OTO 104 for Meniere’s
Posted Under: General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome
OTO 104 for Meniere’s disease – a miracle drug or just another steroid?
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The Mirror Newspaper reported in November 2015 about the case of an individual named Colin Breeze from the UK who was suffering from Meniere’s Disease. Colin received an experimental series of steroid injections with new a drug called OTO-104. OTO 104 is a continual-exposure formulation of the steroid dexamethasone.
After 3 injections over several months, Colin went from vomiting for up to seven hours a day and not being able to lift his head to now being able to enjoy life again vertigo free.
Although the Mirror ‘tabloid’ typically used the sensational headlines “Vertigo sufferers offered OTO-104 ‘miracle drug’ hope as patients notice instant improvement”, the treating doctors at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital were more cautious, saying “We can’t really say it’s a miracle cure at the moment because we haven’t finished the stage three of the trial so we do not know if Colin’s recovery was just by chance or whether it was down to the drug but the results are very encouraging.”
The thick steroid substance is injected into the ear and slowly dissolves over a period of months, helping alleviate the disease’s symptoms. Oddly the report also stated that the drug had not been tested on people suffering from dizziness which of course all Meniere’s sufferers experience daily.
Colin said, “It’s the most debilitating thing I’ve ever experienced in my life, the feeling was horrendous.
“After each attack I was exhausted and had to have two to three days off work to recuperate.
“I thought this is it, I’m going to lose my job and life. I’d adjusted myself to accept that the rest of my life was going to be a misery.”
If you suffer from the symptoms of “Meniere’s Disease” then you will know exactly what Colin means.
Anything that stops the debilitating symptom of vertigo must be a good thing. Although this is perhaps an exciting prospect for Meniere’s sufferers, as we repeat ad nauseam on Menieres-Help.Com, to rid yourself of Meniere’s and get your life back permanently you need to get to your root cause and eliminate it from your life.
This can be done, has been done by countless sufferers and is being done all the time. We know because we have experienced both the horrors this condition has to offer and that feeling of being reborn after getting our life back through dietary adjustments supported by quality supplements then finding and dealing with our individual root causes and eliminating them from our life. Thousands of emails from sufferers are also testament to this truth.
Without taking anything away from Colin’s wonderful news, we feel at Menieres Help that drugs, steroids and surgery are not always the best choice when you can overcome Meniere’s naturally and not only get your life back but live very healthily as a result.
OTO 104 for Meniere’s and other steroids
Steroids and other destructive procedures such as Ototoxic Antibiotics like Gentamicin and Streptomycin have been used for years with mixed results. Often there is success at first, only for the symptoms to return at a later date and in the meantime destroying nerves within the inner ear and possibly having nasty side effects.
Ototoxic literally means toxic to the ear.
As of November 2015 Colin had gone 200 days symptoms free in terms of vertigo. It remains to be seen as to whether this drug will be a major success but it is another option for sufferers to consider.
The vast majority of people who take the natural routes talked about on Menieres-Help.Com and in Managing Meniere’s Disease not only live symptom free in terms of vertigo, dizziness and tinnitus but many actually regain their hearing. This is something that is usually thought impossible by ENT doctors and audiologist.
A very noteworthy point about the steroid dexamethasone is that it is used primarily to ‘treat’ inflammation in conditions such as allergies, skin conditions, ulcerative colitis, arthritis and breathing disorders.
The main focus of Menieres Help for over a decade has been supporting our immune system so it is healthy enough to deal with inflammation within the ear (in more recent years the focus has been on eliminating the root cause of that inflammation).
We have often experienced negativity from some quarters regarding the insistence that inflammation needs to be dealt with despite the thousands that now live symptom free as a result, yet in recent times this seems to also be the focus of other clinical drug trials for Meniere’s including SPI-1005.
According to Drugs.Com the common side effects of oral dexamethasone include:
- Aggression
- agitation
- anxiety
- blurred vision
- decrease in the amount of urine
- dizziness
- fast, slow, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
- headache
- irritability
- mental depression
- mood changes
- nervousness
- noisy, rattling breathing
- numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
- pounding in the ears
- shortness of breath
- swelling of the fingers, hands, feet, or lower legs
- trouble thinking, speaking, or walking
- troubled breathing at rest
- weight gain
Other possible side effects are:
- Abdominal cramping and/or burning (severe)
- abdominal pain
- backache
- bloody, black, or tarry stools
- cough or hoarseness
- darkening of skin
- decrease in height
- decreased vision
- diarrhea
- dry mouth
- eye pain
- eye tearing
- facial hair growth in females
- fainting
- fatigue
- fever or chills
- flushed, dry skin
- fractures
- fruit-like breath odor
- full or round face, neck, or trunk
- heartburn and/or indigestion (severe and continuous)
- increased hunger
- increased thirst
- increased urination
- loss of appetite
- loss of sexual desire or ability
- lower back or side pain
- menstrual irregularities
- muscle pain or tenderness
- muscle wasting or weakness
- nausea
- pain in back, ribs, arms, or legs
- painful or difficult urination
- skin rash
- sleeplessness
- sweating
- trouble healing
- trouble sleeping
- unexplained weight loss
- unusual tiredness or weakness
- vision changes
- vomiting
- vomiting of material that looks like coffee grounds
- Abnormal fat deposits on the face, neck, and trunk
- acne
- dry scalp
- lightening of normal skin color
- red face
- reddish purple lines on the arms, face, legs, trunk, or groin
- swelling of the stomach area
- thinning of the scalp hair
Although these side effects are from taking the steroid orally, clearly having such an unnatural substance in the body has risks. Given the choice of such steroids inside your body or strengthening your immune system naturally and removing the root cause of your symptoms, therefore allowing your body to function as it should, which one would you choose?
What ever helps Menieres sufferers at least find relief is a good thing but it is disconcerting and makes one cynical when money is always found for new pharmaceuticals to ‘treat’ health condition but never to actually find cures.
Whenever there is a new drug trial just google it and you will find it all over business and money sites. That really tells you all you need to know in terms of motive and ethics and therefore the long term effectiveness and safety of many drugs.
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