What Causes Dizziness?

Posted on Fri, 21 Feb 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 21 Feb 2014 Answered on

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been suffering with dizziness for approx 10 months. It occurs when I am sitting down or walking. I have seen my g.p. who arranged blood tests and chest x ray. Both were normal. I have normal blood pressure. My cholestoral level is 5. I am not diabetic. I arranged to see an optician to have my eyes tested and all is normal, I do not wear glasses. I am female, aged 61 years. I have never smoked and very rarely drink alcohol. I am overweight - 5ft 3 tall and weigh 14st. After all medical tests above were normal, my g.p. asked if I could live with it?! I had a concerning dizzy episode when I was shopping and thought I was going to faint. I telephoned my medical surgery and a g.p. from the practice foned me back and said my equilibrium was unbalanced and my g.p. had written on my notes anxiety. My g.p. did not mention anxiety to me and I cannot understand he came to that conclusion. I retired 3 years ago and I have never been so relaxed for years! I continue to have this dizziness. Could it be linked to my diet, I am overweight?

Answered by Dr. Rahul Tawde (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Advised to consult with ENT/Neurologist... Detailed Answer: Hi my dear, Thank you for sharing your concern with HCM. The very first thing is to understand what is causing dizziness episodes to you. Your GP has excluded cardio-vascular problems (no blood pressure, no diabetes or hypoglycemia), and no eye problems. I suggest to schedule an appointment with : - ENT specialist (to rule out Menier's Syndrome) - Neurologist (to rule out brain/neurological problems) After the physical examination, the specialists might request to run further tests including ct-scan of head and neck. Meanwhile, I suggest to: - sit/lay down immediately once you notice you are having dizziness episode - drink water at that moment - measure blood sugar/pressure at the moment you feel dizzy - try to stay sit or laid and avoid head/eyes movements until symptoms improve. - discuss with your GP what kind of medication you can take when you have the dizziness episodes and for how long. Hope it was of help! Dr.Bardha

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T