Can vertigo get better

[sandragail1]

My 31 yr. old son was just diagnosed with MS. He has vertigo so bad that he cannot drive. His neurologist prescribed lamotrigine (anti-seizure) for the vertigo, and he is suppose to start BG-12 next week. Can the vertigo get better??? Does anyone else take this medicine for it or is there something else? Do the meds help the numbness to go away or is it there forever? He has had symptoms off and on for years and thought it was sarcoid, so he started smoking a few yrs. back because he read that smokers don't get sarcoid. How bad is smoking for MS?

[22cyclist]

sandragail1: I am sorry your son was diagnosed with MS. Your son was prescribed Lamictal (brand name) usually used for anti-seizure (like you said), or off label for depression. It is not used for dizziness off label or otherwise. CNS dizziness can be treated with Valium really well. It sometimes responds to over the counter Meclizine, but less often. Ask you neurologist about these medications, especially the Valium-I take it for CNS dizziness and it works very well.

Vertigo can get better, after a while, like any MS symptom, it can just go away. It can also stay, like other MS symptoms, it depends on where the lesions are.

Smoking is bad for everyone, not just those with MS. It can shorten his life, give him lung cancer, heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, etc. You don't need two diseases. One is plenty, and if he already has sarcoid, it is double bad for his lungs! There are many avenues to help him stop smoking. Talk with your primary care doctor about
these.

I wish you the best of luck, and please let us know how it goes!

Lisa
Moderation Team

[KatieAgain]

I have read through all your posts concerning your son. I am truly sorry about his diagnosis. Your son is going through a plethora of emotions right now and he can't help that...he needs some assistance. And I know it is equally hard for you as well, but you have to remain as calm as you can so you can help him.

You have gotten some great advice already, but I will add a few more pieces.

Some Neuros use to awhile back try anti-seizure drugs for CNS dizziness. They tried it with me and it doesn't work. That is really old school...I was shocked when I read that. Like Lisa said, it is best controlled by Valium, if it is indeed CNS dizziness. It actually can be controlled very well.

The smoking issue. I am a former volunteer smoking cessation counselor and today is probably not the day to quit smoking. I normally don't say that, but he has a lot going on right now. But he should quit. I always recommend a site that can be Googled called QuitNet. In my opinion, the best on the Internet for smoking cessation with great results.

If he is having problems breathing, like everyone else has said, he needs to see a doctor immediately. I am personally of the opinion like Snoopy said in another post it is a panic attack. A doctor needs to see him to determine the cause.

I was in my 30s too when I was diagnosed. Lots of panic attacks believe me. I was stationed in California and my parents were in Florida. My parents got on a plane and stayed with me for 3-weeks to help me figure things out. I don't know if that is an option for you...but it sure helped me.

Get your son to join this website...he will get some great support.

Sending you only good thoughts.

[MSer102]

I want to add to the "smoking is bad for everyone" line. There is evidence that smoking is especially bad for MS as smoking seems to make MS progress faster and add to brain atrophy, both of which are definitely bad. You can google MS and smoking to see the research.

I'm sorry your son fell for the unfounded and naive idea that people who smoke don't get sarcoid. What a shame that he took up a potentially lethal habit - and has probably developed a nicotine addiction - to try to ward off another disease. The effects of smoking kill far more people than sarcoid does. Smoking kills far more people than MS does so in that respect its worse than MS. Add to that that it makes MS worse so it's a double whammy.

So if your son thought that smoking would ward off sarcoid, I hope he's just as open to the idea that he needs to STOP smoking if he wants to help his body fight against MS.

I'd also like to suggest that you and he both go to the website of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (www.nmss.org) to get some correct information about MS and how it - and its symptoms - are treated. There's also a lot of information there about living with MS that it sounds like your son could benefit from.

[majeliq]

re vertigo

I had vertigo before MS (newly diagnosed). Here's something for your son to try: add juice from 1/2 lemon, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper in 8 oz of water. Depending on how bad it is, he should feel some relief within 10 min or so. It's not the best tasting but it worked for me. The medication given to me for it only made me sleepy. I was unable to drive to work or care for my children. Also I just plain don't like taking pills that could cause other issues. I hope it helps.

[Twenty Miles]

I had it for a long time. No alcohol, caffiene, tobacco, bad foods and stay hydrated. I tried all of the drugs, the only thing that gave me some relief was chewing ginger.

After months it stopped started again and agin over different intervals and then stopped all together (that was 8-9 years ago). Now very very seldom.