The treatment | Vertigo attacks

The treatment

The therapy of a dizziness attack depends strongly on the underlying disease. Thus, some types of vertigo can be treated with medication and the accompanying symptoms can also be alleviated with medication. For example, so-called antihistamines and anticholinergics are used to treat dizziness attacks.

Sedative (attenuating) drugs can also be used for severe symptoms. However, it is not always easy to find the right balance between sedation and dizziness. Special exercises can help with acute dizziness attacks in the context of so-called benign positioning vertigo.

During the disease, small crystals dissolve in the organ of equilibrium, causing it to float around and cause dizziness. By the positioning maneuvers one tries to let the crystals come to rest again. Further physiotherapeutic exercises can help to cope with everyday life despite the occasional dizziness.

This includes measures such as gait training and balance training. You can also learn to avoid certain movements that trigger a dizzy spell. Further treatment measures such as heat applications and massages are also used to support this. If necessary, a light muscle-building training may also help.

The duration

Individual dizziness attacks can last from a few seconds to usually several minutes, depending on the triggering cause. For example, rapid rotation of the head can trigger threshing vertigo attacks lasting about thirty seconds. However, if the head is held still afterwards, the symptoms subside quickly.

Rarely, however, does a dizzy attack occur alone. In most cases, affected persons are repeatedly affected by dizzy spells for several days or even weeks. Here too, the total duration of the symptoms depends very much on the underlying cause. In addition, dizziness attacks can also become chronic, especially if there are special triggers that cannot be treated well.

The consequences

The consequences of increased occurrence of dizziness attacks manifest themselves mainly in restrictions of everyday life. In the acute case of a vertigo attack, those affected must first sit down and wait until the dizziness disappears. The ability to walk may be restricted for a long period of time, as the dizziness reoccurs during movement.

In addition, dizziness attacks are often accompanied by a tendency to fall, so that injuries can occur as a result.Since dizziness particularly often affects older people, who are also more prone to injuries such as broken bones, fractures are not uncommon as a result of dizziness attacks. Especially the forearm bones, which are used for support, and occasionally the thigh bone, can break in older people due to a fall.