Peripheral vestibular disorders. Bope ET, et al. In: Conn's Current Therapy Branch WT, et al. Approach to the patient with dizziness. Heat injury and heat exhaustion. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Muncie HL, et al. Dizziness: Approach to evaluation and management.
American Family Physician. Moskowitz HS, et al. Meniere disease. Migraine information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Shepard NT expert opinion. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 4, Rohren CH expert opinion. July 4, Important facts about falls. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Carbon monoxide poisoning FAQs. Accessed April 9, Your brain uses input from four sensory systems to maintain your sense of balance and orientation to your surroundings.
Immediate medical attention is needed if vertigo occurs suddenly with a change in speech or vision or other loss of function. Vertigo that occurs with loss of function in one area of the body can mean a problem in the brain, such as a stroke or transient ischemic attack TIA.
Alcohol and many prescription and nonprescription medicines can cause lightheadedness or vertigo. These problems may develop from:. Check your symptoms to decide if and when you should see a doctor. Many things can affect how your body responds to a symptom and what kind of care you may need. These include:. You have answered all the questions.
Based on your answers, you may be able to take care of this problem at home. Vertigo is the feeling that you or your surroundings are moving when there is no actual movement. It may feel like spinning, whirling, or tilting. Vertigo may make you sick to your stomach, and you may have trouble standing, walking, or keeping your balance.
For men and women, the most common symptom is chest pain or pressure. But women are somewhat more likely than men to have other symptoms, like shortness of breath, nausea, and back or jaw pain. Neurological symptoms —which may be signs of a problem with the nervous system—can affect many body functions. Symptoms may include:.
Many prescription and nonprescription medicines can make you feel lightheaded or affect your balance. A few examples are:. Based on your answers, you may need care right away. The problem is likely to get worse without medical care. Based on your answers, you may need care soon.
The problem probably will not get better without medical care. After you call , the operator may tell you to chew 1 adult-strength mg or 2 to 4 low-dose 81 mg aspirin. Wait for an ambulance. Do not try to drive yourself. Sometimes people don't want to call They may think that their symptoms aren't serious or that they can just get someone else to drive them. Or they might be concerned about the cost. But based on your answers, the safest and quickest way for you to get the care you need is to call for medical transport to the hospital.
Lightheadedness usually is not a cause for concern unless it is severe, does not go away, or occurs with other symptoms such as an irregular heartbeat or fainting.
Lightheadedness can lead to falls and other injuries. Protect yourself from injury if you feel lightheaded:. Call your doctor if any of the following occur during home treatment:. You may be able to prevent lightheadedness caused by orthostatic hypotension by taking your time.
When you are dizzy, your risk of falling increases. You can make changes in your home to reduce your risk of falls. For more information about falls, see the topic Preventing Falls. To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment. You can help your doctor diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared to answer the following questions:.
Before seeing your doctor, it may be helpful to keep track of your symptoms. Use the questions above as a guide for what to include in your diary of symptoms. Blahd Jr. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: William H. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use.
Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Updated visitor guidelines. You are here Home » Dizziness: Lightheadedness and Vertigo. Dizziness: Lightheadedness and Vertigo. Topic Overview Dizziness is a word that is often used to describe two different feelings.
Lightheadedness is a feeling that you are about to faint or "pass out. Lightheadedness often goes away or improves when you lie down. If lightheadedness gets worse, it can lead to a feeling of almost fainting or a fainting spell syncope. You may sometimes feel nauseated or vomit when you are lightheaded. Vertigo is a feeling that you or your surroundings are moving when there is no actual movement.
You may feel as though you are off balance, spinning, whirling, falling, or tilting. When you have severe vertigo , you may feel very nauseated or vomit. You may have trouble walking or standing, and you may lose your balance and fall.
Lightheadedness It is common to feel lightheaded from time to time. Lightheadedness has many causes, including: Allergies. Illnesses such as the flu or colds. Home treatment of your flu and cold symptoms usually will relieve lightheadedness. Vomiting, diarrhea, fevers, and other illnesses that cause dehydration.
Very deep or rapid breathing hyperventilation. Anxiety and stress. The use of tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs. Vertigo Vertigo occurs when there is conflict between the signals sent to the brain by various balance- and position-sensing systems of the body. Vision gives you information about your position and motion in relationship to the rest of the world.
This is an important part of the balance mechanism and often overrides information from the other balance-sensing systems. Sensory nerves in your joints allow your brain to keep track of the position of your legs, arms, and torso.
Your body is then automatically able to make tiny changes in posture that help you maintain your balance proprioception. Skin pressure sensation gives you information about your body's position and motion in relationship to gravity.
A portion of the inner ear, called the labyrinth, which includes the semicircular canals, contains specialized cells that detect motion and changes in position. Injury to or diseases of the inner ear can send false signals to the brain indicating that the balance mechanism of the inner ear labyrinth detects motion. If these false signals conflict with signals from the other balance and positioning centers of the body, vertigo may occur. Injury to the ear or head.
Migraine headaches , which are painful, debilitating headaches that often occur with vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, noise, and smell. Decreased blood flow through the arteries that supply blood to the base of the brain vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Less common causes of vertigo include: A noncancerous growth in the space behind the eardrum cholesteatoma. Brain tumors and cancer that has traveled from another part of the body metastatic.
A simple way of distinguishing between ear-related dizziness and dizziness due to other causes is to determine whether it occurs only when you're upright or also when you're lying down.
If feeling dizzy occurs when you're upright is probably not related to the ear. Dizziness that happens when you're lying down is usually caused by a viral ear infection, which can't be treated with antibiotics. It's helpful to note:. If you're taking prescription medicine, your GP will probably review this to check whether dizziness is a possible side effect.
If necessary, they can prescribe a different medication for you to try. Home Illnesses and conditions Brain, nerves and spinal cord Dizziness lightheadedness. Dizziness lightheadedness. When to seek help. Non-urgent advice: Speak to your GP if you:. It's helpful to note: what you were doing at the time you felt dizzy how long it lasted and how bad it was whether you had any other symptoms — such as fainting, vomiting, nausea, blurred vision, headache, hearing loss or tinnitus If you're taking prescription medicine, your GP will probably review this to check whether dizziness is a possible side effect.
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