Contents:
- Medical Video: Carol Foster, MD Vertigo Treatment Oct 11
- First understand vertigo
- Signs and symptoms of vertigo
- The difference is normal headaches and headaches due to symptoms of vertigo
- What are the causes of vertigo?
- Causes of peripheral vertigo
- Causes of central vertigo
- Is there a way to overcome vertigo?
- 1. Perform epley maneuvers
- 2. Maneuvering foster
- 3. Take medicine for vertigo
- 4. Home care
Medical Video: Carol Foster, MD Vertigo Treatment Oct 11
Have you ever experienced severe dizziness until the room around you seemed to spin? If ever, maybe you experience symptoms of vertigo. Many people don't realize that they have vertigo so they don't try to find out what the right medicine for vertigo is.Actually, what is the cause of vertigo that you experience and how to deal with effective vertigo? Come on, see the explanation below.
First understand vertigo
For those of you who often experience vertigo, maybe you are already familiar with complaints that are often considered a symptom of vertigo, such as a head that feels floating and the whole room looks great.
Conditions like this that can later make your body's balance slowly begin to disappear so that the body is easily shaken and it is difficult to set foot firmly.
Although most people recognize it as a disease of vertigo, actually vertigo is not the name of the disease. Yes, vertigo is a collection of several symptoms that occur suddenly in a certain time.
Signs and symptoms of vertigo
Vertigo is generally characterized by severe headaches accompanied by the surrounding environment. Because it cannot be said to be a real "vertigo disease," this condition can actually refer to as a symptom of vertigo itself or lead to various other medical conditions.
Some symptoms of vertigo include loss of balance, nausea, vomiting, a spinning sensation of the head (kliyengan great), abnormal eye movements, ringing in the ears, and not being able to stand normally.
The difference is normal headaches and headaches due to symptoms of vertigo
Don't take for granted all the symptoms of vertigo. Because, although both attack the head, headaches that occur because of symptoms of vertigo is clearly different from the condition of headaches in general. Headaches due to vertigo will make you feel like kliyengan, body limp, nauseous, and as if going to faint.
While regular headaches generally cause a sensation of the head it feels very tight like being tied or throbbing. Pulses can occur anywhere on the head: front, back, or right and left side.
What are the causes of vertigo?
Actually the cause of vertigo you experience depends on the type of vertigo itself. If seen in general, the type of vertigo can be divided into two groups, central vertigo (disturbance in the center of brain balance) and peripheral vertigo.
Causes of peripheral vertigo
Peripheral vertigo is one type of vertigo experienced by most sufferers of vertigo. The main cause of peripheral vertigo is a disorder of your inner ear. In fact, the part of the ear in one of them is supposed to regulate the balance of the body.
Normally when you move or change the position of the head, the area of the inner ear will signal about the position of your head. This signal will be sent to the brain so that it can help maintain body balance and hearing function properly.
If the inner ear has a problem, either because of a viral infection or inflammation of the ear, the signal that should be sent to the brain will be disrupted.
Finally, you will experience severe headaches that make your body easily shaken. Not only that, there are several other things that can be the cause of peripheral vertigo, for example:
1. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo, a condition in which the inner ear is disrupted and triggered by a sudden change in head position. For example, changing the position of the head from an upright position to a sudden bow, wake up suddenly from sleep, and look up.
The condition of BPPV is also more susceptible to people who have had surgery on the ear, have a history of head injury, have ear infections, and are in a period of healing orbedrest.
2. Have a history of head injury
The other cause of peripheral vertigo is a history of head injury. If you have had a head injury before, either because of an impact or accident, it can adversely affect the inner ear. This can then develop into vertigo.
3. Experiencing labirintitis
Labirintitis is a condition of inflammation and infection caused by a virus or bacteria that attacks the inner ear area, especially in a tortuous channel full of fluid (the labyrinth). Do not be underestimated, because the inside of the ear is responsible for regulating and maintaining body balance as well as your hearing function.
If the symptoms of vertigo that you feel are a result of labyrinthitis, there will be several other symptoms. Starting from pain in the ear, nausea, vomiting, difficulty hearing, to fever.
4. Inflammation of the inner ear nerve
Vestibular neuritis is inflammation that occurs in the nerve part of the ear that is directly connected to the brain.
Inflammation is caused by a viral infection that usually occurs suddenly without any symptoms or signs, even when there is no problem with hearing ability. This condition can occur for several hours a day.
5. Ménière's disease
M diseaseénière is one of the rare diseases that occur in the inner ear. Although very rare, this disease turned out to be a very severe cause of vertigo. Not infrequently, the symptoms of vertigo that you experience because of Ménière's disease will also be accompanied by ears that feel ringing, and loss of hearing function over a period of time.
Well, when you experience this disease, then the symptoms of vertigo that appear can you experience in a matter of hours to the next few days.
This disease is also accompanied by symptoms of severe nausea and vomiting. Even though it looks quite dangerous, experts have not confirmed what is the specific cause of this disease.
Causes of central vertigo
In contrast to peripheral vertigo caused by interference with the ears and body balance organs, central vertigo occurs due to a problem in the brain. The part of the brain that most influences the cause of vertigo is the cerebellum or cerebellum.
The cerebellum is directly related to the nervous system of the spinal cord and acts as the main regulator of body movements. The following are some of the conditions that cause vertigo central:
- Migraine, which is the next headache, is accompanied by pulsating pain and is often experienced by young people.
- Multiple sclerosis is a nerve signal disorder that occurs in the central nervous system in the brain and spine; caused by errors in a person's immune system.
- Acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that grows in the vestibular nerve, the nervous system that connects the ear to the brain. So far the acoustic neuroma is caused by a genetic disorder.
- Brain tumors that attack the cerebellum or cerebellum, resulting in impaired body movement coordination.
- Stroke, which is a blockage of blood vessels that occurs in the brain.
- Taking several types of drugs that can cause side effects in the form of symptoms of vertigo.
Is there a way to overcome vertigo?
Some people may only need to postpone for a moment what is being done and replace it with a lot of rest to deal with vertigo. Because, the cause of vertigo can occur as a form of response from the brain that is trying to align itself with changes that occur in your inner ear.
However, if the condition or disease of vertigo that you are experiencing right now is quite severe (that is, it happens for a long time with frequent frequency), there are some special ways that are believed to be able to overcome vertigo.
1. Perform epley maneuvers
This epley maneuver technique to treat vertigo is especially applicable if the cause of vertigo you experience comes from the side of the left ear or because of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
The way to do epley maneuvers is:
- Sit upright on the edge of the bed. Tilt your head to 45 degrees to the left, but don't touch the shoulder. Place a soft pillow under your body, so that when lying down, the pillow lies between your shoulders and not under your head.
- With fast movements, immediately lie down or lie down (head on the bed but still in a sloping position with an angle of 45 degrees). Make sure the pillow is just below your bhu, then wait for about 30 seconds until the vertigo stops.
- Turn your head to 90 degrees to the right, without lifting it. Leave for 30 seconds.
- Change the position of the head and body from the left side to the right side, so you can see the floor. Wait for 30 seconds.
- Sit back slowly, but with the body still on the bed. Do this for a few minutes.
- If later vertigo comes on the right side of the ear, you can overcome it by repeating the above movements.
- Instead, repeat this movement three times before going to bed at night until the condition or disease of vertigo gradually disappears.
2. Maneuvering foster
- Sit on your knees as if on your knees, then tilt your head up at the ceiling for a few seconds.
- Turn your head to the floor. Make sure your chin touches your chest so that your head goes into your knees. Hold for 30 seconds.
- Look at your head to the side of the ear that is the source of vertigo (for example, you feel vertigo comes from the right ear, then look your head to the right). Hold for 30 seconds.
- With one quick movement, lift your head until it is level with your back. Keep the head position at a 45 degree angle. Hold for 30 seconds.
- Continue to lift your head in one fast motion, until you have managed to sit in an upright position. Keep your head fixed to the side of the body that has vertigo (for example to the right, according to the previous example). Then start standing slowly.
You should repeat this movement to really overcome vertigo. After the first try, you can take a break for about 15 minutes before starting again for the second time.
Avoid moving your head too tightly up or down after doing some maneuvers to overcome this vertigo.
3. Take medicine for vertigo
For the sake of helping to overcome vertigo that often makes you uncomfortable with activities, you can buy some vertigo drugs at the pharmacy or by prescription:
Diphenhydramine
Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine drug. This drug works by inhibiting the effects of certain chemicals, which causes you to feel nauseous and vomiting due to vertigo. Pay attention to the right dose before taking diphenhydramine for vertigo medication.
Adults are recommended to drink as much as 25-50 mg every 6-8 hours. The rule is, this vertigo drug must be taken 30 minutes before eating and before traveling. You can get diphenhydramine without having to redeem a doctor's prescription.
Promethazine
Just like diphenhydramine, promethazine also includes vertigo drugs that act as antihistamines to relieve nausea and persistent vomiting.
The usual dose for taking promethazine for adults is 12.5 to 25 mg every 4 to 6 hours, according to your needs. Unlike diphenhydramine, which is generally sold freely, promethazine requires a doctor's prescription to get it.
Lorazepam
Lorazepam is a drug that is included in the benzodiazepine class. Its task is to create a calm effect produced by the work of the brain and central nervous system. The dose of taking lorazeopam as a vertigo drug for adults is 0.5 mg twice a day.
Meclizine
Meclizine is an antihistamine drug commonly used to prevent and relieve nausea, dizziness, and vomiting due to motion sickness. However, meclizine can also be taken as a medicine for vertigo.
For the general dose, meclizine as a vertigo drug for adults should be taken at least 1-4 times a day as much as 25 mg or 50 mg to take 2 times a day. You can get this medicine by prescription or buy it at the nearest pharmacy.
Dimenhydrinate
Usually, dimenhydrinate is used as an antihistamine drug to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting, and dizziness from motion sickness. In fact, dimenhydrinate can also be used as a medicine for vertigo which is quite effective.
The rules for taking dimenhydrinate as a vertigo drug for adults are 50 to 100 mg within 4 to 6 hours. While the maximum dose for taking this medicine is 400 mg within 24 hours.
4. Home care
If the various methods above are not enough to overcome vertigo, accompanying the consumption of drugs and maneuvering with a variety of simple treatments at home may be able to further help relieve symptoms of vertigo.
Here are home treatments that can overcome vertigo:
- Immediately sit down and take a deep breath when you feel the symptoms of vertigo begin to recur.
- If you realize there are some movements that can trigger a recurrence of vertigo, do the movement slowly or even avoid doing it at all.
- Make sure there is good lighting when you suddenly wake up in the middle of the night.
- If vertigo affects your ability to walk and balance the body, it never hurts to use a stick to help and prevent you from falling.
After routinely doing the various methods above to overcome vertigo, pay attention to the development of vertigo that you experience. The fewer and shorter the frequency of vertigo and the time when vertigo recurs, the better.
But if the opposite is the condition of vertigo that you feel does not go away, try to talk further with your doctor about alternative treatments for other vertigo.
