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What Causes Dizziness, Cold Sweats And Stomach Upset?

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Posted on Mon, 5 Jan 2015
Question: Hi
My husband is 62 and just developed dizziness, cold sweats and gets sick to his stomach when he sits up. He's thrown up twice today. He's had both chills and fever.
Thank you for any info you can supply!

doctor
Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
different possible causes

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

It is possible that his symptoms are in keeping with BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo).

This is one of the most common causes of dizziness and vertigo. It tends to be worse with certain head positions (eg holding up in your husband's case).
It can be associated with nausea and vomiting.
In this case , the dizziness tends to last for seconds to minutes then recur.

The other common causes are meniere's disease (may be associated with hearing loss and tinnitus) or vestibular neuronitis (the dizziness and vertigo is ungoing - lasts for hours at a time).

If his dizziness lasts for hours then it is more likely vestibular neuronitis than BPPV.

This can be determined by assessment by his doctor.

Treatment would involve a very short course of medication. Not given for too long because it prevents the body from ' healing itself'.
Medications are mainly some antihistamines which also help nausea and dizziness.

Eg are dramamine, meclizine, diphenhydramine, benadryl also can help

If it is BPPV then your doctor would need to perform a specific maneuver- Epley maneuver, to help treat the symptoms.

Summary: (1) common causes are BPPV, meniere's and vestibular neuronitis
(2)if lasts for seconds to minutes then it is likely BPPV
(3)if associated with tinnitus and hearing loss then likely meniere
(4)if lasts for hours then vestibular neuronitis
(5)medications can be used in the short term to help- dramamine, diphenhydramine, meclizine, benadryl
(6)should be assessed by doctor

I hope this helps,feel free to ask any other questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Michelle Gibson James (21 minutes later)
How do they test for vertigo?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (50 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
central nervous system examination

Detailed Answer:
HI

It is a central nervous system examination as well as examination of the ears to rule out an obvious causes.

Certain maneuvers are done to see if the symptoms can be elicited. At the same time the doctor checks for nystagmus- certain movements in the eyes.
Also check for certain reflexes that involve the brain- the vestibulo-ocular reflex and vestibulospinal reflex.
Posture and gait are also assessed.
Your gp should be able to do some or most of these , if not he or she would refer him to a neurologist

Please feel free to ask anything else
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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What Causes Dizziness, Cold Sweats And Stomach Upset?

Brief Answer: different possible causes Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic It is possible that his symptoms are in keeping with BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). This is one of the most common causes of dizziness and vertigo. It tends to be worse with certain head positions (eg holding up in your husband's case). It can be associated with nausea and vomiting. In this case , the dizziness tends to last for seconds to minutes then recur. The other common causes are meniere's disease (may be associated with hearing loss and tinnitus) or vestibular neuronitis (the dizziness and vertigo is ungoing - lasts for hours at a time). If his dizziness lasts for hours then it is more likely vestibular neuronitis than BPPV. This can be determined by assessment by his doctor. Treatment would involve a very short course of medication. Not given for too long because it prevents the body from ' healing itself'. Medications are mainly some antihistamines which also help nausea and dizziness. Eg are dramamine, meclizine, diphenhydramine, benadryl also can help If it is BPPV then your doctor would need to perform a specific maneuver- Epley maneuver, to help treat the symptoms. Summary: (1) common causes are BPPV, meniere's and vestibular neuronitis (2)if lasts for seconds to minutes then it is likely BPPV (3)if associated with tinnitus and hearing loss then likely meniere (4)if lasts for hours then vestibular neuronitis (5)medications can be used in the short term to help- dramamine, diphenhydramine, meclizine, benadryl (6)should be assessed by doctor I hope this helps,feel free to ask any other questions