Lately I have had so many headaches with nausea and vertigo that it seams like I'm queasy almost all the time now. I take dramamine when I just can't handle it any more but it makes me a little drowsy so I try not to take it. Is there anything else that really helps?

There's also Meclizine, but it can make you drowsy too.

Dramamine does make a non-drowsy version, just ask the pharmacist which one is which.

Vertigo was probably one of my first symptoms of MS. First time I had vertigo was in early 1997 (about a year after I had mononucleosis) and I and my doctor both thought that it was an ear infection. It could have been an ear infection at the time, but I'm still not too sure about that, since I had vertigo hit me anywhere from 2 - 6 times a year since then...and I never had a clue it could have been MS until after I'd gotten diagnosed with MS last year.

My vertigo was the worst it had ever been about this time last year, and it took till probably mid-august for my doctor to finally try steroids on me to make it go away. (2wks of oral prednisone)

We tried treatments for BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positioning Vertigo, which is where little calcifications called Otoconia break loose in your inner ear...the Otoconia's are sometimes called "ear rocks")

My doctor and also my neuro think that my vertigo was from some sort of irritation or inflammation on my 8th Cranial Nerve tho.

I have prescription Meclizine and a bunch of little travel bottles of Dramamine leftover from last year. I think I prefer the Meclizine because the Dramamine gives me a little headache when it starts to wear off.

I havent had much of a problem with vertigo since the steroids last summer. I seem to only get the vertigo back now if I've got really bad insomnia, or when I'm sick.

When the vertigo was bugging me last year, it was really weird. Different than what it was when I first started to get it in the late 90's. It felt like it would come up one side of my body, usually the left. It would come up my left side, I could feel it go from the left, and then it would swirl around my head and I'd usually fall backwards or slide sideways. I was lucky last year that most of the episodes happened when I was sitting down (usually on my bed) and it would feel like gravity was sucking me down to the point where I couldnt move because the vertigo was so horrible.

I actually had two episodes of vertigo hit me while at my regular doctor's office while he was trying to help me figure out what was going on. The first time I was there for something else, but was sitting on the exam bed when it hit. Right in front of the doctor. He said he was watching me, and all of a sudden I was slumping backwards. He was freaked. That's when he gave me the Rx for the Meclizine.

The next time it happened, he had left the room for a few minutes, I got off the exam bed because I dont like sitting on them, and I'd sat down on the chair in the room, and opened up the book I'd brought to read. (Harry Potter) I was reading a page, and the eye movements from reading triggered that vertigo. I was on the floor leaning against the wall when the doctor came back in. Told him what happened, and I think that's when he gave me the Rx for the prednisone then.

I should mention that Dramamine and Meclizine are anti-emetics...they're an anti-dizzy/nausea medication and both are sold over the counter, but can also be sold by Rx.

The only non-medicinal thing that ever helped me with nausea was peppermint. I'd put a piece of peppermint candy in my mouth and let it slowly dissolve and that helped quite a bit. My Grandmother told me about that when I was pregnant with my first child. It worked!! Plus, it tasted good, too!

Now, with what you are describing your nausea seems to be caused by your headache so I'm not sure that peppermint would help you. I've taken Phenergan for nausea before but it tended to make me drowsy, too.

Have you tried the OTC meds like Emitrol? It's a syrup but it really helps. I can't remember if it makes you sleepy because I took it years (and I mean YEARS) ago for a hangover!!

Maybe your doctor or pharmacist can suggest something. Hope you feel better soon.

Yes, I have tried Emetrol but it's SO sweet that it makes me sick, LOL. I had an RX for Phenergan and it helped some but I toke it all (got it from the ER after my LP when I got those awful stomach bugs).

Ask about Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. It's easily treated if that's what it is. It's treated with physical therapy.

BPPV is probably one of the more common causes of vertigo. I'd get checked out for that before looking for a neurological cause like inflammation of the 8th cranial nerve.

I've had nausea lately related to acid reflux (I think). I have to take Nexium each morning to control it. If I overeat, I get nausea. I feel as though I've had lapband surgery or something.

Ginger is supposed to help.

I asked this question because I was nauseated again.

Well I toke a Benadryl with a Mountain Dew about 45 minutes ago and I'm feeling OK now. Well I still have a headache but I have them 24/7 to some degree.

I wish I why I get nausea so easily lately.
Also maybe it's more of a dizziness than vertigo, I don't know. I feel like I'm spinning but the room don't seam like it's spinning. It's like if you spin around a lot real fast than you stop, than feeling right than. And it's hard to walk right (when this happens), not like I'm tipping over but I go to lift one foot and it doesn't lift up and I lean to the side and have to "find my balance" before I can get my foot to take a step.

This page describes vertigo and dizziness rather well.


Mx7,

if this vertigo/dizziness is causing you problems in doing normal every day activities, go to your doctor and have them check you out. Vertigo is not fun, and it's probably the thing about my MS that I hate the most at this point.

There are so many different things that can cause vertigo. I still dont know exactly what was causing mine. Just because mine responded to the steroids doesnt mean that it was caused by my MS. You should go get checked out, there are probably other anti-emetic drugs they could probably give you that might not cause you too much drowsiness. Plus, if there's a treatment for it, it'll probably go away faster for you than waiting for it to go on it's own.

Thanks, I guess it is vertigo than because I have tinnitus with it, thanks for the link. I did tell my neuro about it, he didn't care so I need to get in and see my new PCP.