]

In addition to bag breathing, you may also want to include taping your mouth at night.

My vertigo seems to be kept at bay (I can still feel it want to start if I hold certain head movements too long) with keeping CO2 high and serotonin, adrenaline and coritsol low, but maybe it is coincidence. I already consume a lot of salt, but never more than 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

There seems to be a correlation for me between vertigo and tension in the neck muscles and the muscles at the base of the head so maybe those get tight as stress (cortisol, adrenaline, serotonin) goes up.

What are you doing to keep cortisol, adrenaline & serotonin down ?

 

[kaybb]

It's not vertigo, it's dizzyness, there's been some tinnitus and other strange goings on too. People with meniere's and vestibular neuritis seem to do well on antiviral meds. I'm a few days into lauricidin and feeling a little better in terms of dizzyness and mental clarity. Lysine may have caused a bad reaction initially, I'm up to 2x 350mg per day now with no ill effects though.

There's a fine line between dizziness and vertigo. Before I talked to my Neurologist I called mine Dizzy Sick. You can just have a sensation movement back and forth, or just a woozy feeling in the head...hard to explain but vertigo is close to dizziness. I have a lot of pressure in ears and bad tinnitus that worsens with the vertigo attacks. How you found any relief yet ?

 

[Sucrates]

There's a fine line between dizziness and vertigo. Before I talked to my Neurologist I called mine Dizzy Sick. You can just have a sensation movement back and forth, or just a woozy feeling in the head...hard to explain but vertigo is close to dizziness. I have a lot of pressure in ears and bad tinnitus that worsens with the vertigo attacks. How you found any relief yet ?

I don't really have a sensation of movement, seems more like the opposite, lowered input from the inner ear.
Dizziness has improved 60-70% since taking lauricidin, brain fog is lessened too, I seem to have more perception in my outer visual field too, tinnitus still comes and goes, I'm hoping vinpocetine might help that.

 

[Sucrates]

@kaybb you should read about antiviral drugs and lauricidin on these forums. There are studies on AV and threads on experience with lauricidin.
Meniere's Support Forum - Index

 

[kaybb]

@kaybb you should read about antiviral drugs and lauricidin on these forums. There are studies on AV and threads on experience with lauricidin.
Meniere's Support Forum - Index

I will check it out, thanks ! Glad you have improved

 

[Peata]

Gut related, for me. Sometimes I get some weird symptoms including lightheaded/dizzy, and narrowed it down to something going on in my stomach/intestines. I've had a "weakness" there practically my whole life, have IBS, have had ulcer, gastritis, hiatel hernia, etc. Even if you don't have gut issues like that, it might be worth thinking about it being related somehow to leaky gut, gluten, endotoxin, serotonin, etc. Because I never dreamed my GI tract could be related to the feeling in my head. Anyway, I've found that Dramamine takes it away. I take 1/4 - 1/2 tablet if needed. I usually don't need a whole tablet. It used to make me drowsy at first but not anymore.

 

[RePeatRePeat]

What I use for bringing serotonin down is Lysine. For adrenaline and cortisol, I use theanine. Naturally, watching blood sugar is paramount - cannot let it drop or irritability and other unpleasant emotionality result. With theanine and lysine on top of Peat eating, I find myself more patient, loving, happy and giggling like I used to be. More optimistic. And vertigo is held in check. I can sometimes feel it start but I am able to stay calm, breathe slowly and through my nose and it doesn't overcome me.

 

[RePeatRePeat]

I could be totally wrong on that, but had the impression from weeding through the info here and the BS elsewhere that while there is overlap, theanine helps more with cortisol and adrenaline and lysine more with serotonin.

I do know I do better with a combo rather than one or the other.

 

[Sucrates]

That's interesting Peata, I had GI problems for years before lowering fermentable carbs and increasing sugar. I've read some studies on endotoxin and increased tissue permeability causing inner ear problems. I'm not sure there's any change with activated charcoal or cypro or no starch. Might look into getting some dramamine.

RePeatRePeat lysine is a main element in a protocol for meniere's, seems to take a while to be effective, the general belief is that it's lowering viral activity.
I am taking lysine but haven't noticed improvement over what I had with lauricidin.
http://www.zoominternet.net/~kcshop/JOH.PDF

 

[RePeatRePeat]

Sucrates, that is very interesting about Lysine in the Meniere's protocol. It could very well be due to its anti viral effects, who knows. It makes me smile to know that others are finding it useful, too. I think very highly of lysine. It is good for so many things.