Migraine causing ear damage [video]

I was born with this condition(congenital ). Initially the condition was mild and hard to notice, but I always felt something was wrong. I went through severe depression (and cluster headaches) during my adolescence, and the condition became permanent after that. I am disabled unless I take clonazepam everyday.

I tried meclizine in the past but it exacerbated the dizziness. Some antihistamines help while others make things worse.

Where are you from? Have you seen a neuro-otologist ?

All the older, ‘original’ beta blockers can apparently. I’ve read it alters the body’s metabolism which figures because it also causes fatigue and real physical ‘slowing up’ in some people. It can also cause water retention/bloating (personal experience here, not seen that listed). My doctor put me on it because my BP was high end of ‘normal’, so she was aiming at the ‘two birds with the one stone’ theory as they say. She did say, only time we’ve ever actually met face-to-face, it might slow me up a bit but that by the look of me at the time that wouldn’t do me any harm. I think personality makes a big play here. Mentally and reaction wise I’ve always been exceptionally quick. In an allotted ten minute appointment we’d discussed my condition and, because she was new to that particular surgery, I’d shown her how to use/reset and clear paper jams in her computer printer and answer a couple of her other computer queries. Hence her comment I suppose. I’ve certainly put on a bit since taking it but nothing drastic. Helen

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Im from india. I have seen a neurotologist in the past, after a battery of tests, she diagnosed me with left peripheral vestibulopathy.

It’s confusing that he has meneirs but migraine meds helped. Guess it demonstrates that they are linked.can any vestibular dysfunction cause headaches and migraines?

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My ear injury definitely did, it turned into full-blown MAV.

Interestingly though this guy’s ear symptoms improved with Propranolol. That is hugely significant.

Also this highlights why it’s sometimes bad calling some of the impact ‘damage’ because it appears some of it at least is reversible. The word ‘damage’ is bound to cause unnecessary anxiety.

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It is. Surprisingly. Of course some people do have both conditions but as you so rightly say it seems to demonstrate a link.

Migraine meds helped menieres which is ear related as far as I understand yet I’ve read VRT is much more likely to work with ear related conditions than ‘centrally’ generated ones which supposedly MAV is. Lots of overlap and quite confusing as you said. Helen

Yet I had exactly the same lack of luck with VRT. Once I got onto the second set of ‘advanced’ exercises, it would begin to provoke migraines.

I think VRT fails when things are too unstable (ie changing/morphing too quickly) for the brain to learn/keep up.

In general I think ear conditions at least a significant subset of MAVers. After all, Hain recommends people with healing PLFs follow the MAV protocol. That says a lot.

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Here’s a girl whose migraines and neurological issues stopped after PLF surgery. There’s clearly no way to know if she’d have spontaneously recovered in any case, of course …

You will compensate for a stable lesion. But that compensation could be the big bang for setting off migraine. These are the cases where VRT is useful in VM.

You could be one of those cases who have a tough time finding the right med.Low frequency hearing loss is a red flag. Get a second opinion. Does low salt diet work for you ?

Glad the clonezapam works. Make lifestyle changes and stay active. Meditation helps with coping. We are here for you whenever you need us.

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I haven’t tried a low salt diet so i dont know if it will work or not.

These are some things which worsen the dizziness :
Many meds
Lack of sleep
Exhaustion
Working on computer and phone screens
Stress and anxiety
Too much visual stimulation(crowded places such as shopping malls)

These are the things which improve the dizziness:
Benzodiazepines(major improvement, and all benzodiazepines work, older depressants such as barbiturates also seem to work)
Some first generation antihistamines(diphenhydramine and chlorpheniramine)

Have you tried flunarizine and sodium valproate? These are popular in india. Mind sharing whether you are male or female.

I have tried Divaloproex at low dosage for two or three months for headaches, I noticed no effect on my dizziness at that dosage.
I have not tried flunarizine.

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The patient in the video had apparently got a diagnosis of Meniere’s and has low frequency hearing loss. The latest research suggests this is as a result of physiological changes in the inner ear and it’s impact on the neural ganglion.

He then takes propranolol and finds some impact reverses. Things are then blamed on migraine.

I find this odd because clearly the Menieres got him here in the first place so how is resolving his migraine improving the impact of his Menieres?

Low frequency hearing loss is almost an exclusive feature of Menieres.

I guess my main issue is use of the word ‘damage’:

He’s supposed to have had ‘damage’ from migraine but this is reversed by a calcium channel blocker? How did this drug fix ‘damage’?

I propose that what is in fact happening is potentially a reduction in the severity of his inner ear condition.

This surely deserves a more sophisticated analysis? Not least because it’s a great success story and might shed light on how to improve treatment?