Follow Up Study – Results of Treating Meniere’s Disease with Increased Water Consumption

Results of Treating Meniere’s Disease with Increased Water Consumption

Introduction

This article is a follow-up to a patient spotlight previously submitted to VeDA in 2020 titled, My Meniere’s Journey. Summarizing that paper, my journey with Meniere’s Disease began with sudden hearing loss associated with cochlear hydrops, and over many years progressed into full-blown Meniere’s with several sequential episodes of its debilitating effects of severe vertigo, nausea, hearing loss, tinnitus, and “swimmer’s” ear. In it, I described the medical treatment options offered, the ones received, their disappointing results, and the decision to try a novel, low-risk approach based on the risk factors for Meniere’s Disease (caffeine, alcohol, salt, stress, and smoking), all of which could lead to some level of dehydration. So, I began drinking two to three liters of water per day. After several weeks, my hearing returned to normal, my vertigo disappeared, and the tinnitus was minimal. This approach has kept me essentially symptom-free for over nine years now.

After the publication of My Meniere’s Journey, several people contacted me regarding my experience and indicated they may try this approach. While the complexity of various vestibular diseases, including Meniere’s, suggests that this may not work for everyone, I was hoping that it would bring improvement to a statistically significant number. Following up with them a few years later, I contacted 15 of those who had indicated they would try drinking more water to mitigate the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease. I’ve summarized below the results of this survey. These results are consistent with other research by medical professionals discussed later in this article.

Survey Results

Of the 15 people who were surveyed, two did not respond, three reported that they did not try it at all or only tried it for a week or so, not enough time to achieve any particular result; two reported they had now been diagnosed as having vestibular migraines, not Meniere’s; one reported they did not have full-blown Meniere’s, but rather cochlear hydrops, and that water had little effect, and one reported they had been diagnosed with semicircular dehiscence syndrome (SDS), not Meniere’s.

Of the six remaining who confirmed they had Meniere’s, and who tried drinking a nominal two liters of water per day, all had good results, five with remarkable results. Excerpts from each of the six successful replies are below:

• “Soon after I began consuming 2-3 liters of water per day, my vertigo and tinnitus essentially disappeared…I have had no vertigo in 7 years.”
• “After drinking water for about six months, my hearing was restored to nearly what it had been, the tinnitus went away, and I do not suffer from dizzy spells.”
• “… water consumption, I believe, has been the game changer for me, and has exponentially improved my quality of life.”
• “…2 liters (of water) a day – I think it has kept my vertigo at bay… (I have) other symptoms that are ongoing and pretty tough. I notice if I drop off my diligence of drinking water, that I feel worse.”
• “(after reading your article) I started drinking more water daily. To my relief, it’s been 4 years now, and I have NOT had a second Meniere’s attack. I have no vertigo or dizzy spells.”
• “Please let me begin with another huge ‘thank you’ for your advice about water intake to help treat Meniere’s. Yes, I have had substantial success. I would say it took me a few weeks (3-5) to notice gradual improvements… I haven’t needed medication of any sort since becoming symptom-free and continue to keep myself well hydrated.”

Survey Summary

Of the six who were actually diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease and who consistently and sustainably increased their water consumption to nominally two liters or more per day, all achieved a substantial reduction in their symptoms, i.e., vertigo, hearing loss, and tinnitus. Three studies which have seen similar results are summarized below

Naganuma, et. al.⁽¹⁾

In a 2006 study, Naganuma and colleagues investigated whether increasing daily water intake could help manage Meniere’s disease (MD) in patients for whom conventional treatments had failed. They conducted a time-series study with a historical control. Eighteen patients with MD (Group 1) were instructed to drink 35 mL/kg of water per day for two years. Their outcomes were compared to a historical control group of 29 MD patients (Group 2) who had received standard dietary and diuretic therapy between 1992 and 1999 at the same hospital.

Results: Group 1 showed marked improvement in vertigo symptoms and significant hearing improvement in the low-frequency pure-tone average (PTA) (0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 kHz) over the last 6 months of the study. In contrast, Group 2 experienced worsening of both four-frequency PTA (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz) and low-frequency PTA, although vertigo symptoms also improved. Regarding hearing changes: in Group 1, 4 patients improved, 12 remained stable, and 2 worsened; in Group 2, only 2 improved, 11 remained stable, and 16 worsened.

Conclusion: The authors suggested that increasing water intake may be a simple, low-cost, and effective strategy for managing MD. They emphasized the need for larger, prospective studies to validate these promising findings.

Altin and Aksoy⁽²⁾

n their 2022 study, Altın and Aksoy explored whether inadequate water consumption is associated with an increased risk of vestibular disorders. The researchers analyzed data from 93 patients aged 20 to 76 years (mean age: 47 ± 14 years; 70% female) who were diagnosed with vestibular conditions. Participants were categorized into diagnostic subgroups: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease, vestibular neuritis, vestibular migraine, and persistent postural perceptual dizziness (PPPD).

Water intake was assessed across three categories: total water intake, plain water, and caffeinated beverages. The authors found a statistically significant difference in total and plain water intake between patients with vestibular neuritis and those with BPPV (P < .001), and between vestibular neuritis and Meniere’s disease (P = .021). No significant differences were observed in caffeinated beverage intake between diagnostic groups (P = .151), nor in water consumption by gender (P > .05).

Key conclusion: The study suggests that inadequate water intake may be a risk factor for certain peripheral vestibular disorders, particularly vestibular neuritis. Based on these findings, the authors recommend public health messaging to raise awareness about adequate hydration as a potential preventive measure for vestibular dysfunction.

Kitahara, et. al.⁽³⁾

This pilot study investigated whether reducing levels of vasopressin—a hormone linked to stress and fluid regulation—could help improve symptoms in people with Meniere’s disease (MD), a chronic inner ear disorder that causes vertigo, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

Design:

The researchers enrolled 297 patients with definite Meniere’s disease and randomly assigned them to one of four intervention groups:

1. Guidance on lifestyle changes to reduce stress and improve hydration.

2. Diuretic medication (to promote fluid balance).

3. Low-dose anti-anxiety medication (to reduce psychological stress).

4. No specific intervention (control group).

The main goal was to see whether these interventions would lower plasma vasopressin levels and reduce vertigo attacks over two years.

Key Results:

• All three intervention groups (lifestyle guidance, diuretics, and anti-anxiety meds) showed reduced vasopressin levels and fewer vertigo episodes compared to the control group.

• The lifestyle guidance group had the greatest reduction in vertigo attacks, suggesting that simple changes like stress reduction and adequate hydration may be especially effective.

• Hearing outcomes were not significantly different between groups.

Conclusion:

This pilot trial suggests that managing vasopressin levels through stress reduction, hydration, or mild medication may help reduce vertigo in people with Meniere’s disease. The study supports the idea that Meniere’s symptoms are influenced by hormonal and stress-related factors. However, larger and more rigorous studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Conclusion

My understanding from speaking to several ENT specialists is that there is no known specific cause of Meniere’s Disease, but rather risk factors, and that the treatments are varied and often either have limited or no success in their results, or are destructive, e.g. destroying the cochlear.

Given the complexity of various vestibular disorders and the fact that other diseases and conditions can induce similar symptoms as Meniere’s, increased water consumption may not work for all Meniere’s patients in reducing their symptoms. However, given the current limited success, or even failure, of the various treatments prescribed by doctors, from the above discussion and medical papers, the disciplined increased water consumption seems to be a low-risk approach that offers a substantial probability of success.

By: Ron Moore is an author of two books and over 80 journal articles. Ron holds a BSME, MSME, MBA, PE, and CMRP.

References:

1. Water May Cure Patients with Meniere’s Disease, Hideaki Naganuma 1, Katsumasa Kawahara, Koji Tokumasu, Makito Okamoto, August, 2006, PubMed, PMID 16885753.
2. Is Inadequate Water Intake a Risk Factor for Vestibular Disorders? Büşra Altın and Songül Aksoy, J Int Adv Oto, May 2022, PMID 35608497
3. A Two-Year Randomized Trial of Interventions to Decrease Stress Hormone Vasopressin Production in Patients with Meniere’s Disease—A Pilot Study, Tadashi Kitahara,1,2,* Hidehiko Okamoto,3 Munehisa Fukushima,2 Masaharu Sakagami,1 Taeko Ito,1 Akinori Yamashita,1 Ichiro Ota,1 and Toshiaki Yamanaka, Russell R. Lonser, Editor, June 2016, PLoS One, PMID 27362705