Hello All.
First time post.
3weeks ago today i came home form work and was getting ready to go to my friends house,all of a sudden i though(wow i don't feel to good).Went to friends but felt wierd.
Next day i awoke to feeling really dizzy(not spinning dizzy)though.When i moved my head to the side the walls sort of shaked like they had to catch up with my head movement.
Anyway went to see doctor and he said it was Labyrinthitis and could take a betwwen 2 to 4 weeks to go.Gave me some betahistine dihydrochloride tablets.
I only started to take these on Monday just gone as i wanted to try and let it sort itself out,Since then i feel a bit better,the dizzyness has gone, i think,but i just feel plain weird,like i am getting over the flu and you have that day or so before your quite right where things just dont seem right.
I do however start to feel a bit better towards the evening for some reason,when i dont feel as spaced out.
Im concerened how long this takes to go better ad ive already had 3 weeks of work and i just dont seem to feel like doing anything.I also drive for a living and at the moment my cars been parked up for the 3 weeks as i just dont feel like driving would be safe.
These tablets that i was given,there for a month,if stopped taking these am i likely to go back to feeling dizzy again?
I just want that clear feeling again so i can carry on my normal life,this sucks and it make me feel really down aswell...
Is it right the 2 to 4 weeks recovery period as from what i can see on here people have had it for a year or more.
Thanks all in advance for any comments.
Gary

Hi Gary,

Welcome, I hope your stay is a short one.

What you are describing is pretty likely to be caused by an inner ear problem, and it sounds like labyrinthitis/VN is the likely cause.

The vast majority (60%+) of people with labyrinthitis make a full recovery within the first six weeks. By now the virus which attacked the innerear is likely to have gone (after 48hrs or so), but left some inflamation/damage in it's wake which means some of the balance signals your brain is receiving are faulty, the brain adapts to interpret the signals in a new way (this process is called compensation) and once that process is complete you are essentially recovered. While the majority of people recover quickly a fair few of those have symptoms return briefly (to a lesser extent) when going through periods physical or emmotional stress as time progresses (decompensation) but over time, things eventually settle down. Nearly all of those that don't recover within the first few weeks recover slowly over a number of weeks and months, sometimes VRT (vestibular rehabilitation therapy-physical therapy aimed at helping the brain learn to compensate) speeds things along, there are a few people where problems carry on for months or years but they usually follow a gradual pattern of improvment.

I presume you are in the UK,Aus or canada, as Serc ("betahystamine dihydrochrloride") isn't licensed in the US - mainly because no study has ever proved it effective. It was designed primarily for use in menieres patients, but some docs believe it has antihystamine properties and is usefull in other ear problems (such as labs). It probably isn't very effective in suppressing vestibular symptoms at all - other medications are much effective at that. However, as the process of recovery is brought about by your brain adjusting to the new (faulty)signals then it should be apparent that suppressing the signals your brain is trying to adapt to does nothing but slow down recovery, which is why most good vestibular specialists would only prescribe suppressents (antihystamines) for the very initial and most severe stages of the illness. The serc probably isn't doing much.

The best thing you can do is try and keep active, without overdoing things, try to keep moving, as this is stimulous the brain needs to adjust and bring about recovery.

For most people it is true (if it's caused by a virus), but it's not always the case. Like you said, a lot of people on this site have been dizzier for a longer period. Don't let this scare you. That IS the reason why we are here (we've been dizzy for a long period). I don't think we are the norm. The chances of getting back to your old self again is high.

It is a possibility that the medication is making you feel better, you will have to get off of them to see. Also, the medication can prevent your brain from compensating from the damage done by the virus. Try to remain as active as possible (I know this is easier said than done :D), but this can help your recovery.

Ditto what Mica and Benny said.

Drugs that are vestibular suppressants are only good for the initial very violent stages of this junk. After that you are doing more harm than good in your compensation process. The brain needs to experience the full brunt of the faulty signals to adapt to them. It's a tough road, but one that has to be traveled nonetheless.

Keep active doing your normal daily activities as best you can. Think of it like building up a tolerance to something. Do it in little doses, and over time you be able to do more and more (or feel more and more "normal" doing things) because the brain is compensating and you are getting better. Soon enough you'll be back to your old self!

Good luck
T