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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Severe Vertigo?

I was awaken by severe vertigo that made me sick when I moved my head everything was spinning so fast then I started as if I was going to pass out and my heart was beating fast once I closed my eyes and didn t move it would go away but once I moved my head again it would start over I had my daughter get me a glass of Orange juice and something to eat I started feeling better but the rest of the day I mostly slept and through the night the next day I felt weak and still not normal could this be low blood sugar or low blood pressure I do take blood thinners (had a blood clot removed from my right leg behind my knee about 4yrs ago) plus other meds for hyperthyroidism (graves)
Thu, 10 Aug 2017
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
Dear Patient,
I understand how difficult vertigo can be.
In your case the following points should be taken into consideration
1- You are describing true vertigo and not only a case of imbalance, since everything was spinning. high or low blood pressure can cause imbalance more than vertigo, same goes for hypoglycemia. However it is always recommended that you take your blood sugar level and you blood pressure in similar situations.
2- The fact that the vertigo was severe mainly when you are moving your head, and the fact that the vertigo itself (spinning sensation) does not last for so long is typical for Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). It is not a serious condition however it might reccur mainly when moving your head and can be really bothering. The way to diagnose it is by doing the Dix-Hallpike test. And the treatment is doing epley maneuvers. The test and the treatment can be explained by a physician or you can look for some videos on youtube to explain the test and the epley maneuver.
3- You must be aware that other conditions also can cause vertigo, you must monitor if you have a headache, any weakness in any part of your body, any loss of sensation, any loss of hearing and if any of these conditions are present then more evaluation is needed to rule out other conditions.

Best regards
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What Causes Severe Vertigo?

Dear Patient, I understand how difficult vertigo can be. In your case the following points should be taken into consideration 1- You are describing true vertigo and not only a case of imbalance, since everything was spinning. high or low blood pressure can cause imbalance more than vertigo, same goes for hypoglycemia. However it is always recommended that you take your blood sugar level and you blood pressure in similar situations. 2- The fact that the vertigo was severe mainly when you are moving your head, and the fact that the vertigo itself (spinning sensation) does not last for so long is typical for Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). It is not a serious condition however it might reccur mainly when moving your head and can be really bothering. The way to diagnose it is by doing the Dix-Hallpike test. And the treatment is doing epley maneuvers. The test and the treatment can be explained by a physician or you can look for some videos on youtube to explain the test and the epley maneuver. 3- You must be aware that other conditions also can cause vertigo, you must monitor if you have a headache, any weakness in any part of your body, any loss of sensation, any loss of hearing and if any of these conditions are present then more evaluation is needed to rule out other conditions. Best regards