Acute vertigo is best treated with nonspecific medication such as dimenhydrinate (Dramamine®) and meclizine (Bonine®).
Sometimes doctors recommend antihistamines, such as meclizine (Antivert), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), or dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) to help with vertigo episodes. Anticholinergics, such as the Transderm Scop patch, may also help with dizziness.
Acetazolamide has a positive association with improvement of symptoms of visual vertigo, with a trend for greater improvement in more dynamic movements in the environment (car passenger, intersections, action movies, television, and crowds).
Vertigo can go away on its own, as your brain adapts to the changes in your inner ear. Other times, treatment is needed, which could include: Canalith repositioning maneuvers are a specific series of exercises to treat BPPV by moving the calcium deposits out of the inner ear to be reabsorbed by the body.
Sit or lie down immediately when you feel dizzy. Lie still with your eyes closed in a darkened room if you're experiencing a severe episode of vertigo. Avoid driving a car or operating heavy machinery if you experience frequent dizziness without warning. Avoid using caffeine, alcohol, salt and tobacco.
Some of the most common causes are inner ear conditions such as infections and Meniere's disease. Conditions affecting other parts of the body, such as heart arrhythmias can also cause vertigo and dizziness. In some cases, there is no physical condition causing vertigo.
Though vertigo attacks can feel scary, they go away quickly most of the time. If you experience severe or prolonged vertigo, your symptoms could indicate another medical condition. Vertigo can interfere with your quality of life and hinder your ability to do the things you want.
A vertigo attack can last from a few seconds to hours. If you have severe vertigo, it can last for many days or months.
If the symptoms are very severe and don't go away, surgery on the vestibular system (the organ of balance) may be considered. This involves destroying either the nerve fibers in the affected semicircular canal, or the semicircular canal itself. The sensory hair cells can then no longer pass information on to the brain.
Vertigo can be temporary or permanent, depending on the patient. Those who have suffered a head or neck injury might experience chronic or long-term vertigo. Treatment may be a combination of medications and physical therapy. Although very rare, your ENT specialist may choose to recommend surgery.
Meclizine is used to prevent and control nausea, vomiting, and dizziness caused by motion sickness. It is also used for vertigo (dizziness or lightheadedness) caused by ear problems.
Our Recommended Maneuver for Vertigo
Bring your head down as far as you can manage between your legs, staying there until the dizziness is gone. Hold for about 30 seconds. Quickly move to a seated position. Wait about 30 seconds.
Over time, ear crystals may dissolve, but bear in mind that this could take weeks or longer, and during that time, a person would have to endure the extreme discomfort of BPPV, where even the slightest head movements would throw their world into disarray.
People with vertigo may lose their balance and fall. For most people, vertigo is an annoyance rather than a disability. But, when there are frequent or constant episodes of vertigo, it can be disabling. The causes of vertigo may also be disabling on their own.
Although vertigo usually starts with a condition in the inner ear, stress and anxiety can make it worse. Chronic stress or worry can also lead to more episodes of vertigo in the future. In stress-related vertigo, using strategies for both the body and the mind is the best way to regain your sense of balance.
It can also cause unpleasant side effects such as unsteadiness, dizziness and vertigo. You can experience these effects if you're feeling stressed, anxious or depressed. These emotions can trigger the symptoms of an underlying issue such as an inner ear condition, but they can also cause vertigo by themselves.
Signs That Dizziness is Caused By Inner Ear Problems
If your dizziness comes with the following symptoms then it is usually a sign that it is being caused by an inner ear problem: Balance problems. Hearing loss (which can be very mild) Tinnitus.
Typically, cervical vertigo symptoms happen months or years after trauma to the cervical spine. Anxiety and stress can affect the severity of your symptoms. This is because stress and anxiety affect your muscle tone and the responses of your sympathetic nervous system. Cervical vertigo symptoms can be varied.
In rare cases, vertigo may be associated with a serious medical condition, so you should call 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency room if your sense of imbalance is accompanied by: Shortness of breath. Chest pains. Facial numbness.
For some people, vertigo without additional symptoms can indicate a big-time issue if they're unable to regain your balance or the room keeps spinning. Seek immediate medical help at the ER if you've had vertigo for several minutes and: You've previously had a stroke. You're at high risk for having a stroke.
People with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often have problems with balance. About half of people with TBI have dizziness and loss of balance at some point in their recovery. When you are dizzy, you may have vertigo (the feeling that you or your surroundings are moving) and feel unsteady.
Caffeine: Having plenty of caffeinated beverages increase the ringing sensations inside the ears. It is best to limit tea, coffee, energy drinks, and soda. Salt: Sodium is one of the main ingredients that can trigger vertigo. Excess intake of salty foods may result in water retention in the body.
It is extremely rare, but not impossible, for young children to have vertigo. It becomes more common in the early 20s and affects all ages commonly after that. Its consequences however become more substantial as you get older because loss of balance in the elderly commonly leads to major fractures.