Vertigo

[Mugs19]

Can anyone shed light on why I am so ill? I have vertigo. Spent nine and a half hours in A&E on Saturday. Given 5 days dose of stemetil and told it would cure it.It isn’t working. Getting worse. Pains in neck and ears. Not eating properly, want to vomit a lot of the time. On 40 mcg liothyronine daily. It started onMonday last week and by Saturday couldn’t stop vomiting.

[Sparklingsunshine]

Hi

I've had non spinning balance issues for 6 weeks now, I don't have any nausea though and mine is debilitating but not totally disabling and it comes and goes, it's akin to walking on a trampoline. I've tried stemil, no difference and betaine, which is used for labrythitis. Mine followed on from a migraine the day before.

You could have anything from an ear infection, to Menieres, to vestibular neuritis. It might be connected to being hypothyroid or nothing to do with it. But as we're not medically qualified, just an advice and support forum, then your best bet is to talk to your GP. If you're feeling nauseous and the tablets aren't helping then you need another treatment and more investigations.

[Mugs19 in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Thankyou for replying.My husband is going round to the surgery to get my gps on it. Some useful inf there.

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to Mugs19]

Hi

Just for the record I've recently had a brain MRI performed which was normal, so it's not MS or anything like Parkinsons, which can cause balance issues. I've been having weird neuro symptoms since October and the balance thing has been since April.

I've also had the doctor perform the Epley manoeuvre which dislodged crystals that form in the ear canal causing a condition called BPPV or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. A common cause of vertigo. Its a diagnosis manoeuvre to rule it out. Mine was negative so its not BPPV in my case.

I really hope you get it sorted. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

[Mugs19 in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Thankyou for your reassurance. I have wondered about Parkinson’s as since I started with Graves 7 years ago I have had a tremor which comes and goes. I should have had an ultrasound yesterday of my thyroid but couldn’t get there. Also had to cancel appt with shoulder surgeon last week. All these appointments that have taken ages to get I am having to abandon so I get worse and further down the black hole I am in all the time.Had first endocrine appointment since last July on 29April, a phone call and though he tries to help no more appointments til 5 August as the Authority have made him see backlog of new patients first. I asked if he felt it made him ineffective for everyone and he said he made that point exact ly but they ignored him. To anyone else: if I don’t answer you or am rude or incoherent it’s because I have to do it when my head has settled. Using laptop phone and at times tv can disturb it horribly. I’ve been losing my hearing and getting increasing tinnitus since becoming hypo so with my sinusitis history I suspect it is an ENT problem. Hope it’s not Meniere’s. Thanks to everyone trying to help. I appreciate it greatly.

[Catlover3 in reply to Mugs19]

Hi. I developed vertigo and acute tinnitus with hearing loss after catching Covid. Not had any vaccines so its not related to them. Also, might be worth getting your teeth checked if they haven't been done already. Good luck and best wishes.

[Batty1 in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

My migraines will cause intermittent vertigo described just as you said like walking on a trampoline.

[jade_s]

Have you ever had a fasting a.m. cortisol blood test? Or a cortisol test at A&E? Your previous saliva test results look low, you might be progressing to full blown adrenal insufficiency such as Addison's. There can of course be other reasons but Addison's was my first thought. I'm sorry you are so ill.

[suztango]

Have you had your b12 checked? I’ve had vertigo for 20+ years. In the b12 deficiency forums there’s an uncanny amount of people who have vertigo. I have b12 deficiency too. And hypothyroidism. But as already said, you need to get this checked out.

[Mugs19 in reply to suztango]

Thankyou. I have been taking B12 and last test was at top of range. But that’s interesting.

[bookish in reply to Mugs19]

May be that you are not using it well at cellular level. B12 metabolism is complicated, still poorly understood and strongly genetic. B vitamins worth some thought though, as B2 deficiency also associated with vertigo, and your Stemetil (prochlorperazine) will deplete B2 (appreciate it is only a short time that you've taken it, but if you are low in B2 it won't help!) pharmacysolutionsonline.com... . Best wishes

[Mugs19 in reply to bookish]

Thankyou. Looks interesting.

[bookish in reply to suztango]

Interesting, thanks. I hadn't realised it was so common. My vertigo-type issues resolved 3 years ago when I added methylfolate to my methylcobalamin although I am recently post-covid and have some slight return of symptom. We have a long family history of PA and/or B12D and my cousin just told me that he had a couple of bouts of vertigo. I have SNPs on folate cycle which may explain why B12 alone didn't work well enough, although it does make a big difference to overall health if I keep it high.

[McPammy]

What are your thyroid blood levels like. Are you over or under medicated??

[Mugs19 in reply to McPammy]

On March 26 my tosh and t4 were low as am on t3 only. T3 was slightly above range. Since then I have reduced t3 from 50 to 40 mcg daily. At hospital on Sat doctor wouldn’t give numbers but said results were normal and my tsh had reappeared. As they couldn’t get any blood out of me till late in the day I’m not sure that result is worth much. I hadn’t eaten and been very sick and was developing migraine when it was taken. So I feel very sorry for all of you who have said you know what it’s like.

[Catlover3]

Hi. I get really bad vertigo bought about by stress. Its not helped by my thyroid levels being undermedicated at the moment either. I need my tsh to be nearly unreadable for me to feel well so the slightest rise can make me feel dreadful. Its so difficult keeping the levels stable. I am lucky that stemetil works for me. I hope you find something to help quickly as this is a nasty condition to deal with!

[Geography1]

Hi there, sorry you are not well, I just got one thing to add, might help or not, have they checked your potassium levels?? Low potassium, also known as “Hypokalemia” causes vertigo and needs to be corrected, if they have not checked that, please have them do so, as well as your other electrolytes, they need to be in balance. Good luck to you

[Mugs19 in reply to Geography1]

Thankyou. Something which might be helpful.

[saritadelmar in reply to Geography1]

My cardiologist years ago said that you cannot find your true potassium level because the mineral needs to be within the cells. Tests only define how much potassium is in the blood. You can get a false high reading indicated by high numbers in the blood, but the cells need to store it to truly be effective.

[Geography1 in reply to saritadelmar]

I see, well, I know for a fact that if one is extremely low in potassium, is a condition called Hypokalemia and it can cause vertigo amongst other symptoms, your cardiologist might be right, I do not know how many different tests are to measure ones potassium levels, or how accurate, but I do know that there needs to be a balance between chloride, potassium and magnesium or various symptoms will manifest.

[saritadelmar in reply to Geography1]

He said there is no way to measure the potassium in the cells, but that I should consume plenty so that it assures there is an abundance stored in the cells. He also mentioned the balance between the elements you mentioned.

[Geography1 in reply to saritadelmar]

I am not a Doctor, I only shared my comment because it CAN make a difference to know if you are low in potassium in my experience. My father was diagnosed with hypokalemia months before he died of a heart attack, he eat no salt and took magnesium, and he was suffering from vertigo, the doctors did not see any correlation or noticed to tell him that this is a delicate balance that should be checked and maybe we cannot measure the potassium on the cells, like your cardiologist says, but we can measured the one in the blood. Again, I am no MD, I am only sharing the comment because it might be helpful to check this when someone is suffering from vertigo, maybe it is caused by something different, but is always good to know.

[ICE187]

I had vertigo prior to being diagnosed with overt hypothyroidism. Since starting Levo, my vertigo has eased up a lot. I also started taking B12, P5P and Iron 18mg.

[Batty1]

Your neck pains could be causing you vertigo.. have you tried to gently stretch your neck out … you could use hit compress on back of neck and aspirin.

[shaws Administrator]

Maybe your dose of T3 may be a bit too high. 25mcg of T3 is equal (approx) to 100mcg of T4 (levo). Sometimes it could be the fillers/binders in a tablet that can affect us negatively.

Maybe trial taking one anti-histamine tablet one hour before next dose of T3 and if you don't have reaction, change to T3 from another supplier.

[Mugs19 in reply to shaws]

Thankyou for this. Unfortunately I am limited what I can change to. I’m already on T 3 Teva because it had no lactose and acacia in it having fallen out with at least 3 others and liquid levothyroxine.

[Framboise]

I know how awful this can be, commiserations! Can I ask - did this begin suddenly or were you moving in a particular way at the time? You mention pain in your neck and ears, and that you were seeing a shoulder surgeon - does the vertigo worsen as you turn your head in one direction or the other, or look up? Have you had a neck or shoulder injury recently? After years of vertigo and balance issues, and having had every test which a variety of consultants could think of, I found mine was due to tight muscles in the left sternocleidomastoid muscle in the front of my neck. It was probably caused by an injury to my left shoulder and a whiplash years ago. Yours may or may not be similar, but if that's what it is it's easy to sort out, however it could be due to other things which are important to rule out as well. Best of luck!

[Mugs19 in reply to Framboise]

Thankyou so much for bothering to send me this message. I went to bed as usual on Sunday night. I always have pain in my right shoulder now. Woke up at 5 to go to bathroom and everything wouldn’t stop going round. Coped with it till Saturday then got up worse and couldn’t stop vomiting. Ended up at A&E.will bear in mind the possible connections you mention thankyou

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to Mugs19]

Hi

I've just posted separately but my neck xray has come back as abnormal. I've got disc degeneration and moderate spondylosis. You can get a trapped nerve in the neck, or a blood vessel being compressed, which can lead to reduced blood flow to the brain. Both can cause dizziness. It could be a virus as well, ear infections can cause nausea and vertigo.

[Mugs19 in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Yes. There are a lot of possible causes. Unfortunately the doctors just shrug and assume it will clear up eventually without ever finding out. Thankyou for your message. I hope you manage to sort yourself out . It sounds pretty nasty.

[saritadelmar in reply to Mugs19]

Once in a while, I experience imbalance and dizziness. I take the homeopathic remedy Cocculus Indicus (for seasickness), which helps a lot. 30 c, 4 little balls under the tongue, nothing to eat or drink 15 minutes before and after. Worth a try, homeopathics are over-the-counter and inexpensive.

[Mugs19 in reply to saritadelmar]

Thankyou for that, worth a try.

[Mugs19]

I tried the Epley last Tuesday and it made it worse. The doctor I A&E tried a different one and that didn’t work either. Thankyou for trying to help.

[hackman]

I had vertigo for 18 months before being diagnosed with hypo. At the time, I was subclinical hypo and the vertigo started intermittently and got gradually worse over the 12 - 18 months until it was every day and several times a day.

It would be triggered by the smallest thing - from trying to take a lid off a jar that was tight to beating eggs, or from nothing at all. It got worse and worse until it also caused nausea and then vomiting. This was truly awful, I got so bad that I couldn't move without vertigo and vomiting - it was very frightening.

My GP was at a loss when it was just vertigo but when the nausea and vomiting came too she realised it was migraine - vertiginous migraine aka vertigo migraine.

I have since learnt that this was because my FT3 was really low and particularly at brain level which was causing the vertigo and eventually migraine.

I now take T3 (self medicated) and this has resolved it completely.

[Mugs19 in reply to hackman]

Thankyou for sharing your experience with me. I am in 2 minds whether I am under or over medicated and not sure if my dosage is responsible.

[caledoniancat]

I agree with jade_s it is worth having your adrenal function tested if your cortisol has been low, because your symptoms could suggest adrenal insufficiency or Addison's disease. With the latter and in addition to what you have already shared, you are likely to also feel exhausted most of the time, general aches and pains including your lower back and down your legs. The dizziness is even worse when you go from sitting to standing and you can have a persistent headache, repeated vomiting is a common symptom and can be accompanied with diarrhoea.

[Mugs19 in reply to caledoniancat]

Thankyou for your advice. It has been reassuring that other people want to help.