Does anyone know if Meclizine helps with balance problems? My mother, who is 84, has suffered from balance problems for a few years now, and it does seem to be getting worse. She has no dizziness, and apart from her imbalance she is in very good health. It's only when she stands up to walk the problems occur. She feels her legs are separate from the rest of her body and that her legs will give way anytime, as they are all rubbery and elasticy.
The doctor's just send her packing and say its her age, which is very upsetting as it seems if you're over 80 then the doctor's just don't want to know. So, every day I look on the internet to try and find something that might help my mum. Today I have seen that Meclizine can help with dizziness and nausea. However, my mum doesn't get any of these symptoms, but I also read that it could help with inner ear problems, which might be the cause of some of her imbalance. Does anyone know if Meclizine can help with imbalance? Has anyone tried it, or have you just used it for dizziness and travel sickness?
I've rung up the doctor today to see if it would be ok for my mum to take this (as she has high blood pressure) and I have to ring back on Monday to see what they say. I just wish the doctor would do something or at least look as if they're interested in helping my mum, rather than just putting it down to her age and telling her to go on her way.
Also, does anyone else have problems with imbalance and with wobbly, jelly like legs? It seems most people have dizziness as their main symptom, something my mum has never suffered from.
I just worry that she's going to fall over and I will just do anything to try and make her better, if not completely then at least an improvement.
I don't think meclizine or any other medication would help much I do think a bout of physical therapy for strengthening and balance training could help a great deal. Good luck!
Have your Mother go to an ENT to have her inner ear function checked. As we age our inner ear function declines. I used to wonder why old people would look unsteady as they walked, I used to think this was due because they were not active enough and neglected to keep themselves in good physical condition (which may be true in some cases).
Now that I have lost my inner ear function I understand what many of them suffer from. The medical community often ignores this condition.
If your mother indeed suffers from loss of inner ear function there is really no drug that will help her. She will have to go to a physical therapist who specializes in rehabilitation of balance disorders.
Take your Mom to a ear specialist, her GP will have very little if any knowledge of her problem.
My mum has been to the ENT and had a brain scan etc. and all comes back ok. The consultant just puts it down to her age, like the doctor does too. It seems, like everything else in today's society, if you're over 70 then they don't want to know.
I see my mum struggling with her walking, wondering if she's going to fall over at anytime. Her legs are so rubbery and I worry constantly about her. I cannot believe the doctors can't do anything to help her, they don't even seem interested. My mum looks and feels about 20, but when she starts walking it just hits her how bad her balance and legs are. She's been to the balance clinic in York (on my suggestion - not the consultant's) but they didn't do much to help her, just gave her some tests and some exercises. This didn't help in any way, in fact her balance and rubbery legs have got a lot worse.
I just find it so hard to see her like this and nobody being interested in helping her. So I look on the internet daily to see if I can come up with anything. Then if I do find something I ring the doctors and ask if its ok for her to take them. I'm sure I'm becoming very annoying at the doctor's surgery, but if they won't do anything to help her then it just leaves me - and I will never stop looking for something to make her better, or at least a little better. She has no dizziness at all, just very unsteady when she walks, as if her brain is separate from her legs.
Thank you again for your help, but I guess I will just have to keep looking for something to help my mum. That I will never stop.
I will tell you my situation.Last year,I had some dizzy spells for the first time.
An RN who knew about me,attended a seminar at a hospital on Vestibular Inner
Ear Disorder,and signed me up for the classes.No MD looked at me,and it was assumed ,I guess,that these sessions would help.My balance seemed ok at the
time,but I did balancing exercises,as part of the overall program.This I think was supposed to help me from falling because of dizziness.The dizziness abated,but
my balance was getting worse.My legs went from under me, at home,and I got back in my chair,and sat there through the night.At the Emer.Room,lower back
x rays showed that the leg failure was due to aged sciatic problems,not related to inner ear/dizziness at all.The Dr. gave me Meclizine for any dizzxiness,which I take
25mg twice a day,(could take twice that,per the bottle.)The rubber legs would
take back surgery,which is not for me.So my Meclizine is what I am going with,except I am trying some balancing exercises.I seldom drive a car,but could,I think...Bill
I will tell you my situation.Last year,I had some dizzy spells for the first time.
An RN who knew about me,attended a seminar at a hospital on Vestibular Inner
Ear Disorder,and signed me up for the classes.No MD looked at me,and it was assumed ,I guess,that these sessions would help.My balance seemed ok at the
time,but I did balancing exercises,as part of the overall program.This I think was supposed to help me from falling because of dizziness.The dizziness abated,but
my balance was getting worse.My legs went from under me, at home,and I got back in my chair,and sat there through the night.At the Emer.Room,lower back
x rays showed that the leg failure was due to aged sciatic problems,not related to inner ear/dizziness at all.The Dr. gave me Meclizine for any dizzxiness,which I take
25mg twice a day,(could take twice that,per the bottle.)The rubber legs would
take back surgery,which is not for me.So my Meclizine is what I am going with,except I am trying some balancing exercises.I seldom drive a car,but could,I think...Bill
Thank you for replying Bill and I am sorry to hear about your situation.
However, my mum doesn't have dizziness and never has. There are a lot of things out there for dizziness, but if you have balance problems and no dizziness there just doesn't seem to be anything out there.
I want to put this back up as my mother's balance seems quite a bit worse. I just really need some help and advice, and hope that someone can come up with some suggestions or if they can recommend any tablets/health pills to take. She doesn't get any dizziness, just balance problems. She feels her legs are going to give way anytime and some days they feel like jelly and other days really heavy. Also, she feels its her brain, as if her brain isn't working properly.
She also, naturally, is getting more anxious and its really getting her depressed, though she never lets on about this unless pushed. She feels so well in herself but as soon as she starts walking then her balance is all over the place, even with a walking stick. And as soon as she wakes up in the morning she starts thinking about this and worrying.
Really wish I could do something to help her and am trying everything I can and will never give up. Can anyone recommend anything to take that might help her with her balance? The doctors won't do any more as they say its her age.
