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Suggest Treatment For Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
Question: What is the best way to handle what I think is Benign Paroxysmal Vertigo that appeared in my wife when she got up this morning?
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Brief Answer:
Information for BPPV
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is pretty common, and I will provide a link below of positional movements your wife can do at home to try to address it.
But first it is important to make sure her vertigo is not from something else, such as a TIA or stroke, or Menniere's disease. If she is having any new onset hearing loss, or if she is having any neurological deficits, such as slurred speech, facial drooping or eyelid or mouth drooping on one side or weakness on one side of the body, then she must go to the ER to be evaluated.
Assuming it is vertigo only, i.e. the room is spinning (and possibly nausea too), there are movements she can do at home to try to get the displaced otoliths back where they should be and not where they cause vertiginous problems.
Here is a link to a video that shows these movements. It will not "link" blue where you can just click on it, so copy and paste it into your address bar to see it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VWyPgfMuvM
If these movements don't work for her (and she has repeated them after about 15 minutes to see if a second try will help), then she can go in to a doctor who knows how to do the Epley maneuvers.
I tend not to recommend anti vertigo/antinausea medications like scopalamine as it doesn't really get the vertigo to resolve - it just mostly causes sedation.
I hope this helps.
Information for BPPV
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is pretty common, and I will provide a link below of positional movements your wife can do at home to try to address it.
But first it is important to make sure her vertigo is not from something else, such as a TIA or stroke, or Menniere's disease. If she is having any new onset hearing loss, or if she is having any neurological deficits, such as slurred speech, facial drooping or eyelid or mouth drooping on one side or weakness on one side of the body, then she must go to the ER to be evaluated.
Assuming it is vertigo only, i.e. the room is spinning (and possibly nausea too), there are movements she can do at home to try to get the displaced otoliths back where they should be and not where they cause vertiginous problems.
Here is a link to a video that shows these movements. It will not "link" blue where you can just click on it, so copy and paste it into your address bar to see it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VWyPgfMuvM
If these movements don't work for her (and she has repeated them after about 15 minutes to see if a second try will help), then she can go in to a doctor who knows how to do the Epley maneuvers.
I tend not to recommend anti vertigo/antinausea medications like scopalamine as it doesn't really get the vertigo to resolve - it just mostly causes sedation.
I hope this helps.
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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