Feeling of fluid in ear

Iā€™ve read a few posts where people talk about the feeling of fluid in ears or fullness and sole say it got better when the found their medication but does anybody know if thereā€™s anything I can do help this awful feeling in the meanwhile?

My left ear is killing me, feeling like thereā€™s fluid in it, similar to when you go to the pool and water hers stuck in there, the discomfort goes to the side towards the cheek, not excruciating pain but bothering enough to be noticed, Iā€™ve always had pulsating tinnitus/sound of heartbeat in that ear but today the sound is out of control, I realized i couldnā€™t even concentrate on the tv because of the sound and if I cover the opposite ear (to check if my hearing has changed) I hear an ā€œunderwaterā€ sound if that makes sense.

I once was told to use nasal allergy spray to help with an ear discomfort that was supposedly caused by Eustachian tube dysfunction and Iā€™m here wondering if I should try something like that.

I cut sugar and dairy. That reduced general inflammation which cut down on the swelling. I also take an antihistamine, but expect to be spinning.

Itā€™s an annoying, common and not dangerous symptom.

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Spinning? No thanks, I much rather deal with the ear crap lol

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The fluid in my ear has got better with and without medication. So for me, donā€™t think itā€™s correlated to meds - however, some drugs have anticholinergic effects (a particularly strong one is Amitriptyline), which are supposed to reduce mucus production, so maybe related.

It used to literally ā€˜glugā€™!! Itā€™s virtually disappeared now (along with all my vestibular symptoms - go figure!)

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Turmeric is supposed to reduce inflammation isnā€™t it although I think it might be one would need to eat it by the shovelful for full effect. Know people with arthritis who swear by it. Iā€™ve never had fluid filled ears sensation, just that ear fullness. I used to call them my ā€˜hamster earsā€™, cos hamsters pack their cheek pouches with food which must surely make their ears feel tight. Or saying it felt like there was a tennis ball wedged down in. Not something liquid flopping around. The tightness I can equate to being exactly same feeling as rear head pressure. Helen

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Hi Diana

Just thought Iā€™d put my 2 pence worth in here - even on Ami I can still have fluid feelings in my earsā€¦ especially when I change sides in bed I often feel fluid drip through my ear canal. Yet no actual fluid has ever been found.
Neuro has never reassured me that it is migraine but thankfully on here Iā€™ve read its pretty common.

Havenā€™t yet found an answer as to how to manage it. It just seems to come whenever it likes :crazy_face:
Like youā€™ve saidā€¦ Iā€™d rather that than vertigo :see_no_evil:

Thank you all. Last night the issue became painful and I dealt with ear ache all night. Today Iā€™m feeling it but itā€™s not as bad after some ibuprofen and warm compresses

Hi
I have episodes of thisā€¦i use hot water bottle. I had it for 6 weeks once, even sat at work with it strapped to my earā€¦its horrendous
Jo x

The pressure feeling caused by vestibular migraine (if you have that disgnosis) is not caused by fluid but by swollen blood vessels. Doctors wll tell you its fluid by description alone, there is no way to know for sure if eustachian tube dysfunction is really the cause unless you hsve an audiogram. I was misdiagnosed for 6 years with having eustachian tube dysfunction when all along it was vestibular migraine. I was given nasal sprays which only worsened my symptoms because they are common migraine triggers, so i would definitely recommend avoiding them unless you have had an audiogram to definitely prove esr fluid, donā€™t trust a diagnosis of eustachian tube dysfunction. The only way to treat that pressure feeling is to trest the migraine itself - the pressure and tinnitus will ease. Over short term, i donā€™t know of anything to help.

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Mine is definitely not migraine related, its down to my ear trauma, and I may be in the minority. It started straightaway (morning after trauma) and I didnā€™t get a migraine until a whole year later (though I had neurological fallout 6 months later).

Thing is, I was given a MAV diagnosis in any case. I fitted the criteria, but it was baloney. I suspect there are different causes for this syndrome. Purely fitting the criteria is imho not a very good indicator for an accurate prognosis.

Hi Diana,

I often have fluid in my right ear. I donā€™t take any meds for my diagnosis of BPPV and vestibular migraine, but I recently found a holistic remedy. I see a Reiki healer every few months, and when I mentioned that my vertigo was really bad that week, she used a Moxie stick on both of my ears. You light the tip of the stick (like incense) and hold it just over the ear for a few minutes. For the first few days, my pressure and fluid felt heavier, but then by about the fourth day, no more vertigo and the fluid feeling was gone!

Honestly, my sinus issues are acting up these last three days, and the fluid is back, so I think Iā€™ll go see her again. My last treatment was in April, so I definitely feel like it helped me, and gave me insight to how/why my vertigo is affected.

Good luck to you.

Laura D.

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I have had the same issue and am on a restricted sodium diet as prescribed by my doc. Less sodium = less fluid retention

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