Rescue meds

Guys,

Sorry this is kind of similar to a recent thread, but I wanted to focus on a medical remedy.

As you know I’m not taking any medication at the moment and it’s been going pretty well, but I still get periods where I get hit with that annoying subtle push-pull feeling unfortunately. It’s pretty mild compared with how it used to be but still annoying and sometimes distracting when I’m trying to concentrate on something.

My question is, when it’s bad is there anything I could take to just control the symptom for an hour or two (by which time it may have blown over)? Should I:

  • wait it out
  • drop a pill of something … and if so … what’s that something? Anyone found anything to dampen this, a kind of rescue medication?

Stemetil?

If i need coverage for 2 hours or so, is there anything that has a short enough half-life that doesn’t mess you up after and won’t zong me out so much I can’t work?

I’d rather not go back on daily prophylactic medication as this isn’t an issue every day… and i’m no longer getting migraines so I’d rather not go that route?

Cheers!

James

I take Xanax for when I have flare ups like this. It’s great especially when I’m not in a position to lay down and wait it out. It’s definitely my rescue med and at times can make me feel almost normal. I limit how much I take cause tolerance to it develops quickly and then it doesn’t work as well. Could be worth a try if you haven’t tried it already.

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Thanks Andrea! I’ll discuss with my GP.

What dosage do you take?

Ativan or lorezapam…I have taken this only two times…I felt like pre-illness me…it is fast acting and shortest half life benzo…I was given 15 tabs taken only 2 rest expired…I am dead against benzos…but it helps as emotional backup :slight_smile: knowing you have a fallback(pun) option

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Especially for you James I am willing to bet meclizine will work if it is hydrops. Over the counter and non-addictive.

Stemetil isn’t that more for nausea ,migraine ?

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That gives me plenty to try, thanks guys!

Is usually taken e.g. for acute dizziness (e.g. “VN”) but sure, would probably work for nausea but is frowned upon for chronic conditions as can cause parkinsonian syndrome.

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Back when Xanax worked for me it’d last about 4 hours and would completely take the dizziness away. But definitely don’t take it frequently, I am the example of what can happen when the body builds a physiological dependence. :frowning:

James,
I have a prescription for .5 mg but rarely take that much. I usually take half a pill, sometimes only a quarter of one, and I’m much better. My doctor will only give me so many at a time so it’s nice having a stronger prescription cause I can make it last longer. The anti-anxiety effects of it are nice too since attacks can be very anxiety provoking. Meclizine didn’t do anything for me. Surprising Sudafed helps me a little.

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Also see my ativan/lorazepam post above

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Awwww, sorry to hear that Jess, what does the neurologist say is the best way forward?

Does anyone know how to get Meclizine in the UK?

This is what I buy:

(NB from admin: these images link to products members have found helpful and at the same time help fund the site: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. More recommended products here. Thanks for your support!)

Thanks Anna, that’s very helpful. Can I ask you a few questions?

  • Do you take it for it’s anti-nausea action?
  • How quickly does it act?
  • how long does that last?
  • What symptoms does it seem to diminish during this time?

Sorry for so many questions!

James

Do you take it for it’s anti-nausea action?
No, I just take it for dizziness. I’ve never had a problem with nausea when I’m dizzy. But I think it would probably help the nausea if it’s caused by motion/dizziness.

How quickly does it act?
I’d say within 30 minutes.

how long does that last?
Probably about four hours.

What symptoms does it seem to diminish during this time?
Dizziness.

These tablets are 25mg. I can sometimes take just half a tablet and that is enough for me (I’m petite) but if I’m pretty dizzy I’ll go ahead and take the full 25mg.

It’s a very mild drug and I’ve never had any side effects.

The drugs.com website says that for vertigo the dosage is up to 100 mg per day, in divided doses, which I would interpret as 25 mg four times per day. (I’ve never had to take it for that long of a period - usually after one or two doses my dizziness has subsided.)

https://www.drugs.com/dosage/meclizine.html

The other thing about the particular Rugby product that I linked to is that they are cherry-flavored, chewable tablets. I carry a few in my purse and it has come in handy a couple of times when I felt like I needed to take one but didn’t have water available.

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Thanks a lot! That answer is worthy of a wiki entry … which gives me an idea … :wink:

One more thing. You may recall that I took a list of questions from this forum to the new specialist that I saw a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t have time to ask very many of them but one that I did ask, just before he had to move on to his next patient, was:

“True or false: If meclizine helps alleviate dizziness
symptoms in a patient, then the dizziness is being
caused by the ear and not by migraine. In other
words, dizziness caused only by migraine will not
be helped by meclizine.”

He said, false; meclizine can help dizziness no matter the cause of the dizziness. He said, “It’s just like putting on a pair of sunglasses.” I interpreted this to mean that sunglasses help shield your eyes from bright light, no matter whether that light is coming from the sun or from another source, and by the same token, meclizine will help dizziness no matter what is causing the dizziness.

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Btw Anna, did you respond to the the Big Med Poll? Because if you did you forgot to click Meclizine :wink: It’s looking a little unloved …

https://www.mvertigo.org/t/poll-the-big-med-poll-what-is-helping-helped-you/14614?u=turnitaround

It is sold as dramamine in the usa…not sure if sane brand is there in UK

@turnitaround Thank you. I’ve known about it since before I joined this site. Basically the first neurologist I saw put me on Xanax after brief “trials” of other meds like I explained in my new thread a few days ago. Then he said not to come back unless I felt worse, so he wasn’t monitoring me on it or even thinking about getting me off of it (I’d like to know his plan for how to get me off of it!!) By the time I felt worse he moved to another state in the U.S. so I went to the Johns Hopkins Vestibular clinic to be evaluated (I was also looking for a new neurologist to follow me but I didn’t know that they didn’t continue to follow their patients,they send a report back to the primary care doctor or whomever I am seeing). They wanted me off the Prozac and Xanax the first neuro had me on and to start Amitriptyline. The idea was to get 50% down on the Xanax and then start Amitriptyline, I presume to make the last half of the taper “easier” with the Ami added in. However, my primary care doctor tried to taper me too fast and I had horrendous withdraw symptoms (from the Xanax, the Prozac was no problem to stop). They were like flu symptoms but WAYYYYY worse than any flu. I ended up going to a Psychiatrist who specializes in getting people off addictive meds, and he switched me to a longer acting benzo, Librium, but…Librium isn’t considered a vestibular suppressant like Xanax is. I got about 25% lower but the got worse dizziness, had to stop driving, and also developed sharp upper abdominal pain that lasted 6 weeks (I lost 25 pounds in one month during that!) that involved me getting an endoscopy because the GI doc I went to thought I had an ulcer. The endoscopy was completely normal other than some signs of gastritis. But the Psychiatrist realized I was getting so much worse and wanted me to get at least back to how I was when I came to him, so I returned to the original Xanax dose. But it didn’t work like it did for me before (I probably need more of it but am doing everything in my power not to take more) and hence I am getting worse and worse without another medication to help out.

So as of now there really is no immediate plan for me to get off of the Xanax. My psychiatrist, and myself for that matter, would like to wait until I’m A LOT better, functioning, driving, etc to try to taper off much more slowly. But…looking at your compensation post from a few days ago (and I did know about the compensation factor all along, but from my own research no doctor ever told me about it) I’m starting to wonder if I will get to be feeling as good as I want to when I have to attempt tapering off Xanax again. The thought of having to taper as dizzy as I am now is terrifying and I know it would be impossible, especially with the added anxiety of withdraw. I want to chime in on that compensation post at some point but my vision is blurred today and I’m reaching my computer limit.

Oh, and I’m only on 0.5 mg of Xanax 2x/day, which is relatively low and lower than what my original neurologist prescribed. He wanted me to go up to 3x/day but I never did, thankfully. Thanks for listening. :slight_smile:

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@Jess09 i am sorry you are having a difficult time tapering off. That is a low dosage and didnt realize it can be problematic like that.

@turnitaround i have taken both meclizine(drowsy version) and xanax for about a week each at different occasions. 25mg of meclizine just made me sleepy and drowsy and knock me out for like 12 hours. I remember waking up one night and i spun for brief sec but did not care because i was drowsy and went back to bed. Xanax i believe supressed all of the rocking, swaying, and brain activity when i was laying down and fell asleep within half an hour. Of course i buillt up a tolerance and was taking 1.5 mg towards the end of the cycle to help me sleep. If you are not planning to take it everyday. I would suggest keeping some around in the drawer for those annoying days. You might not even need a full dose of .5mg. It’s fast acting and doesn’t last that long so i think this may be your best bet.