5 misconceptions about vertigo, dizziness

Speaking of Health

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

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• Ear Health

Many adults have experienced dizziness. It could have occurred after standing up too quickly, after a carnival ride, after taking a medication or during a migraine. Many body systems, including your muscles, bones, joints, eyes and the inner ear, must work normally for you to have normal balance. When these systems aren’t functioning well, you can experience balance problems.

About one-third of Americans at some point experience short-term bouts of feeling foggy, unsteady and lightheaded or feeling a spinning sensation. However, if these sensations recur or affect your life, it is time to talk with your health care provider.

Vertigo vs. dizziness

First, it is important to outline the differences between vertigo and dizziness. While these words are often used interchangeably, they describe different sensations. Dizziness is the feeling of being lightheaded, foggy or unsteady. Vertigo, which is less common than dizziness, is an overall spinning sensation.

Causes of vertigo and dizziness

Several conditions can cause balance problems, and these problems are usually related to a specific sign or symptom. Your health care team can identify the causes of your symptoms.

The most common cause of vertigo is when calcium crystals in your inner ear become dislodged from their normal position. This is called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Other causes of vertigo include inflammation of the nerves in your inner ear, migraine, head injury, Meniere’s disease, noncancerous tumor or motion sickness.

Often, the feelings of faintness or lightheadedness are caused by a significant drop in blood pressure, such as if you stand or sit up too quickly. Cardiovascular disease is another common cause.

Joint, muscle or vision problems, or nerve damage to your legs, frequently cause feelings of unsteadiness. Other causes could include medications you take, abnormalities in your inner ear or a neurological condition, such as Parkinson’s disease.

Finally, dizziness can be caused by medications, abnormalities in your inner ear or psychiatric disorders. It also can occur if you are hyperventilating or breathing rapidly.

Common misconceptions

These conditions often are misunderstood. Here are some common misconceptions about vertigo and dizziness:

1. Dizziness is always related to ear crystals.
   While benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is a common cause of vertigo, it is not associated with symptoms of dizziness. There are many other potential reasons for spells of dizziness.
2. Home remedies, like performing the canalith repositioning procedure or flushing your ears, will fix the problem.
   Not only can this be harmful, it can cause more problems. Attempting to reposition crystals without instruction from your health care provider can cause the crystals to be moved incorrectly. There have been instances where patients have given themselves a concussion during the process or damaged their eardrums from flushing liquid into their ears.
3. Dizziness is all in your head.
   Unfortunately, some people are told that their symptoms of dizziness or vertigo are not real or a result of mental illness. They are given advice to ignore it, and it will go away. Long-term dizziness and vertigo should not be ignored. Rather, a health care provider should treat these conditions.
4. Antihistamines, such as meclizine, solve dizziness.
   Meclizine is used to prevent and control nausea, vomiting and dizziness caused by motion sickness. It works to block the signals to the brain that cause these symptoms. However, if you have recurring vertigo or dizziness, taking antihistamines is not a good long-term solution. Meclizine can make you feel drowsy, which results in many people falling asleep until the episodes are over. In this situation, the medication is covering the symptoms, but it is not treating the condition.
5. You just need to deal with this because there are no long-term treatment options.
   Recurring vertigo or dizziness can significantly affect your life, such as missing social activities, or disrupting your abilities to drive or work. There is hope. Work with your health care team to identify the correct treatment option for you.

If you experience sudden vertigo with a decrease in hearing or ringing in your ear, seek emergency medical treatment. These are symptoms of sensorineural hearing loss, an inflammatory disorder probably caused by a virus that affect the nerves in the balance and hearing portions of your inner ear.

Mindy Zenke is a nurse practitioner in Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT/Otorhinolaryngology) in La Crosse, Sparta and Tomah, Wisconsin.

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Bonine Uses, Side Effects & Warnings

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Generic name: meclizine [ MEK-li-zeen ]
Brand names: Bonine, Travel-Ease
Drug class: Anticholinergic antiemetics

Medically reviewed by Drugs. com on Jan 23, 2023. Written by Cerner Multum.

What is Bonine?

Bonine is used to treat or prevent nausea, vomiting, and dizziness caused by motion sickness.

Bonine is also used to treat symptoms of vertigo (dizziness or spinning sensation) caused by disease that affects your inner ear.

Bonine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Warnings

Follow all directions on your medicine label and package. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all your medical conditions, allergies, and all medicines you use.

Before taking this medicine

You should not use Bonine if you are allergic to it.

Bonine should not be given to a child younger than 12 years old.

Do not give Bonine to a child without medical advice.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.

How should I take Bonine?

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Use the medicine exactly as directed.

You must chew the chewable tablet before you swallow it.

To prevent motion sickness, take Bonine about 1 hour before you travel or anticipate having motion sickness. You may take this medicine once every 24 hours while you are traveling, to further prevent motion sickness.

To treat vertigo, you may need to take Bonine several times daily. Follow your doctor’s instructions.

This medicine can affect the results of allergy skin tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using Bonine.

Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Since Bonine is sometimes taken only when needed, you may not be on a dosing schedule. Skip any missed dose if it’s almost time for your next dose. Do not use two doses at one time.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What should I avoid while taking Bonine?

Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how Bonine will affect you. Your reactions could be impaired.

Drinking alcohol can increase certain side effects of meclizine.

Bonine side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Common side effects of Bonine may include:

• drowsiness;

• dry mouth;

• headache;

• vomiting; or

• feeling tired.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What other drugs will affect Bonine?

Using Bonine with other drugs that make you drowsy can worsen this effect. Ask your doctor before using opioid medication, a sleeping pill, a muscle relaxer, or medicine for anxiety or seizures.

Other drugs may affect Bonine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.

Popular FAQ

Some vets might recommend these human over-the-counter (OTC) products, but at specific doses used only in dogs, as recommended by your vet. Do not use these products in dogs with glaucoma, prostate gland enlargement, and certain stomach, thyroid, seizure, or heart disorders. 

• diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
• meclizine (Bonine)
• dimenhydrinate (Dramamine)

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Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

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How do headache pills work?

Have you ever wondered what happens to a pill after you take it? When ingested, the tablet goes through 4 stages: absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion.

After the tablet enters the gastrointestinal tract, it is absorbed into the blood. The circulatory system then distributes the drug throughout the body. Side effects may occur at this stage.

After the drug has spread throughout the body, the process of breakdown or metabolism begins. The amount of time a drug remains in the body before the breakdown process begins depends on the substance and how it is administered. All substances that enter the bloodstream, no matter how they are administered, are ultimately transferred to the liver, where the metabolic process takes place.

Although the liver is the main site of drug metabolism, this process can also occur in other tissues and organs such as the kidneys, lungs, etc. After completion of the metabolic process, the drug is excreted from the body, mainly in the urine and / or feces.

This is the standard mechanism. However, each medication has its own characteristics – some tablets should be placed under the tongue, and not just absorbed, while others should have a special acid-resistant shell that does not dissolve under the action of gastric juice.

For example, consider how aspirin and ibuprofen, the most common headache medicines, work. These drugs are inhibitors, they block the production of such physiologically active substances as prostaglandins, with an increase in the level of which a person feels pain. In addition, they are easily absorbed, metabolized and excreted by the body.

What you need to know about medicines for headaches?

For the two main types of headaches, migraine and tension headache, experts recommend over-the-counter pain medications such as paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. , so-called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

These products are mainly used to relieve inflammation, relieve pain and reduce fever.

However, if symptomatic medications are used more than twice a week, a physician should be consulted for prophylactic headache medications. Overuse of symptomatic medications can cause drug headaches that are difficult to treat.

When it comes to tension headache remedies, medications can help, but they are not the only way. Relieve or prevent headaches through lifestyle changes: adequate sleep and rest, proper nutrition, activity, outdoor activities, control of emotional state and stress.

To reduce the frequency and severity of chronic migraine attacks when pain is not relieved by pain medications or other therapies, your doctor may prescribe blood pressure medications, anti-seizure medications, muscle relaxers, and even Botox injections.

How does botulinum toxin, better known as Botox, work? Everyone knows the fact that Botox injections relax muscles and help smooth out wrinkles. When migraine patients used Botox to smooth wrinkles, they noted a significant reduction in headache.

Therefore, scientists began to study the effect of such injections on migraine headaches. Botox has been found to help relieve headaches by blocking chemicals called neurotransmitters that transmit pain signals from the brain. Botox is like a roadblock along the way. It stops chemicals before they reach the nerve endings of the head and neck. It will take about 30-40 injections over 3-4 months to stop migraine attacks. However, the results will appear within 2-3 weeks after the start of treatment.

Most migraine headaches are treated with over-the-counter pain medications, but if these do not help, your doctor may prescribe triptans. These drugs are effective even for severe cases of migraine, but they will not work for other origins of the headache. Therefore, doctors warn that drugs in this group should be taken only with full confidence that the patient has a migraine, and not another type of headache.

Why other medicines can be prescribed for headaches?

A patient comes to the doctor complaining of a headache, painkillers do not help him. In this case, the doctor may prescribe tricyclic antidepressants or beta-blockers. Some drugs designed to treat one disease are often used with great effect in the treatment of others.

For example, the antiepileptic drugs pregabalin and gabapentin are no longer used to treat epilepsy, but they have been shown to be effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain and emotional distress by lowering the threshold for stimuli.

Side effects and active ingredient

Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may cause stomach ulcers, gastric bleeding, various diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidney damage and other equally serious diseases. An overdose of paracetamol can cause serious liver damage, even death. Therefore, in the US, where paracetamol is one of the few over-the-counter drugs, it is often used by suicides.

All medicines contain an active (active) substance that has medicinal properties and an excipient that helps the release and absorption of the active substance, but does not have chemical activity. The most common excipients are various forms of lactose, starch, etc. For example, the active substance of aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, and the auxiliary substances are powdered cellulose and corn starch.

It should be remembered that all drugs can have different side effects and very much depends on the individual characteristics of the patient.

Rating of the best drugs for dizziness recommended by experts for 2023

This material is not an advertisement, it is for informational purposes and reflects the estimated opinion of the author. All ranking positions are selected based on the developed selection criteria. Before making a purchase, you need to consult a specialist.

Dizziness is one of the main reasons that bring patients to the neurologist’s office. Quite often this happens to older people: according to statistics, a large number of elderly patients suffer from this disease. The figures suggest that about 30% of people are over 65 years old and almost half of the 80-year-old citizens. The reasons may be different. For example, deviations arise due to ailments of the cardiovascular system or the psychological state of a person.

Contents

• 1 Self-treatment or going to the doctor?
• 2 Preparations for dizziness caused by lesions of the vestibular apparatus
  • 2.1
    Dramina

  • 2.2
    Betaserc

• 3 Vertigo due to circulatory disorders and better remedies
  • 3.1
    Vinpocetine

  • 3.2
    Cinnarizine

  • 3.3
    Tanakan

• 4 The best remedies for dizziness caused by stress
  • 4.1
    Afobazole

  • 4.2
    Anvifen

  • 4.3
    Deprim forte

• 5 Vertigo preparations for neck spasms
  • 5.1
    “Milgamma compositum”

  • 5. 2
    Catadalon

• 6 Conclusion

Self-treatment or going to the doctor?

Dizziness is not a disease, but only a manifestation of a certain disease or pathology in the human body, and the cause must be eliminated.

This rating of the best drugs is for informational purposes, and it would not be superfluous to recall that only a doctor can find out the true source of such a symptom, and even more so prescribe an effective treatment.

There are cases when the phenomenon of dizziness occurs with a sharp rise from a lying or sitting position. This type is called orthostatic hypotension. It is caused by a sudden outflow of blood from the brain. This entails a rapid decrease in pressure in the vessels through which the brain receives nutrition. To avoid such a state, you need to get up gradually, without making sudden movements. Before lifting, it is best to sit on the edge of a chair or bed and find a foothold. The muscles of the legs need to be tightened, this will lead to the fact that more blood will flow to the brain.

There are other causes of dizziness. This can happen with dehydration, high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety and worries. During a visit to the doctor, you need to inform him that there is arterial hypertension, heart disease, or problems with the head, for example, circling.

Preparations for vertigo due to lesions of the vestibular apparatus

Deep in the temporal bone there is an organ called the vestibular apparatus. It is very small, but its importance leaves no doubt, as it is responsible for the sense of balance. In the event of a malfunction in his work, a person becomes the center of the universe, it seems to him that space and all objects around him rotate, but in fact his body rotates.

This type of dizziness is called systemic. The reason lies in the following: the vestibular apparatus is located in the inner ear. The neurons that connect it to the brain are connected to the neurons that transmit the sensations of sound. A state when everything floats before your eyes, and the earth begins to slip from under your feet. This is due to the inflammatory process, and also as a result of hearing loss.

Benign postural paroxysmal vertigo may be caused by movement of certain structures. They are called otoliths and are calcium crystals or pebbles, which, when moved, cause irritation of the receptors, which in turn leads to attacks of nausea or dizziness. Often this is felt after a sharp turn of the head or a flip of the body from one side to the other. Such a deviation does not pose a threat to life. It can be cured by performing special exercises.

But there are other diagnoses associated with lesions of the inner ear:

• Meniere’s disease;
• migraine-associated vertigo;
• vestibular neuronitis,
• labyrinth infarction;
• tumors in the area of ​​the inner ear;
• barotrauma;
• toxic nerve injury.

To get rid of such diseases, complex treatment is necessary, and the symptoms and discomfort of dizziness can be reduced by drugs that reduce the activity of receptors. Experts recognized some drugs as the best.

Dramina

Based on an active ingredient called dimenhydrinate. It inhibits the increased activity of the vestibular analyzer. There is a decrease in dizziness. The medicine also suppresses the gag reflex and slightly relieves allergic manifestations. Dramina also helps with “seasickness” and motion sickness in transport, the tablets are taken as a prophylactic before travel. Like any other medicine, there may be side effects. Patients may experience a feeling of dryness in the oral cavity, decreased pressure, sleep disturbances, headaches. Contraindications: pregnancy, children’s age (up to 2 years).

Dramina

Advantages:

• OTC availability..

Disadvantages:

• allergic side effect.

Betaserc

The active ingredient in the preparation is betahistine. The effect on the receptors located in the inner ear improves blood flow in the arteries, which are responsible for supplying blood to the inner ear and brain areas. Vascular problems are eliminated. Betaserc reduces the frequency of dizziness attacks and their intensity, relieves nausea, relieves tinnitus. Patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers, asthma, pheochromocytoma, this medicine is not recommended. Contraindications are also children’s age, pregnancy. Release form: tablets of different dosage. The most common analogues: tagista, vestibo.

Betaserc

Advantages:

• high efficiency.

Disadvantages:

• side effect in the form of rash, itching, swelling.
• is available only on prescription.

Vertigo due to circulatory disorders and better remedies

The phenomenon of vertigo may occur due to circulatory disorders in those areas of the cerebral cortex that are responsible for balance. This occurs when a person suffers from various diseases. Pathological conditions such as atherosclerosis, stenosis, deformation of the vertebral arteries, arterial hypertension require drug treatment, doctors prescribe drugs and the appropriate dosage, which depends on the general condition of the patient.

Vinpocetine

Other names: Cavinton, Karsavin, Telektol.

The product has contraindications. These include severe arrhythmias, the acute phase of hemorrhagic stroke. The medicine should not be given to children under 18 years of age, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Side effects: headaches, low blood pressure, dry mouth, stomach discomfort.

Vinpocetine

Strengths:

• high efficiency.

Disadvantages:

• available only on prescription.

Cinnarizine

The drug dilates the small vessels of the brain, as a result, blood circulation improves, headaches are relieved, tinnitus disappears, and cell resistance to hypoxia increases. The dosage and the need for use are prescribed by the doctor. Allergy-prone people can use the medicine as a mild antihistamine. The most common side effects are drowsiness, fatigue, and indigestion. Pregnant and lactating mothers should not use the drug. Analog: stugeron

Cinnarizine

Benefits:

• improved circulation;
• high efficiency.

Drawbacks:

• none.

Tanakan

Formulated with Ginkgo Biloba extract. The risk of side effects is minimal due to the fact that the drug is based on plant materials. Regular use normalizes vascular tone, improves blood circulation, and increases brain metabolism. Antioxidant properties help boost immunity. The drug is used on the recommendation of a doctor. The duration of treatment is from 1 to 3 months.

Do not use the drug for people with erosive gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers during an exacerbation. It is also not recommended for use during pregnancy and lactation. For children under 18 years of age, patients with reduced blood clotting, the remedy can also be harmful. Side effects are manifested mainly only in the form of allergies. It is not recommended to use the drug for a long time, as blood clotting may decrease, headaches will become more frequent, and tinnitus will appear. On the part of digestion, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes diarrhea may occur. Do not drive or do work that requires concentration after taking the remedy. A similar drug is memoplant. There are no reported cases of overdose, so it is not clear what the consequences might be.

Tanakan

Advantages:

• vegetable origin;
• without a prescription.

Disadvantages:

• contains ethyl alcohol;
• reduces blood clotting.

The best drugs for dizziness caused by stress

This group of diseases is called psychogenic. Pathologies are susceptible to people with an unbalanced psyche, emotionally unbalanced, taking to heart any negative events in life. Such patients need the help of a neurologist or psychiatrist. After the examination, the specialist prescribes antidepressants – drugs that are issued only by prescription. Dizziness in itself can be stressful for a suspicious person. Often, these phenomena appear against the background of panic attacks. The reaction from the autonomic nervous system is the worsening of the condition. In women, such deviations can occur during menopause. Vertigo is accompanied by weakness, flies and flickering before the eyes appear. Sometimes this phenomenon leads to loss of consciousness. Doctors advise in such cases to take antidepressants.

Afobazole

The drug reduces irritability, anxiety, emotional imbalance, eliminates mood swings. In addition to dizziness, the tablets reduce the heart rate, which increases as a result of stress, and reduce excessive sweating. The action of the tablets appears on the fifth to seventh day after the start of the intake. The maximum effect will be achieved at the end of the fourth week. The recommended course of treatment is 2-3 months. Side effects: headache, rash, hives, swelling and other allergic manifestations. It is not advisable to use pregnant women and nursing mothers for children under 18 years of age.

Afobazole

Advantages:

• good antidepressant;
• can be used without a doctor’s prescription.

Drawbacks:

• none.

Anvifen

Based on the active ingredient aminophenylbutyric acid. The drug reduces the feeling of anxiety and fear, reduces irritability. Nootropic action is manifested in improving attention, memory, sleep. Regular intake leads to an improvement in the condition within 5-7 days after the start of administration. The course of treatment and dosage, depending on the patient’s condition, is prescribed by the doctor.

Can be used to prevent motion sickness. For this purpose, take 500 mg an hour before the planned trip. Perhaps a side effect that occurs at the beginning of the course of treatment is a headache and drowsiness. It is recommended to take the drug with caution to pregnant women and nursing mothers, since safety studies on this category of women have not been conducted. In animal tests, no harmful effects on the fetus were found. Similar means: Noofen, Phenibut.

Anvifen

Advantages:

• high nootropic effect.

Disadvantages:

• is used strictly according to the prescription.

Deprim forte

Antidepressant based on natural ingredients. St. John’s wort extract in the composition of the medicine suppresses anxiety, reduces malaise. It comes in capsules that are easy to use. It is recommended to take the medicine 2 times a day from one to two capsules, depending on the patient’s well-being. Before treatment, consult a doctor. The greatest effect is observed after two weeks from the start of admission, the course of treatment lasts from 4 to 6 weeks. The use of this drug in the summer leads to an increase in the sensitivity of the skin to ultraviolet radiation. This is due to the fact that the composition contains St. John’s wort, which contributes to this phenomenon. It is recommended to use sunscreen during treatment. There are contraindications: children’s age (up to 12 years), pregnancy.

Deprim forte

Advantages:

• 100% natural product.

Drawbacks:

• none.

Anti-vertigo drugs for neck muscle spasm

Muscle spasm can lead to disruption of the blood vessels that supply cerebral circulation. As a result, a stream of pathological impulses appears in the spasmodic area. They are the cause of discoordination of the work of certain nerve endings. Diagnoses associated with this problem: osteochondrosis; spondylosis. Usually, with such pathologies, weakness, a feeling of floating away of surrounding objects, and instability of the body position appear. The specialist prescribes drugs that help reduce muscle spasm and relieve pain. After treatment, normal blood supply is restored in spasmodic areas.

“Milgamma compositum”

The preparation contains a vitamin complex (B1, B6 and B12) and an analgesic component. Spasms of muscles and nerve endings are removed. In addition, the complex restores the antinociceptive (suppressive pain) system of the body and the basic functions of nerve cells. Recommended dosage: 3 tablets per day for the first three weeks of taking the medicine. In the next 2-3 months, the dose is reduced to 1 tablet per day. Side effects: allergic rashes, swelling. It is not recommended to take the drug to pregnant women, as there is no definite evidence of the effect of the drug on the fetus. A similar drug is combilipen.

Milgamma compositum

Advantages:

• high efficiency;
• security.

Drawbacks:

• none.

Catadalon

The active ingredient flupirtine in the composition of the drug relaxes the muscles, at the same time acts on pain points in the brain, reduces the flow of pathological impulses. The use of the drug does not lead to addiction, so the duration of treatment has no restrictions. Side effect: there is weakness and drowsiness. During treatment, it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol, as the substance enhances the effect of alcohol.