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What Causes Sudden Discomfort, Dizziness, And Off Balance Feeling?
Question: My husband came home from work complaining of extreme discomfort, dizziness, and feeling off balance. He had this before about 5 years ago and it lasted about a week.
Brief Answer:
may be bppv
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
Dizziness and loss of balance are usually vertigo which is essentially the sensation of spinning or the environment spinning/moving.
There are different causes but commonly it can be related to the inner ear.
The 3 more common inner ear causes are : (1)BPPV - benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
(2)meniere's disease
(3)vestibular neuronitis
(1)BPPV episodes tend to last for a few seconds to minutes and occur with certain positions of the head.
Most likely cause since he had a previous episode
(2)Menieres can last a few minutes, associated with tinnitus (abnormal sounds such as ringing), hearing loss
(3)vestibular neuronitis- symptoms last for hours at a time
TREATMENT
Meclizine is one of the medications that can be used so he should continue it. It should only be used for a few days because it is thought the continued use of these meds interfere with healing (only if used for too long)
BPPV, if this is the diagnosis, can be treated by the epley maneuver which would be performed in a doctor's office.
It involves the doctor putting him through specific maneuver to try and get the inner ear back to normal.
Menieres' is treated with meds, low salt diet
Vestibular neuronitis- meds mentioned (meclizine and similar drugs), steroids may also be needed.
Summary: (1) may be BPPV which is diagnosed based on history and examination
(2)treated by short course of medication and epley maneuver
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
may be bppv
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
Dizziness and loss of balance are usually vertigo which is essentially the sensation of spinning or the environment spinning/moving.
There are different causes but commonly it can be related to the inner ear.
The 3 more common inner ear causes are : (1)BPPV - benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
(2)meniere's disease
(3)vestibular neuronitis
(1)BPPV episodes tend to last for a few seconds to minutes and occur with certain positions of the head.
Most likely cause since he had a previous episode
(2)Menieres can last a few minutes, associated with tinnitus (abnormal sounds such as ringing), hearing loss
(3)vestibular neuronitis- symptoms last for hours at a time
TREATMENT
Meclizine is one of the medications that can be used so he should continue it. It should only be used for a few days because it is thought the continued use of these meds interfere with healing (only if used for too long)
BPPV, if this is the diagnosis, can be treated by the epley maneuver which would be performed in a doctor's office.
It involves the doctor putting him through specific maneuver to try and get the inner ear back to normal.
Menieres' is treated with meds, low salt diet
Vestibular neuronitis- meds mentioned (meclizine and similar drugs), steroids may also be needed.
Summary: (1) may be BPPV which is diagnosed based on history and examination
(2)treated by short course of medication and epley maneuver
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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