Thank you, Scottl.
What you are saying makes sense. I’ve heard others say that’s what their Drs said, too. Dr. S. in England apparently says developing a vestibular problem is the body’s/brain’s way of saying slow down - it can’t take it anymore, type of stuff.
A migraine brain is referred to as an “angry brain” by some and surely very irritated. I think your explanation was spot on. I don’t know the scientific details either.
Thanks so much and I hope you continue to improve. 
Yeah I’d definitely say this was my body’s way of reacting to a ridiculous amount of stress and strain. It’s forced me to take stock and change a lot of things. I’d had acute episodes in the past that came and went (I suppose like a ‘normal’ migraine) but I think this chronic thing was my kind of ‘burn out’. Some people have heart attacks, some people have break downs but this was my body’s reaction.
I just wish when I had those acute episodes in the past, which I was wrongly told were labyrinthitis, I wish a doctor had known enough to say, actually it could be a migraine variant. I could have reevaluated my life and maybe, just maybe prevented getting into this state. But hey ho, it’s happened and we’ve just got to get on with it. This site’s great, being able to connect with people in the same boat. I feel it’s hard for other people to understand.
Hey Scottl,
I’m doing a lot better with the supplements (mag glycinate, CoQ10, B2 all at 400mg daily) and am trying to see if I can stay off gabapentin because it makes me very tired even at a low dose. I started taking claritin today as well so hopefully that does something good! Hope you all are having a good day,
Liv
Hi Liv.
Best wishes without the Gaba. I have been taking Zyrtec for almost two weeks now, too. It seems to help with the fatigue.
@Scottl
You make a very good point that some people have heart attacks, some nervous breakdowns, I now see it that I had a brain breakdown!
I went through a harder time than I could imagine going through right before this hit me, both physically and stress-wise. It was the perfect storm, really.
Same here. I was both chronically D vitamin deficient (hence my immune system was low) and probably B12 deficient as a vegan. I eat meat a lot now (not red meat as much but chicken) as well as pay attention to my health in other ways. I’m grateful for that but MAV is tough. I think we will all find a way to get well and be better off in the end. I am staying on my low dose of gaba because I need it for insurance even though the supplements help more than anything so far… the gaba just calms me down though it does make me tired. I felt even more tired on claritin today though… everything has some side effect. I am OK with 1 cup of coffee on gaba so I guess I can survive! Hope you guys feel better soon. I feel much better when I’m not eating gluten & dairy btw. Dairy is the worst in my experience for promoting inflammation. xx
I just want to say thats exactly how i feel–i was working in a very stressful job and had a lot of pressure and if i knew something was going to happen, i would have quit the job to preserve my health…i almost had a heart attach, rather my body did the same as yours and im in this new mode and trying to adjust but im on medical leave and unsure ill ever return to that job as it was ridiculous.
I know it’s a bit later in replying to this but also wanted to add that I think that’s a good description of having an almost “brain breakdown.” College was very stressful for me - I am now almost two years post grad, but I think family issues and stress have truly added up over time. I started having symptoms about 3 months ago and went through a myriad of testing (Balance Evaluation, MRI, CT Scan, Hearing Test, Eye Exam) before they diagnosed me with vestibular migraines.
I have been on Nortriptyline for 2 weeks now (25 mg) and it feels as though it is making things worse, as well as making me pretty sleepy and zombie like throughout the day. I have vivid dreams too and dry mouth. The vestibular migraine symptoms alone have caused me to have some significant anxiety and panic attacks which are new to me as I’ve been a pretty laid back person my whole life. Anyone have any advice on how long I should try it before giving it up and possibly trying ami or an SSRI?
It is comforting to know I am not alone and that there is hope for everyone out there who is struggling with this disorder. This forum has really been a positive light for me during this time.
I’ve been taking Nori as well. About 6-7 weeks in now. The first two weeks were difficult, increased dizziness and some terrible dry mouth. By the end of the first month those had all but gone away. Only side effect now is sometimes it’ll keep me awake at night, but that’s not so bad
Most doctors recommend at least 3 months on any given drug before trying a new one. If you hop on and off drugs you may never find one that works and run the risk of constant side effects from tapering off and on new drugs
I also took an SSRI for about 2 years when this all first started (Citalopram) it was great for dealing with the anxiety and depression about being dizzy all the time, but did absolutely nothing to actually help the dizziness
Thanks for sharing your experience with Nori as well as Citalopram - that’s really good to know. I messaged my doctor about the increased symptoms, but I’m definitely down to stick with this drug for at least another couple of months to give it a fair trial. Do you mind if I ask how many mg you are taking?
I’m glad to hear your dizziness has subsided. I’d take some insomnia over that any day. Do you find that you’re somewhat back to normal? I feel like I don’t remember what that even feels like. Thanks again for sharing.
Definitely not back to normal yet - they way I describe the improvement is I simply notice the dizziness less. I’ll be doing something and 10 minutes later I’ll realize I wasn’t dizzy at all. It’s a good feeling
I still have bad days, today it’s raining where I am and I worked a 12 hour day yesterday, so I’m pretty off and dizzy all day today. The nice thing is these relapses seem to be shorter, and by tomorrow I can expect to be back to about 80%
Currently on 10mg daily, meeting with the doc next week to discuss upping the dose to 20mg to see if we can get more benefits. How much do you take?
Nice I am glad to hear you’re on the road. I understand those moments where it seems somewhat normal and you forget the dizziness. I hope to get to where the episodes are more spread apart.
I am on 25 mg, started on 10 mg for about a week. I hope the higher dosage treats you well!