Q When a severe vertigo attack suddenly hits, what should I do right away at home?
A Immediately lie down or sit in a safe place to prevent falls, keep your head still, and fix your gaze on one point. If nausea or vomiting is severe, take an antiemetic and rest quietly. If the vertigo comes with one-sided paralysis or a speech disturbance, go to the emergency room at once.
Detailed Answer
During a Meniere's attack, the greatest danger is falling. When a warning sensation (increased ear fullness or tinnitus) comes, immediately sit or lie down and keep your head still. Fixing your gaze on a single point reduces the vertigo more than closing your eyes. If nausea and vomiting are severe, take the antiemetic you have been prescribed. An attack usually subsides after 20 minutes to several hours, and waiting quietly while lying down is best. If it is the first time you experience such extreme vertigo, or if it is accompanied by one-sided paralysis, double vision, or a speech disturbance, you must go to the emergency room.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang, our long-term goal is to reduce the attacks themselves by steadily resolving phlegm-fluid during the stable periods between attacks. In the stable period right after an attack, restore the Spleen-Stomach with warm, easily digestible foods, and avoid cold drinks and irritating foods so that fluid-dampness stagnation does not recur. Abdominal breathing to calm autonomic nervous tension also helps recovery after an attack.
Related FAQs
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Q
Can Meniere's disease be completely cured, or is it a condition I have to manage for life?
#Possibility / Realistic Goals
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Q
I'm constantly anxious because I never know when an attack will come, and I can't even go out anymore. Is psychological distress also something you treat?
#Comorbidities
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Q
What happens if Meniere's, which started in one ear, spreads to the other ear as well?
#Comorbidities
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Q
What daily habits are important for preventing Meniere's attacks in everyday life?
#Lifestyle Management
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Q
During a vertigo attack, the vomiting is severe and it lasts more than twelve hours. What are the criteria for going to the emergency room?
#Safety