Does anyone have this? If so, what have you done to get rid of it? This season has been tough for sinus drainage and for the past three months have been dealing with a fuzzy head and dizziness. It’s really impacting my life.
you should probably check with your doctor if you are on prescribed medication.
If you are self treating and getting no where you probably should check with MD
secondary middle ear congestion, secondary infection, adverse medication effects, incompatable medication effects
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Echinacea with Goldenseal. Works like magic. 1 capsule is all it takes. Dizziness is gone within 5 minutes and remains gone for the rest of the day. The Goldenseal opens the sinus cavity completely so that breathing is free again. I’m then free to ride and work and play for the rest of the day with a clear head.
On rare days when the pollen is super heavy (so heavy the surface of the water troughs is yellow from the floating pollen) I will take two capsules in the morning, just for double protection from vertigo - like the other day when I had three dizzy spells while saddling up to ride with friends that were hacking over to my place to meet me. I ran to the house, tossed 2 EwG capsules down the hatch, and by the time I finished saddling, was mounted up and we were out on trail, my head was clear and the dizziness was history.
You can buy the Echinacea with Goldenseal in the herbal area at most pharmacies, grocery stores, and at Walmart.
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I am not on any medications and have seen 3 ENT doctors with no relief. It all started this winter with a ear infection that was treated with antibiotics. A month later with Spring and allergies the dizziness and major brain fog has become a very real issue. There are days I don’t drive my car and riding my horse would be a bad idea. Will look into echinacea and goldenseal.
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The doctors don’t have you on ANY allergy medications? This time of year my dr has me on three- all OTC- nasal +oral meds to make me be able to function on my farm. It makes a HUGE difference in the reduction of my sinus infections and dizziness.
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I take the 12-hour behind the counter Allegra-D and it helps a lot. You should definitely be taking something as It’s not safe to ride or drive when you feel dizzy. I find the dizziness exhausts me too. It’s a tough battle to feel crummy when it’s beautiful out. For dizziness alone, meclazine-which is non drowsy Dramamine- helps a lot too.
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Oh, I forgot, I do use a nasal spray which helps with sinus drainage. The first ENT treated me for the ear infection and accompanying vertigo. I went to a second ENT in the practice because I felt the vertigo was resolved but the brain fog and dizziness was not, he gave me the nasal spray and told me to basically suck it up. The third ENT was also not much help. NO one mentioned allergies! I am just making the assumption and thought I would put it out there on COTH to see if anyone else had the problem. Definitely going to the drug store for the meclazine, I want my life back.
TWH Girl, you’re right, dizziness is exhausting, I feel like I’m dragging my body around everyday even though getting a good nights sleep.
I got dizzy spells and now recognize it as a blood pressure spike. I’m normally very low 110-114.
Last time prednisone (finishing off a 5 day course for poison ivy) triggered it to go 155.
I eventually bought a wrist blood pressure monitor (available at pharmacies) so I can verify if it’s the cause of dizziness.
Next episode go your pharmacy and have your BP taken.
Dizziness is not something to dismiss until you find the cause, IMO.
Seconding the advice of an allergy drug with decongestant. The kind you need to show your ID for. I find the 12 hour ones work best for me because the 24 hour ones make me too tweaky. Allegra, Claritin & Zyrtec are similar drugs but not identical so you may need to find the one that works best. All have a D option with 12 or 24 hour time release.
It’s not at all uncommon for your ears to be adversely affected by allergies. What makes your nose and sinuses swell Etc will make your ears do the same and those tubes are a lot smaller. Especially if you had an infection they may be extra sensitive. The fog may be allergy related too. Your own antihistamine reaction can make you sleepy as if you took Benadryl.
Low blood pressure from not eating and being dehydrated will also make you feel dizzy and dopey.
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If someone has allergies, please be very careful taking any such herbal pills.
You may just have a bad allergic reaction to some in those.
If you take a chance with any such, be proactive and have real medication handy, in case you react to the herbs.
Allergies can be minimal, or a bad reaction may kill you.
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YES! I suffer from “non-specific allergies” terribly. In my case, my left ear fills with fluid, and my balance is terribly affected. I was falling down A LOT, and would get dizzy rising from a sitting position or moving too quickly. Went to a nurse practitioner who prescribed over the counter Zyrtec-D (which is not over the counter in Mississippi). I couldn’t take it; the D (to dry me up) did not do good things to me. So for the last two years, I’ve taken a daily plain Zyrtec, and , although I still have fluid in my left ear, I don’t have the dizziness and falling any more. Given my age, that’s a very good thing.
I have found that generic Zyrtec which is 1/3 the cost of the brand name isn’t as effective, but it still works.
I should think that if you can tolerate and get any over the counter allergy drug that works for you that has D without the D side effects, you’ll do quite well. If the D affects you as badly as it affected me, a plain version will also help enormously. But you will need to take it daily.
The “D” in meds like Allegra D stands for decongestant which is pseudoephedrine. This drug can cause an increase in blood pressure and should not be taken by people with high blood pressure. It is also used to make meth, which is why, in my state, you have to get it at the pharmacy and present an ID. That said, it also works 100 times better than the OTC little red decongestant that replaced it a few years back.
I would ask your MD if this is appropriate for you to try. An allergy nasal spray can sometimes help but the Allegra D is what has most helped by ear fullness and dizziness. I am glad I am not the only one with this issue! Honestly, there have been gorgeous days I didn’t ride because I felt exhausted and God-awful. Being able to find something that works so your life is not affected so much is worth the search.
Again, meclizine for the dizziness is cheap and easy to try as well.
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I am in the Northeast…had a couple of days dealing with vertigo because of allergies. The pollen levels were very high here. I am feeling better now, on my Allegra D!
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Calhoun, I may be projecting, but esp if you ever have dizziness beyond allergy season, maybe ask a doctor to work up a differential diagnosis for either POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) or MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Disorder.) And maybe MCAS in any case. Your mentioning lightheadedness and brain fog specifically, along w/the allergies, got my spidey sense tingling. I may be way off base, but your primary care doctor would be able to ask a few follow-ups to see if these tracked at all. If they do, s/he might refer you to a specialist. Hopefully your doctor will be able to rule them out, but they share so many symptoms w/other issues that they often slip through the cracks diagnostically. Best of luck!
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I get vertigo when my sinus are blocked or even stuffy, I use Pseudoephedrine and also take a half tablet or whole of Dramamine. If I’m even feeling a bit wonky I’ll take a half tablet of Dramamine to help fend off any dizziness. Dramamine is the same thing they’ll give you in the emergency room for vertigo.
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Update:
It has taken me 3 months to get an appointment with a vestibular specialist in the department of neurology regarding dizziness & vertigo. The doc I saw diagnosed me Shingles or herpes simplex virus 2 in my left ear. Basically I stay on an anti-viral medicine the rest of my life. I had shingles in my early 30’s and he thinks the ear issue has been with me since then. I can remember having low level pain issues in this ear since my late 30’s.
After a series of balance tests it was discovered I carried my head to the right, along with a collapsed right side. I also moved with my left shoulder slightly up. My guess, this solves the problem of why my poor long-suffering mare has straightness issues. Hopefully, starting P/T next week for these issues. At the end of this month, have an appointment with the Cleveland Clinic with a similar doctor for a second opinion.
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Good luck!
Sounds like you may have a touch of labrynthitis or maybe Meuniere’s - academic really because there’s not much you can do if that’s the case.
I would work on addressing the sinus / darn ingestion first by using a steroid nasal spray like Nasaxort every day religiously for three weeks, along with doing a saline sinus rinse every day. I have pretty bad allergies and some structural sinus issues on top of them - have had two nasal and sinus surgeries already, and the saline + nasacort is the only thing that really helps
