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May 19, 2008 4:28 PM

Vertigo and motion sickness - is there any way out of it?

I've had vertigo for years, continuous with some days worse than others - no conclusive diagnosis but the neurologist reckoned that it's a migraine aura without the accompanying migraine, and my own doctor suspects it's Meniere's disease. Other, more intrusive health problems took centre stage so, yes I have a doctor, no, you are not my doctor, and yes, I will see them about this, but I can't go in the next few days.

Travelling makes me really queasy, really dizzy and really, really tired. Panicky, too, but that's a bit chicken/egg as I'm a nervous person and, oh yeah, an emetophobe to boot. I never got motion sickness pre-vertigo, spent my whole childhood reading through 20-hour car journeys, etc.

For travel, I've tried antihistamines, those wrist bands, food/drink stuff like lots of water and ginger, and a whole heap of stuff working on the anxiety side. Some things are slightly helpful but nothing's great.

Buses are worst, then cars, trains and planes, although planes and buses tie for first because I know there's no real escape. I sometimes get it from cycling, even. In the next week, I have a 7-hour round trip by train (for a job interview) and two 3.5-hour flights (for a holiday), and it's probably too late to help with either of those, but if the former goes well I'll have to travel a lot more and it would be great to get it in hand at all. I am planning/worrying about all my travel based on feeling awful, and that's a disaster.

Other basics: female, mid-twenties, fitness level of a fast commuter cyclist, other health issues are digestive, don't drink, smoke about 10/day (I know, I know, and that's really 5-20/day), don't drive.

So:
- has anyone with vertigo found help with travel?
- as part b to that, do you experience motion sickness while you're the driver?

posted by carbide to health & fitness (5 comments total)

You might find Transderm-Scop patches helpful.
posted by Tube at 4:46 PM on May 19, 2008

I was given Bonine the last time I had a short spell of vertigo. Even without the vertigo, I'm a queasy traveler, so I've continued to use bonine. I find it much more useful and less horrible than dramamine. I find buses, the back of the plane and cars with soft shocks to be the worst for me. I sit up as close to the front always so I don't get the double sway in the back. My motion sickness can trigger a migraine and vice versa, so I also use my migraine meds to keep things at bay.

I never get motion sickness when I drive in the least. There's something about the anticipatory nature of it that makes it better when I'm behind the wheel.
posted by Gucky at 4:47 PM on May 19, 2008

I have suffered vertigo on and off for last few years. I have been to a few doctors and they concluded it's either BPPV or more likely Meniere's since I get a fullness and ache in one ear along with the vertigo.
I could first advise you to ask about getting a shot called Kenalog. I found immediate short term relief from it while my vertigo was acting up recently and it may help you.
Also, drugs in the class of benzos have vestibular calming effects. The other added benefit is they will also ease your anxiety.
I would also advise you to seek an ENT MD- as they specialize in vertigo disorders and tell him/ her you're planning to travel and wish to feel ok while in transit.
Finally, take some comfort in knowing most cases of vertigo clear up on their own in time. I know it seems like you'll live with it forever, esp when it gets to week 5 or 6 of still feeling off/out of balance.
Good luck.
posted by GoodJob! at 4:59 PM on May 19, 2008

This may seem off the wall, but have you considered that this Vertigo could be part of your panic/anxiety symptoms? I've heard of Vertigo symptoms in relation to anxiety before and even discovered an entire book devoted to it:
Emotional Vertigo.


What you are describing as motion sickness could also fit as panic symptoms:

It might be worth looking into...
posted by Raichle at 9:22 PM on May 19, 2008

Thanks, everyone.

Tube: looking into Transderm Scop but it's unlicensed here, available (legally!) with difficulty - the doctor and pharmacist had only used it for really severe chemo nausea before. Thanks for the suggestion, it sounds like just the thing. (I love how dizziness, drowsiness and vomiting are so often listed as side-effects for vertigo meds, incidentally.)

Gucky: cheers, I'll add bonine to the future list

GoodJob!: heh, it's been five years of nearly-constant and increasing on, so I'm not sure it'll go anywhere, but the ENT suggestion is something I should definitely look into. Ended up seeing a different doctor to my regular one in the clinic and I felt uncomfortable asking about benzos, but I'll keep it in mind for sure.

Raichle: Totally possible! I can guarantee it'll get worse if I am anxious and sitting somewhere waiting (like before an exam, to meet someone formally, in an airport, etc). There's a slightly tangled mess of vertigo/anxiety/ibd-esque things and I am sort of glad my medical knowledge isn't such that I can drive myself crazy trying to figure it out. Working on the anxiety separately. anyway.
posted by carbide at 3:13 PM on May 21, 2008