Multiple Sclerosis – Dizziness – One of the Classic Symptoms of MS
While dizziness is often considered to be one of the first symptoms of MS there is a lot of confusion when it comes to differentiating between the term dizziness and vertigo. The big problem here is that people tend to describe the feelings they have in a very subjective way and the feelings that one person is describing under these generic thoughts may not be the same as another person and in fact may not relate to dizziness in multiple sclerosis.
Indications
While dizziness in MS is definitely not the only symptom it is considered to be one of the most common symptoms and the most frequently recurring. As multiple sclerosis is the demyelinating of the tissue that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord the symptoms that accompany it tend alternate between exacerbations and remissions, the severity of the exacerbations also tends to vary with each episode.
While only some 5% of all patients show signs of dizziness in the early stage of diagnosis, more than 50% of all MS patients will complain of the feelings of dizziness and vertigo at some point during the disease. At the same time approximately 10% of patients experience hearing loss further exacerbating problems such as vertigo and overall feelings of dizziness.
In the patient with multiple sclerosis, dizziness is described as a feeling of lightheadedness or of feeling faint, whereas vertigo is more of a feeling that the ground is spinning or rushing up to meet you. Dizziness in multiple sclerosis is fairly common where vertigo is relatively rare in patients with MS, according to one particular study less than 20% of all MS patients suffer from vertigo.
Treatments
There are several different ways to approach treating dizziness in multiple sclerosis patients, some of which involves the use of different medications. The most common medication prescribed is Dramamine (Meclizine) the same medication given to those who suffer from motion sickness. Others like Scopoderm (a scopolamine or hyoscine) are generally administered in the form of a patch that is placed behind the ear. For those suffering with extreme levels of multiple sclerosis dizziness a course of corticosteroids may be recommended.
The most popular non drug treatment for multiple sclerosis dizziness is VRT or Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy in which the therapist works with the patient to retrain the way their brain interprets and processes the information that it receives from the vestibular system along with the sight proprioception so that the brain no is no longer affected. This particular treatment is often successful enough to enable the patient to no longer need any medical intervention to overcome their dizziness once and for all.
Why Am I Dizzy?
If you find yourself reading this and asking yourself the same question, why am I dizzy, you are certainly by no means alone. Dizziness is one of the top three reasons why patients visit their primary care provider, with headaches and back pain as the other two.
In the old days, you would receive a prescription for meclizine, generic Antivert, which does nothing to correct the ailment, and little to reduce symptoms. The drug actually makes you more dizzy and increases your likelihood of an unexpected fall, not only from dizziness, but also from decreased reaction time from the drug's CNS depressant effect.
We now have much better ways of remedying vertigo and dizziness problems, and they do not involve drug therapies. You cannot treat these types of disorders, (successfully, anyway) with drug therapies, as drugs only minimally affect the symptoms you are feeling, and do nothing to affect the real underlying problem. A correct diagnosis must be made prior to undertaking any treatment regimen, which then must be specific to the correct diagnosis.
With respect to the dizziness family of disorders, treatment must include neurologic and/or vestibular rehabilitation to have any chance of being successful. I should know. I run a successful balance center and I see a myriad of patients who have been unsuccessfully treated. Many are referred to me from their primary care provider, others, through former patients. Unfortunately, most of the latter group is largely made up of individuals who have been very frustrated trying wrong therapy after wrong therapy, all the while worsening.
My office has seen several patients who have suffered, some for decades. Needles to say, this can be most frustrating when you get better in a couple of treatments, as it is natural to angrily wonder, "why has no one sent me here before?" Well, I wish that I could answer that, but I can't. But I can suggest that if you find yourself reading this, you probably are concerned regarding a history of dizziness, or have a friend or a loved one who suffers from vertigo, dizziness or imbalance. If so, then this is your chance. I would urge you to reference my website for more information on the disorders, which is actually my area of subspecialty. Because of the overlap of brain-based disorders, my office successfully treats conditions including dystonia, ADD ADHD, traumatic brain injuries, etc. We have several pages of detailed information regarding all of these conditions and our remedies for them on my website. If you do not have access to the web, feel free to contact my office at 732 229-5250. We can help you to decide if this is right for you.
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