Vertigo

Vertigo gets better in most cases without treatment. See a GP if it keeps coming back or is affecting your daily life.

Check if it's vertigo

Vertigo feels like you or everything around you is spinning – enough to affect your balance. It's more than just feeling dizzy.

A vertigo attack can last from a few seconds to hours. If you have severe vertigo it can last for many days or months.

Help with vertigo

There are things you can do to ease vertigo symptoms when they're happening, and to reduce the number of episodes you have.

See a GP if you:

• have vertigo that won't go away or keeps coming back

Ask for an urgent appointment if you:

• also have a severe headache
• are vomiting or feel very sick
• have a very high temperature or you feel hot and shivery

Treatment for vertigo

Most cases of vertigo get better without treatment.

Treatment will depend on the cause. Your GP might prescribe antibiotics if it's caused by an infection.

You could also be given special exercises to do to try and correct your balance.

Antihistamines can sometimes help with vertigo symptoms.

What causes vertigo

Inner ear problems, which affect balance, are the most common causes:

• benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) – where specific head movements cause vertigo
• labyrinthitis – an inner ear infection caused by a cold or flu virus
• vestibular neuronitis – inflammation of the vestibular nerve
• Ménière's disease – a rare inner ear condition, which sometimes involves ringing in the ear (tinnitus) or loss of hearing

Other things that can cause vertigo:

• migraine
• some types of medicine – check the leaflet to see if it's listed as a side effect

Sometimes the cause is unknown.