If your vertigo is caused by a stroke, you may need drugs, such as aspirin, Plavix (clopidogrel), Aggrenox (aspirin-dipyridamole), or Coumadin (warfarin) to prevent a future event. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), the most common kind of vertigo, can be caused by movement as simple as rolling over in bed, or bending over,.
What Triggers Vertigo Attacks
A: Vertigo—the sensation that you or your surroundings are moving or spinning, even when your body is stationary—has different causes, but recurrent, sudden episodes are usually linked to the movement of tiny calcium crystals in the inner ear. For a variety of reasons (including head trauma), these crystals can become dislodged from their normal location, rendering you extrasensitive to changes in head position. There is a weird-sounding but effective treatment called the Epley maneuver, which involves a series of simple head adjustments to reposition the crystals. Your doctor can perform it in his office and then teach you how to do it on your own in the event of future episodes.
Next: The top causes of dizziness and the best ways to find relief
It's common to sometimes feel dizzy, lightheaded or off-balance, and it's not usually serious. See a GP if you're worried.
Check if you have dizziness
Dizziness includes feeling:
- off-balance
- giddy
- lightheaded or faint
- like you're spinning or things around you are spinning (vertigo)
How you can treat dizziness yourself
Dizziness usually goes away on its own. But there are things you can do to take care of yourself while you're feeling dizzy.
Do
lie down until dizziness passes, then get up slowly
move slowly and carefully
Casino movie real story. get plenty of rest
drink plenty of fluids, especially water
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avoid coffee, cigarettes, alcohol and drugs
Don't
do not bend down suddenly
do not get up suddenly after sitting or lying down
do not do anything that could be dangerous while you're dizzy, like driving, climbing a ladder or using heavy machinery
do not lie totally flat if you feel like things are spinning
- you're worried about your dizziness or vertigo
- it will not go away or it keeps coming back
- you're finding it harder to hear
- there's ringing or other sounds in your ears (tinnitus)
- you have double vision, blurred vision or other changes in your eyesight
- your face, arms or legs feel numb
- you have other symptoms like fainting, headaches, feeling or being sick
Coronavirus update: how to contact a GP
It's still important to get help from a GP if you need it. To contact your GP surgery:
- visit their website
- use the NHS App
- call them
Causes of dizziness
If you have other symptoms, this might give you an idea of the cause. Do not self-diagnose – see a GP if you're worried.
Dizziness while you're ill with something elseDizziness often goes away after you're treated for something else. For example:
- an ear infection
- dehydration or heat exhaustion
- stress or anxiety
- low blood sugar level (hypoglycaemia) because of diabetes
| Dizziness symptoms | Possible causes |
|---|---|
| When standing or sitting up suddenly | sudden drop in blood pressure (postural hypotension) |
| Feeling off-balance, losing some hearing, ringing or other sounds in your ears (tinnitus) | inner-ear problems |
| Feeling off-balance or like things are spinning, feeling or being sick, sometimes after a cold or flu | labyrinthitis |
| After starting new prescription medicine | side effect of medicine |
| With symptoms like hearing loss, double vision, blurred vision, numb face, arms or legs | decreased blood flow to the brain, possibly from clogged arteries (atherosclerosis) |
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Reasons For Occasional Vertigo
Page last reviewed: 24 April 2020
Next review due: 24 April 2023
