Hey! Me too! The only thing that gives me relief when it flares up is prednisone - brings the 'carnival ride' phase down to a few days instead of 4-6 weeks. I've had some wild trips and scary drives, living with labyrinthitis.
May I ask how you developed the condition ? I had an untreated infection that began (in of all places) in my toes (ingrown nails that got into the bloodstream). The podiatrist refused to treat me despite my clearly presenting symptoms of an infection (fever, nausea, et al). Eventually, it so weakened my immune system that within a year, I kept having flu symptoms until one day all I heard was ringing and perpetual dizziness (just two symptoms out of many). From that point on, I’ve had both tinnitus and labyrinthitis.
When I was finally stable enough to have some of my symptoms properly diagnosed, it was 7 years(!) in and what might have been temporary had it been treated at the start turned out to be considered permanent. I was initially given two meds, one whose name I’ve forgotten, and Meclizine tabs, although neither were particularly effective and I ceased using both. The ENT suggested head exercises to try to alleviate symptoms, but that doesn’t work as it just made me more dizzy. I looked up Prednisone, but the side effects for taking such meds looks frightening, and I don’t need even more problems added to what I already have.
I cannot drive as a result, as I would be classified as intoxicated. Often because of a frequent sensation of falling, even sitting in a chair, I tend to routinely hold my neck and head so rigid that I end up getting cramps.
For folks that don’t really know what it’s like to have labyrinthitis, the closest I could say to a physical condition is actually jet lag. Before I had laby, it was very similar to that weird, woozy, disoriented and floaty feeling after a long airplane ride. Usually heading straight for bed for a decent rest you’re OK by the next morning, but with laby, that just doesn’t go away, at least not in my case.