Hi everyone, I would love some advice please. I am 75 and have had PMR for approximately 3 years with various bumps along the way, but am now on a slow taper and on 6mg daily.
For the best part of a year I have had dizziness on and off every day. I have seen GP’s and consultants and various tests have been carried out but no one has been able to help. Lately it has been getting worse.
I know that many drugs list dizziness as one of their side effects. I am currently taking Pred, calcium with Vit D3,1000 mg/880iu, and Lansoprazole 15 mg. I have asked the GP’s several times if I could stop taking the Lansoprazole but they always insist it is necessary. I had never had any digestion problems previously. I can’t help feeling that they just give this to everyone whether or not it’s really needed. Would it be possible to take it every other day for instance?
I’d be grateful for any advice please🤔
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Sukian
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is your dizziness associated with any particular movement, activity (eg holding your head in one position for a while) or time of day?
When you get below 10mg you can get dizziness due to low adrenal function. If you are not familiar with this issue do have a read of the links contained below from the FAQ’s.
If you want to stop Omeprazole your doctors can prescribe the ‘old’ H2 antagonist type like Famotidine. You do need to come off the Omperazole slowly and not stop it rapidly to avoid rebound acid production. I found changing from Omeprazole to the other type was still a bit rocky until it settle after a couple of weeks.
It is the next on the list after ranitidine which was the go-to until it was taken off the market. Ranitidine was sold as Zantac and famotidine is Pepcid and Zantac 360.
As SnazzyD has said if you go decide to ditch the Lansoprazole it needs to be tapered down. I tapered down over six weeks with taking one less tablet/capsule every week, this worked fine for me. It does really need a discussion with your doctor though.
I have had my blood pressure dropping, particularly in the mornings, and then going up again which causes me dizziness. I am not sure what causes it. When I was in hospital my blood pressure went down to 54/45. I could not see the screen, but I could see the doctor whose mouth just dropped open and then he laughed, I assume it was a nervous laugh!!
Have you tried checking your BP immediately you get the dizziness? As in my case the dizziness seems to drop and then recover, so by the time I check my blood pressure is OK again.
It is very disconcerting isn't it when you have dizzy spells and no-one can find why!
Did the tests include a heart monitor for at least 24 hours and covering at least one of your dizzy spells?
Many doctors now allow patients to stop PPIs when they are under about 7mg, I personally have NEVER taken one because of pred, they don't seem to be a "thing" here in Europe. I do have to take them if my rheumy decides he needs to use NSAIDs for something else though.
My heart monitor was for 48 hours!! No shower in two days. Also a tilt table test and a load of othe things. Like my high blood markers, the doctors decided in the end it was just me. Perhaps my brother is right I am designed to live on another planet!
Then that is a piece of nonsense - an irregular heart beat is a common cause of dizziness - it was the cause of mine!! My heart was taking breaks - stopping beating for up to 7 seconds at a time which is quite long enough to make you feel very strange!!
Have you got a pulse oximeter, the little finger clip that measure pulse and oxygen levels? They are cheap from any chemist. That will give you a very unscientific rough guide as to whether your heart is playing about when you are dizzy. If you see it looking a funny shape on the trace you can insist they investigate. And a simple one-off ECG is useless unless it happens while they are recording.
Thanks - Yes I do have one, the surgery gave it to me some time ago. I am sitting on the sofa relaxed and not dizzy at the moment. It is reading 98 and 88. I’ll keep it till the next dizzy spell and try again.
Thanks to you and everyone else who has kindly suggested many possible reasons but most of them I have already tried. I didn’t know about your idea re the pulse oximetry and I have used it several times now, and it measures 99\98 each times, so that must be fine!
I am now going to stop taking Lansoprazole gradually and hope that sorts the dizziness. If not, I’ll ask the GP about a heart monitor test
I’ve had intermittent dizziness for the last 6 months or so as I taper from 15 mgs 3 years ago.. am now trying! To reduce from 1.0… so introducing .0.5 once a week. I never know when I’m going to feel dizzy!!! I assumed it was just connected with less pred. Am not on any other drug.
I suffered from lots of dizzy spells and they were unrelated to my PMR. I saw an audio -vestibular consultant who performed the Epley manoeuvre on me , which involves you having your head moved quickly in specific ways whist lying down. It worked for me. Some physiotherapists can do this procedure too. It's takes just a few minutes and only needs one visit.
It’s a great manoeuvre and I’ve used it many times at home. It’s a bit of a fiddle at first trying to watch the YouTube video at first and doing but it is quite simple.
Thanks, unfortunately this just doesn’t work for me now. We had tried doing the Epley following you-tube videos but it just doesn’t help now unfortunately.
This past week out of nowhere, I had dizzy / room spinning! It happened whenever I got up from laying down or dipped my head to pick something up. Doctor checked my heart and blood pressure and ruled out alot of scary possibilities. After a consultation with a physical therapist, he said it was Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). He did the Epley maneuver on me yesterday and it worked. He had me sleep with my head up as much as possible last night to give the detached particular a chance to reattach or dissolve. I have a followup appointment in January and a sheet so I can do the procedure on my own. It was not related to my PMR.
I am taking much the same drugs as you and am now on 6mg of Pred tapering to 5.
Just lately I too have experienced dizziness. Quite disturbing. After various visits to pharmacist and doctor. Two things have been suspected as the culprit.
One us I have fluid behind both ear drums the other is raised blood pressure (which I have been told by GP can be caused by steroids). Either one of those problems can cause dizziness. Now on a pill for Vertigo and an increase in blood pressure medication. If no one has looked in your ears might be worth getting them checked even if they are not giving you pain.
I was prescribed Lansoprazole, but stopped taking it because it caused diarrhoea. There was no tapering involved, but it was early on in the treatment. After stopping it I had instant relief. I have had dizziness, but it was related to my atrial fibrillation.
Have you had a full set of bloods taken recently ? I ask this because during the Summer I suffered from intermittent dizziness + episodes of racing heartbeat, and also felt really tired. I put it down to tapering Pred. When I mentioned this to my GP he immediately organised a full bank of blood tests and as a result I’ve now been diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anaemia.
At the moment this is classed as “unexplained” though I’m convinced it’s as a result of wheelbarrow load of medications I’m on. These include metformin - known to cause B12 deficiency and Omeprazole - known to cause malabsorption of iron. Symptoms of both of these are tiredness, dizziness and racing heart
Ive now been on ferrous sulfate for 4 weeks. This is not the easiest medication to get along with and it isn’t a magic wand solution but I’m pleased to say both the fatigue and dizziness are easing off.
I have had the same Mandyq. I am 91 and have been on prednisolone for pmr for 7 years. Got down to 5mg but had to increase to 10mg.
For years I have been unbalanced, lurching about achey shaky and continually exhausted. Last few days I have also had sudden bouts of feeling faint and breathless. Very worrying.
I was thinking these bouts were the pmr and/or adrenal insufficiency so maybe I ought to increase the pred again. I saw two doctors and had blood tests. Then yesterday the second doctor said I was anaemic. That really fits my pattern of symptoms.
Many years ago, pre PMR, I was prescribed Lanzoprazole for acid reflux. Within days I started to feel dizzy and my doctor said it could be a side effect of Lanzoprazole. When I checked the information leaflet dizziness was listed as a side effect.
I changed to Omeprazole and, although it's of the same "family", I've had no ill effects from it.
Yes, you could take the Lansoprazole every other day. I take it you’re not anemic? The stomach protectors are problematic in general because they shut down most of the stomach acid which therefore means we don’t get all the nutrients from food because the food doesn’t get broken down as it should. The problem with stopping these meds entirely is that it often causes symptoms, if you have any, to become way worse. I’ve been on them for decades and never had any follow up. I can’t get off them.
My go to remedy for dizziness is ginger: ginger ale, ginger tea, ginger capsules. A neurologist told me it was an old remedy.
Once I had labrynthitis for months- diagnosed. I was working as an anesthetist at the time and couldn’t work in that state. I took ginger root capsules 500mg about 3 times a day and was able to work until the condition stopped.
Every now and then, if I get dizziness, I use my old remedy.
I have no advice for the dizziness other than hydration. Make sure you are drinking enough fluid. One Dr said ‘Pred messes with electrolytes’ then gave no further advice but I suspect it is an imbalance that leads to my arrhythmia. I have found the Kardia device invaluable. It helps when you see a Dr or end up in A&E and you can show the recordings. As regards Omeprazole or the equivalent I just stopped. I did ask a Dr if that was alright. I now take it if I feel my digestion needs help. Probably totally the wrong thing but it seems to be OK 🤞
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