What makes older people dizzy?


Traditional therapy methods

In addition to the treatment prescribed in the clinic, traditional medicine recipes can be used to improve well-being.
In order not to worsen your health, before using herbs and other folk remedies, you should consult your doctor. Herbal tea, consisting of several components, will give you strength and make you feel more energetic, calmer and more confident. For this you will need: chamomile, valerian root and lemon balm. All components are taken in equal proportions and mixed. Pour a teaspoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water in the evening, and in the morning add a spoonful of honey and 5 ml of natural apple vinegar. Drink 100 ml on an empty stomach. The second half is taken before meals in the afternoon. Treatment will take 14 days.

Ginger drink is an excellent remedy for improving performance and toning blood vessels. To prepare it you will need ginger root, which is ground into powder. It is enough to throw a little powder (at the tip of a teaspoon) into a glass of warm water and drink this drink 3 times a day to relieve an attack of dizziness and restore performance. Some advise not to prepare the powder, but to use a small piece of the root, which is also thrown into hot water.

Another delicious tonic decoction is prepared from hawthorn inflorescences. It helps elderly patients with heart and vascular problems to cope with attacks of dizziness. The raw materials are crushed and a tablespoon is added to a glass of water. Boil, leave for a quarter of an hour, distribute into 3 doses. It's better to drink before meals.

Juices help improve your condition. You can drink pomegranate juice, apple juice, beet juice, carrot juice, and pumpkin juice. Some recommend making delicious mixes from them.

How to help an older person if he has dizziness

To prevent a person from falling during dizziness, you need to do the following:

  • Help him walk to the bed and lay him on his back.
  • If the older person's limbs are cold, warm them with slow warming movements.
  • Apply a cold water compress to your forehead.
  • Provide air access by opening the window.
  • Give a mug of warm sweet tea to drink.
  • If an older person is taking medication for vertigo, they should take it.

In some cases, inhaling ammonia vapor will help relieve dizziness.

how to help an elderly person

Treatment

Before starting treatment, you should consult your doctor. First of all, you should visit a general practitioner, who, after examination and questioning, can refer you to other specialists (neurologist, endocrinologist, ophthalmologist, otolaryngologist, psychiatrist, oncologist).

Only after examinations is appropriate treatment prescribed. Most often, medications are prescribed to strengthen blood vessels and improve the vestibular system.

Tablets for the treatment of dizziness or pathologies that provoke it are not the only method of therapy. The fight against the disease will be more effective if physiotherapeutic procedures are included in the complex of therapy:

  1. Reflexology.
  2. Healing mud.
  3. Ultraviolet treatment.

Medication

The main treatment is taking medications to strengthen blood vessels, restore tissue metabolism and improve blood circulation. These include “Vazobral”, “Cavinton”, “Sermion”, “Vestibo”, “Tagista” and others. These drugs increase the resistance of blood vessels and the brain to lack of oxygen.

Attention! Cinnarizine - dilates the blood vessels of the brain, reduces the excitability of the vestibular drug, and has a mild antihistamine effect. . Drugs are often used to improve the functioning of the vestibular apparatus, which, moreover, affect the inner ear

These include:

Drugs are often used to improve the functioning of the vestibular apparatus, which, moreover, affect the inner ear. These include:

  • "Relanium";
  • "Flunarizine";
  • "Dramina"

When atrial fibrillation is detected, appropriate medications are prescribed: calcium and beta blockers, anticoagulants, Cordarone, Digoxin, Novocainamide, Propafenone and other anti-fibrillation agents.

If the cause of dizziness is depression, nervous disorders or pathological fatigue, it is advisable to take tranquilizers and other sedatives, for example: “Sonapax”, “Afobazol”, for mild disorders “Novopassit”, “Glycine”, “Motherwort-Forte”.

For nausea, Cerucal, Meclozin, Promethazine, and Bonin are prescribed. In addition to taking medications, daily walks in the fresh air and exercise are recommended.

Folk

When taking medications, it is allowed to use traditional medicine. It is advisable to consult a doctor before this so as not to cause the opposite effect.

The main herbal treatments are soothing decoctions and tinctures:

  1. Chamomile and mint tea. To prepare them, take a tablespoon of dry herb and pour a glass of boiling water. After 15 minutes, the broth must be strained. If desired and you are not allergic, you can add a teaspoon of honey.
  2. Another recipe for a soothing mixture: take a teaspoon of chamomile, mint and valerian flowers for half a liter of boiling water.
    Brew the mixture in a thermos for 12 hours. It is best to make a decoction before bed, and in the morning, strain and add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and honey. Take before each meal.Important! For frequent dizziness and weakness, dry ginger root powder is a great help. Taken in its pure form three times a day before meals. Another tonic is garlic, dried and ground. It is possible to take these powders simultaneously.
  3. Hawthorn is excellent for strengthening blood vessels and relieving spasms. An infusion of hawthorn herb prepared at home has a greater effect than a pharmacy tincture with alcohol. To prepare a decoction for the day, a tablespoon of dried herb per 200 ml is enough. boiling water Infuse the decoction for half an hour.
  4. Using plantain infusion for two weeks will permanently relieve symptoms of dizziness, and a decoction of clover flowers will not only strengthen blood vessels, but also boost immunity.
  5. If dizziness is accompanied by noise in the head, you need to take a decoction of lemon balm. To prepare it for 500 ml. boiling water, take two tablespoons of lemon balm leaves. Take during the day instead of tea.


Dizziness in people over 60 years of age


Dizziness is many times more common in women than in men

A disorder caused by disruption of the mechanisms that maintain body balance is called vertigo. It is accompanied by a feeling of objects rotating around the body, a feeling of impending loss of consciousness, and nausea. With age, the condition of the vestibular apparatus worsens, atherosclerotic plaques appear, the blood thickens, and microthrombi form. These factors lead to vertigo. The situation can also be caused by external circumstances: motion sickness in transport, severe nervous tension, stress.

The problem is 2-4 times more common in women than in men. The situation is associated with the onset of menopause. The causes of dizziness in women over 60 years of age are associated with hormonal imbalance. Lack of hormones negatively affects the condition of the blood vessels in the brain and provokes surges in blood pressure. A change in the size of the vascular lumen (decrease or increase) leads to tachycardia and heart rhythm disturbances.

If an unpleasant condition appears once and does not recur regularly, it could be provoked by:

  • being in a stuffy room, lack of oxygen;
  • increased physical activity (carrying weights, working in the garden);
  • poor quality food, hunger;
  • lack of sleep.

Frequent dizziness in the elderly may indicate the presence of serious health problems.

Other treatments

Treating dizziness in older people involves more than just taking medications. This problem can also be combated with the help of physiotherapeutic procedures:

  • reflexology;
  • healing mud;
  • ultraviolet radiation;
  • massages;
  • physical therapy.

Physical therapy, like other methods, should be prescribed by the attending physician

It is important to choose gentle exercises that will improve the condition of the spine. Massage improves metabolic processes in the body and blood circulation

Most older people try to improve their well-being without the help of medications. For this, folk remedies are used. Some of them have a positive effect, but before starting such treatment, you need to consult a specialist.

They get rid of dizziness with the help of decoctions, juices, infusions, which have a positive effect on the condition of the vestibular apparatus, relieve nervousness, cleanse blood vessels, strengthen their walls, and normalize blood circulation.

If a person feels dizzy, then experts recommend giving up store-bought teas and replacing them with infusions of medicinal plants. They are brewed in pots, thermoses, and drinks are made from one plant or herbal collection, roots or fruits of plants.

The following have a positive effect on the body's condition:

  • elecampane root It has a positive effect on the vestibular apparatus, eliminates spatial orientation disorders, and helps eliminate parasites from the body, which often cause dizziness. Increases the body's resistance to infections and strengthens the immune system;
  • sea ​​kale. Cleanses all organs and systems of toxins, saturates the body with iodine, strengthens the nervous system. Quickly eliminates dizziness by saturating the body with nutrients;
  • linden, lemon balm, mint. These herbs should be mixed in equal quantities and infusions and teas should be prepared from them. With their help you can get rid of even severe dizziness;
  • hawthorn. Positively affects the state of the cardiovascular system, due to disturbances in the functioning of which dizziness may occur;
  • parsley seeds. Relieves dizziness during menopause.

First aid for severe dizziness


What to do when you feel dizzy?
Severe dizziness is a serious danger. Therefore, you need to know how to properly provide first aid to a person in such a condition.

Necessary:

  1. Help him lie down or sit down.
  2. Remove his constricting clothing and unbutton his collar.
  3. If possible, give a few drops of Atropine.

If a person becomes ill on the street, then you need to help him move into the shade .

If you feel dizzy indoors, you should open the windows for fresh air.

It is important to remember that if the patient’s condition does not improve, he experiences weakness, his speech becomes incoherent, then medical help must be urgently called.

Allowed anti-dizziness pills

After identifying the patient’s diagnosis, adequate treatment is selected that will not cause an exacerbation of other existing diseases, and a list of suitable and available medications is offered.

For patients of any age, it is important to find inexpensive but effective tablets. Also find out which ones to take for nausea and vertigo in an emergency

Drugs for dizziness always have many analogues, both expensive or cheap tablets, and less effective ones.

Hootropes

Neurometabolic stimulants have a positive effect on the functioning of brain cells, but with caution in elderly people with blood pressure, as they cause changes in blood pressure. Nootropic drugs are prescribed if the patient experiences dizziness due to stressful situations, increased fatigue, and memory loss.

After a course of treatment, there is an improvement in concentration and thinking. Patients feel that the pills solve their problems.

Glycine

Aminoacetic acid, found in glycine, reduces psycho-emotional stress. Parents buy glycine for their children for exams or important events.

The drug increases mental capacity and improves mood. In patients after a stroke, taking glycine reduces the severity of brain disorders.

Piracetam

Piracetam affects cerebral circulation and enhances metabolic processes. The drug is effective for Parkinson's disease if it is of vascular origin. During Alzheimer's disease, it relieves symptoms of the disease.

Vinpocetine

A micro-stroke or a progressive stroke requires good remedies for dizziness to increase blood flow to the brain and nourish its cells. The drug helps fight hypoxia by facilitating oxygen transport.

Bilobil

If it is difficult to get up in the morning due to weakness and darkening of the eyes, and the patient also suffers from tinnitus, then the herbal medicine Bilobil will improve the supply of oxygen and glucose to brain cells and tissues. The walls of blood vessels become more elastic and stronger.

Cinnarizine

If a patient has problems with blood pressure, then the best medicine for vasodilation and for the vestibular apparatus is cinnarizine. It is also useful for the treatment of vestibulopathy - it reduces the excitability of the vestibular apparatus. The drug increases muscle resistance to hypoxia.

Phenibut

There are many medications that fight anxiety or anxiety, but the most effective remedy is phenibut. It penetrates well into all tissues of the body. Be careful with the dosage as it increases the effect of the sleeping pill.

Anti-inflammatory drugs for vascular compression

Compression of blood vessels occurs due to their squeezing, therefore the lumen decreases and blood circulation worsens. This is caused by cervical osteochondrosis, incorrect position during sleep, and intervertebral hernia.

To reduce inflammation, the following will help:

  • nimesil;
  • betaserk (better betaserk, since Cavinton doesn’t help much);
  • lornoxicam;
  • celecoxib.

Vitamin medicines

It is not always necessary to take medications for dizziness; sometimes, when there is an imbalance and dizziness, the cause is avitaminosis. A lack of B vitamins has this effect.

A vitamin complex is immediately prescribed to compensate for the lack of all vitamins and microelements.

Muscle relaxants to reduce muscle tone

Muscle spasm interferes with the movement of blood through the vessels, causing severe pain (in this case, only urgent injections can save you). But spa is not very effective for dizziness.

  • Decamethonium;
  • Imbretil;
  • Toxiferin.

Antibacterial drugs

Antibacterial medications cause side effects: dizziness, nausea or vomiting, redness of the skin:

  • Tetracycline;
  • Sulfanilamide;
  • Vibramycin.

Bonnin

Bonin is effective for positional paroxysmal positional vertigo, which is caused by turning or tilting the head, or changes in height. According to the instructions, take 25-50 mg of antihistamines and antiemetics for motion sickness an hour before the trip.

Betahistine and cheap analogues

Betahistine is used for vestibular pathology. It improves microcirculation of the labyrinth and conductivity in the neurons of the vestibular nuclei. Analogues:

  • Vestibo;
  • Vertran;
  • Tagista.

Cavinton

The release form of Caviton is a solution for infusion in ampoules. It increases blood circulation in the brain and increases the resistance of neurons to hypoxia. Helps remove the consequences of hemorrhagic stroke.

Betaver

Not all drugs relieve severe dizziness of various origins. Betaver is a modern drug that promotes permeability and microcirculation of the inner ear. Improvements are observed already at the initial stage of treatment.

General and accompanying symptoms of pathology


Dizziness is accompanied by instability and swaying when walking, weakness, nausea, spontaneous nystagmus and blurred vision. Attacks often occur when getting out of bed or a chair, and in most cases go away on their own. In addition to the general signs, the condition is accompanied by the following symptoms:

  • the appearance of perspiration on the forehead, cold sweat;
  • unsteady gait;
  • nausea and vomiting;
  • weakness;
  • coldness in the extremities;
  • hearing loss and tinnitus;
  • numbness of the facial muscles;
  • hand tremors;
  • the appearance of dark spots (floaters) before the eyes.

Depending on the causes of the disease, additional symptoms vary. Pallor, decreased temperature, loss of consciousness and cardiac arrhythmia are dangerous manifestations that may be symptoms of a heart attack. The patient needs immediate hospitalization.

Causes of dizziness in old age

Treatment of dizziness is never carried out without diagnosing a specific pathology. An elderly person begins to feel dizzy for many reasons. It can even be a combination of diseases.

Tendency to migraines

A genetic predisposition to migraines provokes unpleasant sensations already at a young age. Migraines vary in severity and occur spontaneously or in a specific sequence.

Severe migraines are accompanied by decreased performance, nausea, sudden mood swings and dizziness. In this case, it manifests itself due to spasm of the labyrinthine artery of the vestibular apparatus, vestibulopathy occurs.

Vascular insufficiency

This is a pathology of the circulatory system as a whole. The vessels lose their elasticity, their tone is impaired, which makes the blood flow through them worse. Poor blood circulation causes oxygen starvation.

Clinically, vascular insufficiency is manifested by sudden dizziness, accompanied by ringing in the ears, cold extremities, and loss of consciousness.

Age-related changes in the body

Menopause brings a lot of unpleasant symptoms to every woman aged 40-45 years. The reproductive function of the body is suppressed, so the body begins to rebuild. Hormones that were part of the monthly cycle and responsible for a number of functions disappear.

Organs adapt to the new blood composition and learn to work in a completely different way. It is impossible to cure dizziness in this case; they will go away on their own over time. But drugs to improve brain function save the situation.

Heredity

A hereditary predisposition to dizziness manifests itself in old age. This is mainly vegetative-vascular dystonia. Medicines for dizziness with VSD are not always sufficient; it is recommended to strengthen the body, walk more and improve nutrition.

Side effects of drugs

Medicines are perceived by each patient individually to varying degrees, so they cannot be called a low-quality batch or a cheap analogue, although this option also occurs.

Dizziness occurs due to toxic poisoning after an overdose, or due to taking blood pressure-lowering drugs. In this case, it is advised to stop taking anti-dizziness pills for older people or reduce the dosage.

Vision problems

Vision deterioration in the elderly begins in 80% of cases. A change in the perception of the picture of the surrounding world is unusual for the brain, which causes dizziness. Incorrectly chosen glasses impair coordination.

Development of ischemia

Coronary heart disease is one of the most common diseases in the modern world. It includes pathologies: myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis.

The cause of its occurrence in an elderly person is considered to be blood clots, plaques, a decrease in the lumen of the arteries, and inflammation inside the vessels.

Atherosclerosis

Arterial disease characterized by the attachment of cholesterol plaques to the walls of the arteries. The disease is provoked by a sedentary lifestyle and fatty foods. Reducing the lumen of the arteries leads to disruption of blood supply to the brain, which can cause dizziness.

Drug treatment does not help solve the problem on its own, so moderate physical activity (walking, swimming pool) and diet are required.

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease causes degenerative pathological changes in the central nervous system. It appears only in old age.

This is a frightening disease for both the patient and his loved ones, as it gradually changes the person they know. Symptoms include shaking paralysis, sleep disturbance, apathy, increased fatigue, and impaired sense of smell.

Diabetes

Diabetes affects the condition of older patients. This is manifested by impaired consciousness, poor immunity, and frequent dizziness. Vertigo is accompanied by pain in the head.

Dizziness in various diseases

The symptoms that accompany dizziness in the elderly help determine which system has a problem.

DiseaseManifestations
Ear infectionDecreased hearing acuity, purulent discharge
Cervical osteochondrosisNoise or ringing in the ears, increased dizziness when turning the neck too sharply
StrokeWeakness, slurred speech, unsteady gait, sometimes loss of balance
NeoplasmsChanges in the strength of dizziness when changing position, headache
Head or spine injuriesNausea, vomiting, severe headaches

Therapeutic measures

Treatment of dizziness in older people includes conservative and surgical medical care. Surgeries are rarely performed on elderly patients, since there is a high risk of mortality for the patient on the operating table. Drug treatment of vestibular disorders is more often used; alternative methods are also acceptable.

Choice of drugs

Based on the diagnostic results, the attending physician determines which medications to prescribe to the patient. Treatment will vary depending on the type of vestibular vertigo and its causes. First of all, therapy is aimed at eliminating symptoms.

Drugs used to treat dizziness

What tablets and other dosage forms are indicated for a patient with dizziness? Medicines for dizziness in older people are prescribed in tablet form and in ampoules for injection.

Tablets for dizziness for elderly patients are represented by several groups of drugs and are prescribed in accordance with the root cause of the symptoms. Fixed assets from these groups are presented in the table (Table 1).

Table 1 - Medicines for dizziness

Drug groupsFixed assets
Nootropic drugs (improve the conduction of nerve impulses, increase blood flow in the brain). Nootropics are often prescribed for routine therapy of patients with various types of cerebral circulatory disorders, as well as for neuritis and neuroses Glycine, Cinnarizine, Phenotropil, Piracetam, Bilobil.
Benzodiazepines (increase inhibition in synapses, eliminate dizziness)Diazepam (Relanium), Clonazepam (Antelepsin, Rivotril).
Antiemetic drugsProchlorperazine (Meterazine) and Promethazine (Pipolfen), Metoclopramide (Cerucal - intramuscular injections) and Domperidone (Motilium).
AntihistaminesDimenhydrinate (Dramina), Diphenhydramine (Diphenhydramine - intramuscular), Meclozine (Bonine).

If a tumor formation is detected, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are indicated. If dizziness is of an infectious nature, then antibiotics or antiviral drugs are prescribed.

People with MI and angina pectoris are prescribed standard therapy: beta-blockers (Metaprolol), statins (Simvastatin), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (Enalapril). In old age, medications for dizziness can cause side effects, so they should be taken strictly as prescribed by your doctor.

Additional treatments

A popular auxiliary method of treating dizziness is therapeutic exercises. The patient needs to perform exercises to train the vestibular apparatus. On the eve of training, you should not take sedative medications, as they cause a decrease in reaction.

Gymnastics for dizziness:

  • standing on toes;
  • quick nods, tilts of the head forward or to the sides (sitting, standing);
  • quickly moving the body from a sitting position to a lying position;
  • rapid bends forward from a standing position, then a quick return to the starting position.

Vestibular gymnastics

In addition to therapeutic exercises for older people, physiotherapy is prescribed for dizziness (therapeutic massage, the use of leeches to thin the blood, mud therapy, swimming, ozokerite therapy, ultraviolet radiation).

You can treat dizziness with folk remedies. For this purpose, decoctions, infusions, and tinctures based on the following medicinal plants are used:

  • cockerel seeds;
  • elecampane root;
  • dried kelp;
  • lemon balm;
  • mint;
  • hawthorn flowers;
  • linden color;
  • garlic;
  • honey

Drink infusions and decoctions carefully, as they can cause an allergic reaction. Before using traditional recipes, you must consult a doctor

Women in menopause should use herbs especially carefully, as they can change hormonal levels and increase hot flashes and dizziness. If a woman drank tinctures or decoctions, after which the attacks intensified, the medicine should be discontinued immediately.

If an elderly patient feels dizzy, you should consult a doctor. You cannot treat or ignore vestibular disorders on your own.

It is also worth remembering that, despite all the effectiveness of folk remedies, it will not be possible to cure the disease with their help alone.

The treatment of dizziness in older people must be approached comprehensively, using several groups of medications and alternative techniques. Elderly patients are treated under the supervision of a specialist in order to promptly eliminate any complications that arise during the use of drug therapy or other treatment methods.

Features of diagnosing a pathological condition


To find out the cause of dizziness, first of all, its type is determined - systemic or non-systemic. A collection of complaints, anamnesis, and a neurological examination is carried out. Functional tests are prescribed to check the functioning of the vestibular apparatus. Coordination and positional tests are carried out. The patient is warned in advance about the occurrence of dizziness during the procedure.

Instrumental diagnostics required:

  • X-rays of the skull – these images are important for identifying possible traumatic injuries.
  • MRI and CT - the procedure allows you to notice neoplasms and structural changes.
  • Doppler ultrasound of cerebral vessels helps to establish vascular patency.
  • ECG and ultrasound of the heart reveals problems in the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

A laboratory blood test informs about the presence of inflammatory processes and a previous infectious disease.

Making a diagnosis is the work of several specialists: a therapist, an otolaryngologist, a neurologist, and a cardiologist.

Ailments accompanied by dizziness

  • Ear diseases – acute and chronic otitis media, otosclerosis.
  • Migraine – dark vision and dizziness an hour before the attack.
  • Diseases of the cerebellum - tumors, degeneration of the structure.
  • Neurological diseases - multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease.
  • Oncological diseases of the brain - attacks develop gradually and intensify with a change in head tilt.
  • Damage to the cervical spine - trauma, deforming ostosis.
  • Seasickness.
  • Neuropsychiatric disorders.
  • Meniere's disease - the patient not only feels dizzy and weak, but also experiences tinnitus and vomiting.
  • Cervical osteochondrosis - darkening of the eyes and dizziness with sudden movements in the cervical region, pain and limited movement are felt.
  • Prelymphatic fistula - characterized by hearing loss, tinnitus, nausea, vomiting, dizziness.
  • Darkness in the eyes and dizziness are a common symptom of vertebrobasilar insufficiency. This disease occurs with atherosclerotic damage to large vessels, hypertension and dyscirculatory encephalopathy - very common “companions” of older people.
  • Severe dizziness develops with acute disorders of cerebral blood supply - ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke of the brain stem and cerebellum. But that is not all. With neurological disorders, not only does the head become very dizzy, but other neurological symptoms also appear - tinnitus, spots in front of the eyes, nausea, vomiting, so treatment should begin with a complete collection of all symptoms.
  • Pathological changes in the eye muscles - with frequent changes in the picture before the eyes, the muscular system does not have time to focus.

my vision gets dark and my head feels dizzy

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