File this one under “NOW they tell me.”
Here we go again, I groaned, as vertigo sent me a-whirl. It started in waves of dizziness, unsteadiness, and nausea – as it generally does. But it built into a non-stop tsunami of nastiness that sent me to bed for three straight days.
The slightest movement or turn of head made it worse.
By the end of day number two, I called my physician’s office. No answer. No callback.
Tethered to bed by the raging MonSter’s thrill ride from hell, I logged my symptoms (along with what I ate, how much water I drank, and when I took my migraine medication or ibuprofen or anything else).
On day number three, I dragged myself to my computer and accessed my patient portal. I emailed my symptom log from my smartphone to my PC and copied-and-pasted it in a message to the doctor’s office. Then I slogged my way back to bed.
Minutes later, the nurse called with an appointment. I was to appear in the clinic two hours later.
Amazing how that happens when the message gets through, right?
I arranged a ride (as I was in no condition to drive, feeling carsick merely being still).
In the office, the doctor reviewed my symptom log, checked my vitals, and wrote me a prescription for …
Wait for it …
The script said “Meclizine.”
What’s that?
Meclizine is an antihistamine. It’s generally used for nausea, dizziness, and vomiting from motion sickness. And it’s available over the counter. Brand names include Bonine and Dramamine Less Drowsy Formula.
As a child, I frequently experienced motion sickness on longer car rides, especially on curvy, bumpy roads or in stop-and-go traffic. So I am very familiar with Dramamine.
But duh.
It never occurred to me that Dramamine might help with MS vertigo. And no doctor or MS specialist ever mentioned that to me.
I want those three days of miserable head-whirling bed-rest back - along with all other times I was sidelined with the whirling nightmare of vertigo.
And now I keep motion sickness medication in my nightstand, my car, my purse, and my gym bag. I even have the chewable tablets in my running pack. Just in case.
I’m also looking into the anti-nausea bracelets that lots of cruise ship passengers and air travelers wear to find out if those might help with MS vertigo as well. (There may be a product review here in the future.)
NOTE: I am not a doctor. I do not have advanced medical training, licensing, or certification in medical or pharmacy sciences. I just know what works for me. Please confer with your own medical team before taking any medications, therapies, or treatment regimens.
By the way, the doctor tried performing the Epley Maneuver for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), in case my symptoms happened to be caused by shifting calcium crystals in the inner ear. That made the whole experience worse. MS is unlike any other animal, and this simply proved that again.
Related items:
- Dizziness - Facing MS symptoms from A to Z
- Does stress overload set you awhirl with MS vertigo
- Got vertigo? Try this first
- MS is like a carnival thrill ride without the thrill.
- Side-to-side eye movement may help memory, but it makes me wanna hurl.
- Vertigo - Facing MS symptoms from A to Z
- What makes the world go 'round? Nope, it's not love.
Image/s: Adapted from public domain image.
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