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Effects of Menieres: How to manage medications & balance issues?
I was diagnosed with Meniere's 20 years ago. It wasn't severe but I did have dizziness and had one attack of vertigo. In the process I lost some hearing in one ear. I was put on 2 grams low dose valium twice a day. Along with Meclizine if I needed additional support for dizziness. At the present time, the symptoms and dizziness don't happen very often at all. But I am still taking valium and Meclizine. Last week I made an appointment with a new ENT for a hearing test and put Menieres on the form. She pointed out that I should not have been on Valium all these years as it is supposed to be a short term remedy. She mentioned it causeing balance problems. I am 86 and I had double knee surgery in July of 2025. I started having balance problems earlier this year. I went to PT for it and it hasn't improved that much. But the new ENT made me wonder if the balance problems were caused by long term use of Valium. So I did a little research and sure enough, there is cause to believe that it can cause balance problems. I am not 100% convinced becaue in my case it could be a variety of things, the knee surgery, my advanced age, the need to lose about 20 lbs (could it change my gait?), do I have the correct shoes, the long time use of Valium??? I am not sure what to do next. But I know I need to address the balance issue. There is balance training offered for people who have Meniere's. Should I go that route? I am asking for any feedback from people who have Meniere's. What has been your experience and history with Meniere's?
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You might consider getting a review of all your medications by a pharmacist. This is sometimes called a medication reconcilliation. As medications are added throughout our medical history, it's a good idea to review and ensure there are no unwanted interactions.
I'm also connecting you with fellow members like @tilou @morninglory @joyces @grannyjack @estrada53 @trishanna and others who have experience with Meniere's disease.
@lawanna85, the balance training sounds like a good idea. Did you decide to give it a try?
Hi, I totally agree that getting my Pharmacist is a good idea. I didn't even know that was possible. And thanks for the connections! Not that many people have experienced Meniere's. And no, I had not decided to give it the balance training a try. I wasn't even aware of it until about 2 weeks ago when I saw a new ENT and she was pretty disturbed that I had been on Diazapam for so many years. So she rang the alarm bells and I have been researching ever since. I have a friend that also has Meniere's and we actually went to the same Dr. for several years. Hers is worse than mine in that she deals with dizziness more than I do. I rarely get dizzy anymore. But from everything I have read that is the last stage of Meniere's. But she has been on three (3) 2 mil Diazapam a day. I will contact her and see if she is exeriencing any balance problems. She is 80 so 6 years younger than I am. I guess I have my work cut out for me this week. I plan on spending time gathering as much as I can. I will contact the pharmacist first and go from there. I can't tell you how grateful I am for your questions and suggestions. I will share more when I know more.
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2 ReactionsBeen taking 1.5 mgs Diaz 51 years once daily. Drs not fond of Diaz for variety of reasons. All wrong. 1 have @70alireza70 balance. A cane works great. Walk and do eye exercis daily. Balance doesn’t come back but ya can retrain brain to make it reasonable.
@fever1 You are taking a very low dose of Diazapam compared to my 4 mgs a day. I have a friend who takes 6 mgs a day. But she has more dizziness than I do. No judgement, but I am curious why you believe you can't improve your balance. But, like you, I also believe you can retrain your brain. In fact, studies show that even people with Parkinsons can walk with better balance longer by doing cognitive balance exercises. Here is some information from American Parkinson Disease Association: https://www.apdaparkinson.org/community/missouri/mo-resources-support-2/cognitive-exercise-parkinsons-missouri/ Thanks for posting your experience!
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