PD and dizziness: I used to think it was... - Cure Parkinson's

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PD and dizziness

kenteoth profile image
13 Replies

I used to think it was the meds that always made me dizzy, Now with the weather change and I also have Meniere's Disease, it's real bad. Now I have to take a water pill:-(

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kenteoth profile image
kenteoth
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13 Replies
redbudlady profile image
redbudlady

I also have Meniere's but no issues with being dizzy. At least not yet.

grayland profile image
grayland

What is meniere's? Is it part of parkinson's? I have had pd for two years. I had a bad dizzy spell about a year ago. Today I had vertigo for about 15 minutes and then this afternoon again for about 1 minute. I did not know dizziness is part of parkinson's. I thank you for writing this today

Hikoi profile image
Hikoi

Grayland

Ménière's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance. It is characterized by episodes of vertigo, low pitched tinnitus, and hearing loss. It is not a part of Parkinsons but of course PwP can get Menieres.

Dizzy spells in Parkinsons are often related to Low blood pressure. Suggest you try drinking more water and especially when you feel dizzy and see if that helps.

kenteoth profile image
kenteoth

Funny you mention this Hikoi because a few months before the tremors started I was diagnosed with malignant orthostatic hypotension (2003)....I had an episode in which I actually passed out due to low blood pressure and I also have Meniere's so I get these episodes when the weather changes even though I drink water frequently due to living out here in AZ

carolineb211 profile image
carolineb211

Dizziness had always been a feature of my PD, was probably my first symptom, although i didn't realise at the time.

The Requip takes the edge off but everyday i have bouts of giddiness which is not nice at all.

honeycombe3 profile image
honeycombe3

Diagnosis of Meniere's BEWARE. My mother was treated for it for nearly 20yrs then, after falling/fainting at her GP surgery, had a battery of tests & a had different dx. Her meds were changed but the most important outcome was that her outlook changed. She became more confident with all the associated benefits. I don't whether dizziness per se is an effect of PD but almost all the PwPs I know experience it - the question is how severely & how frequently? Mine was frequent & severe at first mainly due to low BP from meds. I think of it as my gyroscope not working. This is a recurring topic (thread?) on the site so it's worth looking around.

shasha profile image
shasha

my husband suffered dreadfully with meniere's and used to be physically sick when he was out at work - i would have to go and get him and he would lterally crawl up the stairs to bed and stay there for 24 hours - it is an awful desease nut thankfully he is now clear of it

I had some dizziness with my previous time meds.

Now I think it is just my bifocals that make me dizzy, at times.

pen1 profile image
pen1

I'm fascinated by your reference to the change in season as I recognise it has an effect - but why is this?

I have Parkinsons (9 years) and Menieres (30 years, usually mild). For the last ten days I have had terrible vertigo - the room swoops and swings so violently I fall to the floor and literally can;t get up. This is different from the dizziness I get from orthostatic hypotension. The vertigo has never been this bad before and the drugs for vertigo (prochloperazine maleate) cause .. . guess what ?? - Parkinsonism! Great.

Any solutions/cures/wise words out there??

Susie01 profile image
Susie01

Orthostatic hypotension can be a PD symptom, it is not necessarily a side effect of the meds, though could be associated with them. If you look at various trial studies, they do have a medication they are using for PwP. I did not qualify since I have both high and low blood pressures.

Prior to diagnosis, I had ringing in my ears for so long I no longer even noticed it. When I started on Azilect, it went Everything seemed so quiet then! I do have it occasionally, but now notice what may cause it. I have dizzynes with different movements, just have to take note to hold onto something if I know I am going to get dizzy with a movement.

Jash profile image
Jash in reply to Susie01

Susie: could be an easy to treat inner ear balance issue; check with your PCP too.

Susie01 profile image
Susie01 in reply to Jash

If you look at the stages of PD, balance is one of the markers of stage III. The dizziness can be due to orthostatic hypotension which can also be a PD symptom.

I was a gymnast through college, did gymnastics on a 4" beam, don't think I could walk on it now without falling. For a time period, my flexibility seemed to help with the stiffness, I am now having stiffness.

ParkinsonSpouse profile image
ParkinsonSpouse

My husband gets dizzy off & on. The other day when we got out of the car, he had to lean on me & stand in the parking lot for a couple minutes until the dizzy spell was gone. We can't figure out what causes it. He seems to be having them more often now.

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