Vertigo and out of hours service broken

[Redburnett]

I have severe vertigo which has developed after an ear infection treated with antibiotics. Every time I try to get up I completely lose my balance and have to hold onto something while the world spins around me and I then get nausea and throw up, or retch. My DH phoned 111 around 1.15pm today and after a long wait I spoke to an adviser who referred me as an urgent case to be contacted by a prescribing practitioner within one hour. After 4 hours I have not been contacted by the out of hours service for our area, which is GoToDoc.
If anyone has any advice for relieving the symptoms I would be very grateful. I am OK in that I can just lie in bed and stay still with my DH on hand, but this experience is my personal reminder of the depressing state of our NHS. If I lived alone I would feel absolutely desperate.

You can buy Stugeron tablets over the counter. Take two as a loading dose, then one more after eight hours. Very effective for vertigo - I use them when I get labyrinthitis.

Look up the Epley Manoeuvre on which is the 2nd video down on the left on this page - I had this about a year ago and NHS direct told me to look it up - thankfully it worked.

www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/services/physiotherapy/support-videos/vertigo/

Thank you so much for your advice, I've sent DH for the tablets and will checkout the video.

The Epley Manoeuvre is incredible! My GP did it for me when I had horrendous vertigo following an ear infection and it was honestly like magic. I’d gone in there with cuts and bruises all over my knees like a 5 year old from constantly losing my balance 😂 left feeling like a brand new woman!

I'm another one to recommend Stugeron. It's the over the counter version of what the Dr would prescribe ( and much cheaper than a prescription). I always have it on hand incase it starts.
I hope you're feeling better soon

Epley will only work if you have BPPV (it is to put rogue crystals back in place in your ear canal). It doesn’t sound like that is your problem (just from what you’ve said about an ear infection etc). Vertigo is really scary though so I hope you get help soon 💐

Just read a previous poster, you can tell if it’s BPPV as you get nystagmus (eyes flicker from side to side) usually when you lie on one side. It’s usually from calcium deposits and there’s often no rhyme or reason for it.

I suffer with vertigo quite regularly, epley did nothing for me at all. I was dx with BPPV, that was not the correct dx. A few years later dx with Transverse Myelitis and then MS, don’t be fobbed off, ask for referral to Neurologist an MRI scan could rule out serious diseases. Hoping you feel much better soon OP.

Thank you all for your messages. The pharmacist would not sell DH the Stugeron, advised I needed something only available on prescription. I am still waiting for the 111 call.

Can he go to another pharmacy, he needs to say its for travel sickness as thats what it licenced for. Dont mention vertigo!

I started with vertigo in 2010. Kept throwing up. It's awful. But I got no help back then either. Couldn't get an urgent gp appointment for several days. They gave me prochlorperazineanti, an anti nausea medicine, and a hand out on the Epley movement for me to do myself. Neither worked.

So I don't think this is anything with a nhs service breakdown. It was ever thus.

The gp said it was BPPV. But I think she was wrong and for me it's stress related. I do still get it, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for weeks. It's always at a time of great stress and it goes as soon as the problem is solved. The only way I could deal with it is by keeping my head still and preferably sleeping.

Epley only works for bpppv - it moves tye crystals. Bpppv is v specific type and not what you describe.
i hope you get the right prescription- I’m on long term meds for Menieres but I don’t think they’d prescribe that for post/viral vertigo.
i get an attack about once a year now, it’s horrific so I totally sympathise. Last time I threw up at a work event.

Ps: only thing that works for me when I have an attack is to go to bed or lie down where I am. If I try to move it’s worse and I throw up. Always feel better after being sick. I’ve had it for over 10 years now - have had all tests under sun inc MRIs!

You have my sympathy I had this last year it was awful! I was bed bound for about 3 days and still dizzy spells for about a week. It was def worst in day 1 though the medication helped a little. I was also given an anti sickness injection but it didn't work.

They actually sent an ambulance after my husband called 111 as my body temp went from high to very low and my whole body was shaking, I felt like I was about to fit. I cldnt get up. Getting out to the ambulance was torture they practically had to carry me and we needed a few attempts and I kept being sick and fainting.

Those sturgeon tablets everyone mentions I get them for travelling but maybe they cld help while u wait just get ur dh to say it's for a flight!

Thank you very much for all your kind and helpful messages. A 111 doctor did call me in the evening, it turned out he had been given the wrong mobile number (a missing digit) which probably explains the delay, he must have had to look for my landline number on the NHS spine. He prescribed betahistidine but I am unsure about it as it is making me incredibly nauseous. I will probably ask the GP to see me tomorrow as I do think it is most likely a result of the ear/viral infection. I am a bit better today thankfully, at least I can get up and move round the house even if I wobble a bit. Thank you again for the advice, it is really helpful to hear others' experiences.