This may not be the best place for this question but from years of lurking I have noticed that the T-Nation forums are actually one of the best places that I have found for questions that relate to weight training anatomy and physiology and the actual science behind why things work a certain way. Keep in mind that I am sure most of you are not doctors and I understand that this is not the best place to obtain medical advice.
I was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease a few years ago. From all my study into the matter there does not seem to be any known cause or cure for Meniere’s and unfortunately the disease can be extremely debilitating and incredibly unpleasant at times.
Basically for me the Meniere’s disease exhibits sporadic bouts of extreme rotational vertigo which always manifests itself in a counterclockwise direction. Basically imagine that out of the blue you completely lose your bodies ability to maintain its sense of balance the experience is temporary yet completely debilitating. These attacks typically last anywhere from 1 minutes to 2 hours and most times there is absolutely no way for me to predict when these attacks will occur. I also experience consistent tinnitus and have some hearing loss as well.
Although to me these are minor irritations when compared to the debilitating rotational vertigo. I have recently gone about a year without an attack however recently I have begun experience attacks again. I have noticed that when I am taking creatine I seem to be more prone to attacks. I still am of the opinion that the two may simply be coincidental and other factors that coincide with my creatine intake maybe to blame such as dehydration, fatigue and CNS stress.
There is one piece of information that seems to possibly correlate to my experiences though. There have been a few studies which seem to indicate creatinine clearance is lower in Meniere’s patients. Which suggests that there may be some sort of tenuous link. Does anyone out there have Meniere’s? Have you used Creatine? Or does anyone have a pretty sound understanding of creatine that can apply this to my situation.
Thanks for reading everyone I appreciate any help anyone may be able to provide as I try to wrap my head around this disease and understand what my triggers may be so that I can attempt to limit these attacks.
I have suffered from Meniere’s going on 15 years. My thoughts:
–I have used creatine on and off over the years. For me, creatine reduces anxiety and with decreased anxiety my Menieres calms down re: ear pressue decrease, greater sense of balance control, better hearing, etc I never used creatine until years after I came down with the disease;
–What has worked for me is reduction in all refined carbs & sugars, and elimnation of junk food and junk drink. I have not had any type of soda in 12 years.
– Google for the John of Ohio supplement plan for menieres. That plan is gold
– Lastly, I noticed that certain exercises which worked my neck (even indirectly) aggravated my menieres. The exercise with the closest connection to aggravating my menieres was dips. I know that dips are not intended to work the neck, but for some reason–maybe I jutted my chin out or otherwise cranked my neck when I dipped-- dips were a major trigger. So I stopped doing dips, or any other exercise that even remotely worked the neck. As a result, I became 85 percent better.
Thanks for the info btbnashua I will definitely look into the John of Ohio supplement plan. I have been in the process of reducing my carb intake and have been pretty much drinking only water and tea for quite sometime. I do not believe Creatine has anything to do with why I have Meniere’s but I am wondering if its effect on cellular water levels may influence me negatively. Thanks again
hello there … i need help concsrning this creatine issue too … have u tried it yet? i have meniere’s too, and i need to know if the cellular water retention cuased by creatine will affect me… i appreciate ur time and hope u’re feeling good. thx
hello there… i need help with this issue too … i hope u found an answer to your question POYSE… i have meniere’s too … and my question is the same as yours… did u find any answer? does creatine supplement affect meniere’s ? … coz creatine causes INTRACELLULAR water retention … will this lead to a negative effect on people having meniere’s ??.. thx man for ur time. …I appreciate it a lot
I have Meniere’s as well. I am thinking of using creatine. I see a balance Dr and he has me on some meds that have helped. I am really interested in the exercises, I have the same issue. For me, overhead press and back squate (bar pressure) really mess with it. Any other info on this subject would be appreciated.
I’ve been dealing with Meniere’s for almost 15 years now. I definitely notice issues when I’ve been taking creatine. I think it’s because the creatine draws water into the muscles and away from other parts of your body like your inner ear. I’ve stopped taking creatine, but if I tried it again I might try drinking significantly more water.
My fiancée has suffered with this issue for quite a while. I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to such subjects I guess and if I understand correctly there are two chambers found in the structure of the ear, both fluid filled but having different concentrations of magnesium and potassium. Now, I know there are some much sharper cats on here than me for certain but could creatine perhaps influence one or both of these levels? I would think it possible myself but I am just an avid reader and ask a lot of questions. I do know that sodium definitely effects my fiancée’s issues, which would lead me to definitely read deeper into the creatine usage.
Additionally, the exercises mentioned above have similar mechanics in how pressure may be distributed near the base of the skull or cervical spine area, perhaps this could be the trigger for intensity? My thoughts would be derived from the methods that doctors/chiropractors employ for vertigo sufferers.
Sorry, not really any answers I may offer. I suffer from tinnitus myself and have as far back as I remember and it certainly stinks enough.