Successful treatment of relapsed ménière's disease using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: A report of three cases

Abstract

Patients with Ménière's disease who have relapsed following endolymphatic sac surgery (EDS) or intratympanic gentamicin injection are occasionally treated with intratympanic gentamicin injections or revision surgery. However, there is a potential link between Ménière's disease and anxiety or depression. The use of serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is likely be beneficial in the treatment of patients with Ménière's disease. The aim of this report is to describe the benefits of SSRIs in patients with relapsed Meniere's disease. Over the course of two years, three patients were treated for symptoms associated with Ménière's disease with an SSRI (sertraline), with the complete resolution, or significant improvement, of symptoms. In these cases, the SSRI may have treated the associated morbidity and not Ménière's disease itself. Ménière's disease that appears to be resistant to typical otological treatment may not be just Ménière's disease. Ménière's disease may co-exist with three other conditions that are able to cause vestibular symptoms and respond to SSRIs: migraine-associated vertigo (MAV), panic disorders and chronic subjective dizziness (CSD).