When the room spins, you want straight answers fast. Vertigo isn't a disease but a symptom from inner ear problems, migraines, or even medications. Treating vertigo includes maneuvers, rehab, and medicine. This guide focuses on the drugs that help with dizziness, how they work, when to use them, and safety tips so you don't make things worse.
Start with the common options. Meclizine and dimenhydrinate are over-the-counter choices that reduce nausea and motion sickness-type vertigo. They help short term and are easy to get, but they often make you sleepy. Betahistine is used in many countries for Meniere's disease and can reduce spinning attacks for some people, though availability varies. Diazepam and other benzodiazepines calm the inner ear and brain signals causing vertigo; they work quickly but are best for short courses because of drowsiness and dependence risk.
Prescription options include antiemetics like prochlorperazine or promethazine. These control severe nausea and can make you feel more stable during an episode. In vestibular neuritis, a short steroid course may be prescribed early to reduce inflammation. For migraine-related vertigo, doctors might use migraine preventives such as beta blockers or anticonvulsants; gabapentin is sometimes tried for chronic dizzy sensations.
Remember meds aren't the only answer. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) often clears after a few Epley maneuvers performed by a clinician or trained therapist. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) is a long-term plan of exercises that helps the brain re-learn balance and cut down on dizziness over weeks to months.
Avoid driving, operating heavy machinery, or mixing alcohol with vertigo drugs until you know how they affect you. Tell your doctor about other medications—anticholinergics, opioids, or sedatives can interact and make symptoms worse. Older adults are at higher fall risk, so lower doses and close monitoring are wise.
If vertigo starts suddenly with a severe headache, double vision, weakness, difficulty speaking, or numbness, seek emergency care—these could be stroke signs. Also see a clinician if vertigo is severe, recurring, or not improving after a few days despite treatment.
How to choose a med. For brief motion-sickness style episodes, start with OTC meclizine. For intense nausea, ask about a prescription antiemetic. For recurrent attacks linked to Meniere's or migraines, a specialist referral makes sense—ENTs and neurologists can test balance, imaging, and offer longer-term therapies.
If you're unsure what to try first, ask for a quick assessment and a plan that combines a short medication trial, positional maneuvers, and guided exercises. That mix often stops spinning faster than medicines alone.
Practical quick tips: keep hydrated, eat small bland meals during attacks, sit or lie down until spinning eases, and use support when standing to prevent falls. Track triggers—certain positions, loud noises or stress can predict attacks. Keep a medication list and show it to any new clinician. If you travel, pack motion sickness meds and copies of prescriptions to avoid gaps in care. Ask about balance tests and follow-up.
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