This article is written from a layman’s' perspective. Always check with your doctor with any vertigo symptoms (dizziness).
The first time I experienced Vertigo symptoms was right after I had a nasty bout with bronchitis. I had already missed one week of work because of it. On the day I planned on returning to work; I got up when my alarm went off and promptly hit the floor.
I didn't fall to the floor because my legs were weak. I didn't even feel "bad". But I was as dizzy as you could get. Scared out of my wits - I'd never experienced any thing like this before in my life - I crawled my way to the living room and climbed into a chair. The dizziness remained. I made coffee, thinking the Vertigo symptoms would go away. They didn't and I decided to go to the emergency room.
At the emergency room, (as visions of brain tumors and the like presented themselves in my mind) the doctor seemed quite confident as to what my problem was. He asked me a series of questions, ran some tests, did some blood work and gave me some Antivert. He concluded that because of the Bronchitis, I had gotten the Vertigo, and that this was common. Vertigo is also common in the elderly - and it's usually chronic.
He sent me home with my prescription of Antivert. I was out of work for another week, basically chained to my couch or bed. I couldn't do anything else. I could not sit in front of my computer, or watch TV - everything had a tendency to bounce around. I was miserable. The Antivert that was prescribed to me made me incredibly drowsy and I slept a lot. After 3 days, I felt better and not quite so dizzy, but I still was unable to drive at this point, and it took another few days to feel normal.
The best way for me to describe my Vertigo symptoms is this. Don't laugh. It's exactly how I felt.
Have you ever gotten so drunk to the point to where you got the spins? The room starts spinning and twirling taking you for the ride. It only goes away when you lay down and lay completely still. Only with Vertigo symptoms, it doesn't go away.
My mother is prone to Vertigo, she usually gets the Transderm Scop motion sickness patch. She says it doesn't make her drowsy and vertigo symptoms go away within 24 hours. I've never tried the patch, I've always taken Antivert, prescribed by a doctor or you can also buy generic Antivert over the counter at any drugstore. Look for Meclizine on the box, or the brand Bonine.
My understanding of one of the causes of Vertigo is an imbalance of the crystals in the ear, which make sense, at least for me since I only get Vertigo after I've been sick with Bronchitis.
If you are experiencing vertigo symptoms, contact your doctor immediately.