Does anyone with PV suffer with Vertigo? If you have how long have you suffered with it?

[NewBloom]

Was diagnosed with PV Oct 2012, was having vertigo issues at that point. Been on/off inner ear tabs since Feb and recently had a neck xray all clear, I'm glad to say! Now waiting for an MRI Scan appoint. Was wondering if any PV or ET peeps have the same issue?

[KevinJH]

When I was diagnosed in January 2011 I was, like others, placed on a pretty broad regime of different tablets. One of the things that I began suffering from was nausea and vertigo. After seeing my gp about this he prescribed Stemetil. However, I had a heart scare shortly after (not related to this drug) and when in A&E a consultant A&E doctor advised me not to take Stemetil for more than a year as there was a possible unpleasant side-effect regarding the ingredient prochlorperazine which is an anti-psychotic drug. On that advice I stopped taking it immediately and, oddly, the vertigo stopped as well. I was on Stemetil for about 4 - 6 weeks if I remember rightly. I too had an ultrasound on my neck which was, thankfully, all clear.

[golfbridgenut in reply to KevinJH]

I had ET (now MF) and have had occasional bouts of Benign Postural Positional Vertigo (BPPV). It doesn't seem uncommon with MPN patients. I'm usually able to resolve them within a week by doing the Epley Manouevres - you can google them though I have found there to be some different interpretations. The manouevres are a simple set of postural exercises carried out on the bed or a floor. Obviously check with your Doc that the problem is not something else.

[Aime]

Hi guys, I was diagnosed with PV 2012 and had one really bad dose of vertigo before diagnosis and since then have times the room spins about once and I have to grab on to something to steady myself. It is worse just before I need blood taken off so definitely related. Occasionally I do get a room spin at night when changing position in bed. I don't think I mentioned it to my haem but did to my GP who gave me tablets the first time when it was continuous. Now I am careful as it usually happens after bending down or moving position suddenly - I don't want to end up like a fool on the ground!! Regards Aime

[Hidden]

From diagnosis and because my blood pressure was high I was put on Bendroflumethiazide and Lisinopril. I developed light-headedness and dizziness occasionally from then on. The leaflet in the Bendroflumethiazide box said that dizziness

etc could be one of the side effects so I assumed that it was the explanation although it is difficult to know what medication to attribute it to, or of it is maybe a symptom of the PV. What I do find though is that the light-headedness etc is synonymous with the absent-mindedness. They do both seem to come together and then I seem to go back to "normal" with all the symptoms disappearing until the next time (including the absent-mindedness).

I definitely did not have these symptoms before diagnosis which to me would indicate that it is a med rather than the PV which is causing it.