Anyone else dealing or have dealt with BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) ??

For those who do not know what this is, apparently in older people (yeah okay I'm barely 53) the leading cause of dizziness/vertigo is when fluid in the middle ear has microscopic crystals that settle in the part of the ear that effects balance. The Epley positioning makes the crystals move into the area that is not affected by them.

I am currently dealing with this.

I got it the first time about 2 yrs ago, and simply dealt with it until it passed, about a month later.

The next time I did some digging and figured out it was likely this.

Each time from then on I use the Epley positioning of my head and get rid of it fast.

Well this time, it's a doozy.....came on so suddenly during the night after turning over in bed, my eyes were jumping and damn near fell into the glass shower doors when I went to the bathroom.

The next day I did the positioning thing, and it not only didn't help but made me SOOOO dizzy it was unreal, I mean I couldn't tell which way was up. Nausea!! Oh I was laid flat out on my bed where I tried the positioning, and couldn't so much as lift my head for maybe 2 hours. Cold sweat, clammy, just gross feeling. It was horrible.

I felt like I needed to force myself to do the head positioning again, that I must have done something wrong, so I did, and was barely able to get myself into bed.

Needless to say, I was off to the ER yesterday.

Anyone who even remotely knows me knows I just do NOT go to the doctor, even when I really should go. But sure did!

The dr. was impressed that I knew and was doing the Epley positioning, she said that is exactly what I have too.

So now I'm taking meclizine and zofran.

I figured if I do the positioning while the meds are working, I can work through this, but the strange thing is, it's not an occasional thing, or if I look in a direction or put my head down, it's sort of all the time thin g. Even the meclizine isn't completely getting rid of it, and the positioning is NOT helping at all.

How wierd is that??

Hi catwoman707 - just wanted to say sorry you are going through this - a few months ago, my mom had the exact same thing - she went to ER with vertigo, nausea, they ran a whole SLEW of tests (needlessly), finally a neurologist showed up, did a simple test (with her lying on her side, testing for the whole eyeball jumping - which it was), he did the Epley procedure/maneuver right then and there, and she was then fine (with the ear "stones" moving back to where they should be, or out of harms way).  

She was not put on meds for it, but I distinctly remembering him writing down two things to prevent/help this:

1.) drink lots of water, water, water - this supposedly will help flush out any buildup of these crystals/stones, and prevent further formation of them..

2.) always sleep with your head ELEVATED, he recommended a recliner to sleep on, but if not that, then at least  3 pillows 

Hope you get some relief from this, I understand it is horrid.  Please be careful doing that Epley procedure if you are by yourself, so you do not get dizzy and have a bad fall..

Wow, water? Hmm, nobody told me that.

Well you can bet I will increase my water intake, I have always not drank enough water as far back as I can remember, so this must be the reason why I have it now. Crazy.

Thanks so much!! 

Oh, the other thing, impossible for me to sleep with my head up, as my neck gets funky and aches. (I know, falling apart here...."(

Thanks again for the help

Is that the same thing as Mariners disease?  (Something like that)  My mother has that and takes the meclazine when that comes on.  Sometimes she is literally on her bedroom floor in the dark for a couple days.  She has had issues with fluid in her ears, done tubes, etc for a long time. 

MoochNNoodles said:

 
Is that the same thing as Mariners disease?  (Something like that)  My mother has that and takes the meclazine when that comes on.  Sometimes she is literally on her bedroom floor in the dark for a couple days.  She has had issues with fluid in her ears, done tubes, etc for a long time. 

Click to expand...

Ah you must mean meniere's disease. Yes, very close to or the same as BPPV. Same cause, inner ear fluid issues.

It's nothing nice, I am miserable. Sorry your mom goes through this too.

 l had no idea this is such a "common" thing. My mum is having issues with it now also.

l just looked at the youtube vid for the Epley Manoeuvre, thanks for that, l'll pass it along to my mum.

Also, l work for Abbott, and we make Serc  (Agiserc, Betaserc, Meniserc, Urutal, Vasomotal, Vertin  and Vertiserc) for Menieres. Would that help in this case, or is Menieres completely different although similar?

Here is what I have found for the difference between the 2, although I believe the Epley procedure helps in both types.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo  (BPPV) is the most common cause of spinning dizziness which is related to the ear. This kind of spinning dizziness is called vertigo. In BPPV the organ of balance in the inner ear malfunctions. The ear normally uses small crystals called "otoconia" to determine the direction of gravity. In a disease state these crystals come loose and float around inside the inner ear. These crystal particles cause the sensation of vertigo (spinning) every time they are disturbed by head motion. 

BPPV has characteristic features such as: 

* Intense vertigo (room spinning) 
* Nausea, but rarely vomiting 
* Can be brought on by certain positions 
* Short duration (minutes) 
* Characteristic eye movements called nystagmus 

People with BPPV typically have symptoms when looking up, rolling over in bed, or bending under things. In some cases it is possible for people to identify the ear causing the symptoms. This condition affects roughly 10% of the population over 60. BPPV is likely underdiagnosed and often treated with medications instead of the more effective particle repositioning maneuver. 


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Meniere's disease  is a disorder of the inner ear that causes episodes of vertigo, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear, and fluctuating hearing loss. 


A typical attack of Meniere's disease is preceded by fullness in one ear. Hearing fluctuation or changes in tinnitus may also precede an attack. A Meniere's episode generally involves severe vertigo (spinning), imbalance, nausea and vomiting. The average attack lasts two to four hours. Following a severe attack, most people find that they are exhausted and must sleep for several hours. There is a large amount of variability in the duration of symptoms. Some people experience brief "shocks," and others have constant unsteadiness. The majority of people with Meniere's disease are over 40 years of age, with equal distribution between males and females. 

A particularly disabling symptom is a sudden fall that may occur without warning. These are called otolithic crisis of Tumarkin, from the original description of Tumarkin (1936). These are attributed to sudden mechanical deformation of the otolith organs (utricle and saccule), causing a sudden activation of vestibular reflexes. Patients suddenly feel that they are tilted or falling (although they may be straight), and bring about much of the rapid repositioning themselves. This is a very disabling symptom as it occurs without warning and can result in severe injury. Often destructive treatment (for example labyrinthectomy or vestibular nerve section) is the only way to manage this problem. See here for more information about drop attacks. 

Meniere's episodes may occur in clusters; that is, several attacks may occur within a short period of time. However, years may pass between episodes. Between the acute attacks, most people are free of symptoms or note mild imbalance and tinnitus. 

Meniere's disease usually starts confined to one ear but it often extends to involve both ears over time so that after 30 years, 50% of patients with Meniere's have bilateral disease (Stahle et al, 1991). There is some controversy about this statistic however; some authors suggest that the prevalence of bilaterality is as low as 17% (Silverstein, 1992). We suspect that this lower statistic is due to a lower duration of follow-up and that the 50% figure is more likely to be correct. Other possibilities, however, are selection bias and different patterns of the disease in different countries. Silverstein suggested that 75% of persons destined to become bilateral do so within five years. 

In most cases, a progressive hearing loss occurs in the affected ear(s). A low-frequency sensorineural pattern is commonly found initially, but as time goes on, it usually changes into either a flat loss or a peaked pattern (click here for more information about hearing testing). Although an acute attack can be incapacitating, the disease itself is not fatal. 

Migraines occur more frequently in patients with Meniere's disease (Ibekwe, 2008). Meniere's patients who have associated migraines are reported to have an earlier age of disease onset and a higher rate of family history, suggesting a genetic component (Cha, 2007).

I don't mean to scare anyone but I was clearly diagnosed w bppv about 5 months ago. Have been seeing of the best therapists in ny, they were at a loss why epley, semont. Brandt Daroff showed no progress. I also had a episodes of ocular migraines, bind spots that disappear after a few minute, no a neuro ophthalmologist finally ordered an mri. Turns out I had a 3x2cm tumor in the 4th ventricle, area responsible for nausea, dizziness. I just had it removed two days ago, but those the most frightening in my life. I'm 39 yo, no medical history whatsoever. My advice, if nothing makes your bppv again, get a scan!!