Does anyone take betahistine (aka serc)?

[LouPee]

I am took for above for 1 week now to try to cure labyrinthitis, does anyone else take it and does it work, does it cure it or does it just supress the symptoms. I have has labs now for 8 weeks and it just does n't want to go away.
I take 3x 8mg tabs 3 ties a day

[Ethel]

I take it for Meniere's which is a permanent condition for me.

A good website for you:
http://www.labyrinthitis.org.uk/diagnosis.htm

[sqad617]

Labyrinthitis and menieres disease. I have never been convinced the Betahistine(Serc) is effective in any way. But for labyrithitis, there is littl else to offer..labyrinthine sedatives may be, but for Menieres Disease one has surgery to offer for selected cases. No, I do NOT rate Serc.

[Ethel]

Without betahistine my life would be very difficult indeed - I've taken it for 6 years and it really improves my symptoms.

I had to have a break a couple of years ago, and the symptoms returned with a vengeance.

[sqad617]

I respect the opinions of Loupee( not satisfied with Serc) and Ethel who can't live without it. Diagnosis is important here and dizziness(vertigo) is only a symptom which needs expert investigation to make a diagnosis. Not everyone with vertigo has Menieres Disease, but Ethel has first hand experience and reading her many contributions I respect her opinion and have no doubt that the diagnosis of Menieres disease has been well established.

[LouPee]

Ethel do you have dizziness all the time? Mine is 24/7 at the moment. What dosage of serc do you take?

[LouPee]

Will i need an operation if it doesn't get any better?

[sqad617]

LouPee that is not a straightforward question as you might imagine. Firstly the diagnosis of Menieres Disease must be established by a Consultant ENT surgeon with sophisticated tests of middle ear function and MRI scans. Now, if there is no doubt of the diagnosis and you are not responding to medical treatment and your symptoms are maling you life a misery, then surgery "might" be indicated.
Menieres Disease is a build up of fluid in the inner ear(endolymphatic fluid) and the object of the operation is to decompress the sac which contains the fluid (endolymphatic sac) Ask around and pick your surgeon carefully.

[Ethel]

Lou - as long as I take the tablets three times a day, the symptoms are hardly bothersome most of the time.

I get a bad attack perhaps three or four times a year, each lasting more than a week. Without the tablets, it would be constant.

An operation is not an option for me, for various medical reasons.

[LouPee]

But i haven/t got menieres, i've got labyrinthitis , i am dizzy all the time. I thought with menieres you have rotational vertigo.

My dizzies are 24/7. Thats what im trying to get rid of.

[sqad617]

LouPee..that is my point.......Your diagnosis MUST be established by a consultant. Both Menieres Disease and labyrinthitis exhibit rotational vertigo, but from what you are now saying is that your "dizzies" do not have a rotational element.

[dmj]

Hi I've had stemetil for Labrynthitis, this helps with the sickness and dizziness, labrynthitis for me is like being drunk, feel dizzy and cant walk in a straight line, I personally felt very sick aswell and everything sounded loud if that makes sense? Unfortunately this is a recurring thing and there really isnt a fix for it only medication to help ease symptoms, my doctor advised that an episode can take up to 3 months to clear.

What happened when you first felt unwell? For me, I was sat watching tv perfectly ok and then all of a sudden the tv wa moving from side to side really fast and I couldnt actually see properly, everything was blurry, if your doctor has diagnosed labrynthitis maybe ask him about stemetil, they helped me and I havent had an episode for 8 years, good luck x

[Dollie]

I feel so sorry for your Lou - I had labrynthitis ten years ago which put me in hospital for over a week. It was dreadful. Took sercs but didn't feel it made much difrerence. In total, it took me about 12 weeks to recover fully although the dizziness was only around for about five weeks. Still took me about three months to feel fully healed and 'OK' in the head in if you know what I mean. That said, to date it has never returned and I hope it never does. My mate does however suffer from regular bouts of Menieres and she swears by stemitil. Good Luck x

[LouPee]

When it first happened i was stood at work and i had a little spin to the left, then felt ok
Then at weekend felt sick all day, then i was queing in traffic i had stopped and all of a sudden the world starting spinning, i kept moving my head to different sides and it would not some back. Evenetually it stopped enough for me to carry on and get to work. But then i had a sense that i was floating, which got worse and worse and turned into a dizzy feeling whenever i move basically and it has been like it ever since.

[BagPussAA]

My mum has been taking Serc for labyrinthitis for many years now and she thinks it s very good. She has had it for about 25 years now and does cause problems now and again when she falls and hurts herself. All Serc will do is suppress the symptoms, if my mum stops taking it the symptoms return. There are other treatments out there tho so if that one is not working for you, go back to your GP and get him to give you something else instead. Mum used to take Avomine which was really good for her and also Sturgeon which wasnt so good.

[undiagnosed]

Had this for nearly 3 months now ,Betahistine works i think the 16mg work better . stemitil works too though can make you feel weird , i tried making my own ginger and lemon tea which really helps just cut a few lemons up and some root ginger place in a saucepan and boil while squashing the pulp up no need to remove the skin adds to flavour , really helps with the symptoms you will be surprised .Vitamins are another way to get the edge on your symptoms start taking multi vitamins and lots of high strength vitamin C Daily . What really annoys me about this condition is the doctors attitude towards it and their lack of knowledge on the subject , a bad doctor will just throw prescriptions at the problem and lead you to believe there is nothing to be done , a good gp will refer you for a ct scan to rule out tumours from the start most of which will be benign and refer you to a neurotologist and neuroligist . My surgery like most is not a good one the lack of understanding and blase "every patient is a hyperchondriac" is quite alarming ,im loking at a further 6 weeks to see a ENT specialist in that time it would surely be safer to rule out tumours than wait ? As for driving and the dvla all i would say is dont stick a stick in a wasps nest in other words unless advised keep your mouth shut becuase it will be goodbye license for a very long time and possibly permanent . This condition is hell on earth

[justsam]

i have just been put on betahistine as i have had severe dizziness for 8 weeks now, feeling really drunk and like im on a boat. i only started taking them yesterday but am feeling so sick taking them. i was on stemetil previous to that but was told that i cannot take them with some other medication i am on.
this is totally taking over my life. i cannot do anything. my anxiety and depression has come back because of the labrinthitus.
the doctors just dont seem to care

[Gillruss]

I am taking betahistine, for possible menieres. I am being tested for this at the moment. When it first came on, lots of doctors had lots of ideas, luckily I saw a young Indian doctor who said he thought my symptoms could be vertigo/menieres (my brother had menieres) and it was arranged for me to see ENT consultant. This wonderful doctor prescribed betahistine, and yes, I am still getting some episodes of unsteady walking, nausea, fullness of one ear, but nothing as bad as it was. My fear now is coming off the drug, will the terrible nausea, uncoordinated walking, and dreadful fear that I was dying come back.