I'm totally freaked out because I am on 16 days of active menieres hell. Daily dizzy spells and one bout of rotational vertigo a day at least. The rotational vertigo is less violent and more slow but still incapacitating. I'm finding that only xanax seems to help. I'm taking it daily. Reading about anna nicoles addiction is not helping my fears. I'm terrified of this drug. But when I take it there are no symptoms and I can do all I need to do. I hate my dependency on a scary drug to stay normal. Meclizine is useless. Do any of you take it or valium or ativan like this?
I had daily, even several attacks per day, of vertigo for 3 months and was taking valium constantly although it did not seem to help. I did not develop a dependency and was able to stop. I now use ativan.
Xanax is the only anti-anxiety medication that kicks in within minutes after an attack. My Oto told me to take it as soon as I a get a warning that is coming. Xanax is a blessing for me. Bert.
Dizzysu, The only benzo I've taken for vertigo is valium and like you I am scared of getting addicted or needing more and more as time goes by. I try to use it as rarely as possible. But it makes me feel so much better and I keep thinking how nice it would be if I could take it daily, gosh, I could function almost like a normal person if I could do that. Valium has a long half life and for that reason some people prefer it as it stays in your system longer and therefore you need to take it less often. How much meclizine do you take? I've taken up to 50mgs. My doctor said it is quite benign and I could take more than that if needed without a problem (but it would probably make me very loppy at that amount). Ususaly I take 6.25 or 12.5. I save the big doses for when I am feeling really bad.
I am sorry you are currently in such a hell, sad to say it brings back memories... I was on 30 days of day to day vertigo, what stopped it for me was Verapamil and Valtrex. hope you get well soon. Sirlanc
Carribean that's what I am so terrified of! Today I am refusing to take any just battling the vertigo on my own. I agree with you maple street that it really sucks that these drugs make me feel so normal and yet are so addictive! My oto said valium was less addictive but it makes me into a zombie. This whole thing just stinks. Sirlanc I see a different oto on oct 18. Hoping he will give me antivirals.
I'm sorry you are experiencing vertigo. I have been dizzy every day to one degree or another for the last three years. For the last two years I have taken Ativan nearly every day at the lowest dose needed so that I can function, which usually is 0.5 mg. On a bad dizzy day 1.0 mg plus 50 mg dimenhydrinate. Last week Wednesday I had rotational vertigo after eight months remission, so I took 2.0 mg together with 100 mg dimenhydrinate to shorten the spinning (it lasted only 4 hours compared to the 8-12 hour ordeals of the past). Since then I've been taking 1.0 mg plus 50 mg dimenhydrinate every day in the hope this constant severe dizziness will soon settle down. I still feel like spinning could begin again any minute. I'd rather not take any drugs, but without this combo I would be flat in bed all day. All the benzoes are addictive, but if they're the only way to make one able to function my oto says they're worth taking when necessary at the lowest dosage possible.
Talk with your doc about the dose you're taking. It really takes a large dose to become addicted. I've been on and off of xanax for 7 years now, not for vertigo but for anxiety. I have been reassured several times that the dose I'm on is not addictive and that the benefits certainly outweigh the risks.
I've taken low dose Valium with no addictive tendancies at all. I would forget to take it when the dizzies subsided. This was after months of at least two 2mg a day. It worked for me and no side effects. VK
I was using xanax briefly, during a particularly bad period. My doc said it was fine in low doses (I generally took 1/2 a pill) over a short time. I don't think it's something you want to be on as a long term treatment, though.
Hi and I take xanax 0.5 mg. for anxiety disorder since 1995, not for meniere's, however, it works very well for me. I take 3 times daily.
I`ve been on and off xanax for over 20 years now, mostly on. I`ve come off it many times after being on it daily for months. I`ve also stayed on it for several years at a time. For me the key is to taylor the dose to fit my needs. If i`m having a good day i take less , on a bad day i take more. It can be a very bad drug for many but its a life saver for just as many if not more.
I think this has to be discussed in the context of treating a chronic illness. For instance, many illnesses are treated with drugs that are toxic. The choice is take the drug and hopefully you will survive. Of course many of us get vertigo or chronic dizziness. Some of us are able to function at some level, some are totally incapacitated. Many must work or keep their family going and these drugs can make a huge difference in quality of life for them. Yes, they can be addictive but then the true definition of addiction must be considered. If taking a small amount of medication enables one to work, keep house, get out/stay out of bed, eat, drive, interact with people, be part of life, then that 's a choice each patient must make. We do have a damaged vestibular system. It does control a huge amount of body processes. By not treating they symptoms of MM, there is a risk of other debilitating conditions like depression, obesity, diabetes. Depression comes from having no choice but to stay home, mostly alone because no one really understands what hell you are in. Obesity comes from not being able to move, afraid to go out in case of an attack and self medicating with food. Diabetes, see above. There is even a new medical term called Diabesity ( obesity/diabetes). All of the above impact cardiac health, relationships, careers, sleep and all feed into each other. If a small amount of one of the anti-anxiety medication relieves the symptoms so one can get back into life instead of being a hostage spectator, so be it. You will be monitored by your doctor. You are smart enough to know when to use the drug and when you are okay ( though this is a drug that requires a taper as opposed to stopping abruptly). There have been so many people who become seriously depressed because they elect to not treat their symptoms. It truly can be a lifesaver, with proper use and monitoring. I have used generic Klonapin for many years. Dose has ranged from .5 to 1.0
Thanks everyone. You make me feel a bit calmer about having to take it. I am on .25 of xanax right now and it seems to work for the most part- the very severe bouts of vertigo, nothing helps, but I think that's how it goes. For the lesser bouts the low doses are fine. It's amazing truly how I can live a full, almost normal life with the medication- I haven't had to take it in three days so maybe things are quieting down..... I feel icky but functional. But with xanax I feel almost like myself- it's crazy.
xanax is a highly addictive drug. Read the literature and the prescription med guides. That being said, I've been off and on it since this beast began. I've had no problem tapering off and stopping for months and in some cases, years at a time. I normally take it during hearing loss attacks since I start freaking out with major anxiety attacks during my attacks and afterwards when I don't recover my full hearing levels pre-attack. Since having my first Vertigo attack last month (I've been a hearing loss victim for the last 10 years, some mild dizzyness but never a V attack), I was glad so glad I had xanax in the briefcase when it hit me at work. I now carry a anti-nausea drug my doc prescribed as well as xanax with me at all times. I'm taking it daily for now, as much for the anxiety I have over my first V attack as well as to keep the boogie man away. My docs are trying to figure out what caused me to go into V after 10 years with no V, but I figure they'll never have a clue. Also, if you're taking xanax on a regular basis, I do know it can lead to further depression as well in some cases. Just something to be aware of.
THanks groovemastergreg..... my darling dad is a pharmacologist and I talk with him a lot about it. He knows it's one of the few things that helps... but he always cautions me on its addictive affects..... Fortunately I am not taking it too regularly..... during bad spells mostly. Yesterday I took it but not for two days before that. THanks again for all your tips...... I think it's something I need to do until things get more under control, hopefully wth things like the JOH regimen and dietary changes and allergy controll
I take a small dose of valium 3 times a day. I was extremely worried about taking this medicine so much but the doctor assured me that the dose I'm taking is so small that I have no worry. There are some days I even take half or 1/4 of the dose I'm prescribed....if it's a not so bad day the smaller dose works just as well....I just take as little of the stuff as possible but take what I need to stay up and doing the things I need or want to do.
xanax works well for me, btw, and valium does not. As my doc explained it, and as another poster noted, xanax peaks fast and high whereas valium has a much slower onset and it takes hours for it to get as much effect as xanax. By xanax I mean the regular kind, not the extended release version. The extended release version did not work for me, and is not easily aborbed sublingually (under tongue) like the regular xanax are. As I found out during my V attack, taking them under the tongue keeps me from throwing them up.
You are on such a low dose, you really don't have much to worry about. And amberini, your words ring so true. If you can get back your life, then you have the capacity and strength to explore other options and eventually get off of the drugs. The mental break is therapeutic!
