Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medicines, and diseases interfere with your ability to heal or fight infection. You may be at risk for a more serious problem from your symptoms if you have any of the following. Be sure to tell your health professional.

Conditions

• Age older than 60
• Dehydration
• Personal or family history of Ménière's disease or other hearing problems
• History of brain tumor
• Pregnancy
• Previous radiation therapy to the head or neck
• Previous surgery on the head or neck
• A recent concussion, head or ear injury, such as:
  • A direct blow to the ear
  • A penetrating injury to the ear
  • Injury to the middle ear from changes in air pressure (barotrauma)
• A recent motor vehicle accident that set off the air bag

Lifestyle choices

• Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
• Drug abuse or withdrawal
• Smoking or other tobacco use

Medicines

• Antianxiety medicines, such as Librium, Valium, or Xanax
• Antihistamines, such as Benadryl or Chlor-Trimeton
• Diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide, Diuril, Dyazide, Lasix, or spironolactone
• Blood pressure medicines (antihypertensives), such as Inderal, Lopressor, verapamil, Catapres, or reserpine
• Medicines used to treat seizure disorders, such as Dilantin or Tegretol
• Pain medicines, such as hydrocodone, morphine, Darvon, or codeine
• Selective serotonin inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac and Zoloft
• Serotonin receptor agonists (triptans), such as sumatriptan succinate (Imitrex), almotriptan malate (Axert), or rizatriptan (Maxalt)
• Steroids, such as prednisone, methylprednisolone, or dexamethasone
• Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, Pamelor, or Tofranil
• Antipsychotic medicines, such as chlorpromazine, fluphenazine, Haldol, or thioridazine
• Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
• Radiation therapy

Diseases

• Anemia
• Blood flow problems (vascular disease)
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Heart disease, including a history of irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) or heart valve problems
• Herpes zoster (shingles)
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High cholesterol
• Ménière's disease or other hearing problems
• Mental health problems, such as anxiety, panic attacks, or depression
• Multiple sclerosis
• Neurological disease
• Parkinson's disease
• Seizures
• Stroke
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• Vitamin B12 deficiency