|  | Conditions Treatments | Ears Hearing

Drugs to Help Meniere's Disease

Some 615,000 people in the United States have an inner ear affliction known as Meniere's disease, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Not especially well understood by modern medicine, it is probably the result of an imbalance of fluid levels in the inner ear. Symptoms include ringing in the ear and serious bouts of vertigo, with this dizzy feeling having the ability to debilitate a person for a period. Certain drugs can battle the effects of Meniere's disease and lessen the problems precipitated by this incurable malady.

  1. Vertigo Drugs

    • Try using certain motion sickness drugs and anti-nausea medications to alleviate the vertigo brought about by Meniere's disease. Speak to your doctor about getting motion sickness drugs such as Antivert or Valium. These may reduce the terrible spinning sensations that vertigo can cause, which is sometimes so severe that you can fall down the second they occur. These drugs can also help with the symptoms of nausea and vomiting. See if other anti-nausea drugs like prochlorperazine work against nausea and throwing up when Meniere's disease manifests itself.

    Diuretics

    • A doctor may prescribe diuretics to reduce the fluid retention in your body, but be prepared for the side effect of frequent urination. Bringing down the volume of fluid in your body can sometimes help to control the amount of fluid in your ear. Remember that this does not cure the condition but that it can help to control its severity and limit how often it occurs. If taking drugs like Maxzide and Dyazide makes you have to urinate often it is not only a major inconvenience but has the potential to deplete your body of needed potassium. Eat such foods as bananas, oranges or spinach to can gain back the lost potassium.

    Injections

    • Injections of certain drugs into your inner ear may control severe vertigo. Ask your physician about drugs like Gentamicin, which is an antibiotic. Gentamicin, when injected into and then absorbed by the inner ear, has the effect of reducing that ear's balancing responsibilities, handing them over to the ear unaffected by Meniere's disease and improving vertigo symptoms. However there is a chance of hearing loss in the ear increasing. The steroid dexamethasone, which your doctor may also suggest injecting into your ear to reduce the vertigo symptoms, is not normally as potent as Gentamicin but much less likely to further affect your hearing.

Ears Hearing - Related Articles