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In the middle of the night I sat up rather quickly to pull on an extra blanket and the room started spinning counterclockwise. This vertigo lasted a few minutes. This happened to me once before, a couple years ago (before my dx), and also was in the middle of the night when I got up to go to the bathroom. I will ask my neuro, but I'm wondering how likely this is MS related, or did I simply jog my inner ear when I sat up quickly? How many of you have had vertigo spells like this?

carolsue

My first MS symptom was vertigo. The Dr. thought I had a virus in my inner ear. I never felt the same after the vertigo and three years later I was dx with MS.

Hi

I'd definitely go with asking your neuro because it may or may not be the MS.

I've had vertigo several times for 30 seconds or less just in the normal course of the day that I attribute to MS, but who knows???

It's so much fun trying to sort all of these weird things out.

Take care

Sharon

Just a thought- Carolsue are you on Amatadine for fatigue because that can also cause vertigo.

hello,

last summer i took my daughter to a amusement park for her birthday and all the rides go up and around, so i was constanly looking up at her, well for a week and a half i had vertigo so bad that evry time i sat up i threw up from being so dizzy, my doctor (when i was finally able to sit up for more then 5 mins) gave me antivert, and helped immediately.

teachk: no, I'm not on any meds for fatigue, but that's good to know.
sunshine12: I'm making note of antivert in case this gets worse! thanks!

Interestingly, when I told my sister about this brief vertigo bout, she said she recently had one too! She was thinking it was a new manifestation of migraines, which plague her periodically. I made sure she wasn't talking about mere dizziness--she said the world was definitely spinning. (Counterclockwise, in fact!) Hers lasted long enough to make her nauseous. She wants to seek a medical opinion on hers--it will be interesting to compare notes.

This is probably one of those "fun" things I'll never know for sure if it's MS or not. Nice to know I'm not the only one!

Vertigo is definitely something that happens in a lot of people with MS. I have had regular bouts of vertigo for a few seconds to half a minute long. I know others who have had it for extended periods. It can also be caused by drugs or viruses as has been mentioned. Here's an interesting treatment that doesn't require medication, only physical manipulation, that might be tried if you have problems going forward:
http://www.bostoncure.org:8080/article. ... ode=nested

As a followup to my original vertigo post, my sister (who does not have MS) saw a neuro about her vertigo. He seemed to think it was BPPV (benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo--click on Art's link above), and if it got worse for her, she might consider the physical manipulation that Art mentioned. When I saw my neuro, I asked about whether my vertigo episode was due to my MS or not. He didn't seem to think so because it was very short-lived and occurred when I sat up quickly in bed (which is more characteristic of something like BPPV).

For those of you with vertigo that you think may or may not be MS-related, you should read the abstract of the article in the link that Art posted. Sounds like BPPV, not MS activity, was the most common cause of vertigo for the MS patients studied. BPPV can be diagnosed and treated. Without drugs, for a change!

carolsue

My first symptoms were also of the vertigo variety - but I only noticed it at high speeds while driving. (un)fortunately soon thereafter, I started having real vision problems (nystagmus and diploplia) which was something tangible they could see and helped lead to a quicker diagnosis.

Was really frustrating back then. Knew something was wrong with me but couldn't SHOW them anything.... Then when my vision went to shit -- I had something they could start with. (Funny, it was actually an eye doc who sent me to my first MRI that sent me on this journey)

My neuro described it this way to me.... There is inner ear dizzy and brain dizzy which may feel the same to the patient, but they need to be treated in a different manner.

Inner ear dizzy is generally treated with something like antivert (which was their first stab at my problem way back when).... I found the stuff made me more "vertigoish" than I already was.

Since I guess I'm brain dizzy - we finally found Alprazolam (a tranquilizer) at low doses did the trick for me.

For what its's worth....

Blessings on your journey
=Greg

HAd my first encounter with vertigo (BPPV) last week. Went to the same hospital as my MS clinic and my nurse came down to emergency while I was waiting for a bed in observation. She determiend that it was not caused by the Teriflunomide I am taking, and that it is strictly on its own.

This was a violent case with very severe rotation of everything around me, enough to get me nauseated, but did not vomit since I was void of any food.

No medication and just taking it easy. Still do not feel 100% although I am dizzy at times for a few seconds, the vertigo has not come back.

Not expecting or knowing what vertigo is, I was definitely concerned at the time. The doctor was able to trigger it again and it was definitely a terrible experience.

Anyways, Monday I have an extended appt at the MS clinic and I'll find out more from the MS doc and the neuro.

BTW, no medication and it seemed to have subsided on its own.

Based on my google research, BPPV is not associated with MS although some MS sufferers do encounter vertigo.

Just hope none of you get it.

I have had vertigo for a month!!! It is almost gone now 90%, still a bit of dizziness. As mine has lasted so long it is unlikely to be BPPV but nerve issues, but if you have sudden attacks lasting a few seconds/minutes it probably is BPPV.

L

Thanks for the reply. The first episode lasted several minutes in the dentist's chair, everything was flying around me and I got very hot and perspired. The second attack occurred for a few minutes when the doctor triggered it in the hospital. Same consequences.

He performed the maneuver to repair it but it didn't work. He said sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. There is an iPhone app DizzyFix with the same procedure but using a gizmo to follow the crystals as they leave the inner tubes back into the inner ear. If it persists, I may end up coughing up the $140.00 for it, but he gave me no medication, except for the double shot of gravol in the hospital.

No way there is an app for it?!!! How funny, I will ask my boyfriend tonight to download it;)

Sure is! Strangely enough, the front page of the newspaper, the following day, had a full featured article on Vertigo and the research that a doctor here in Ottawa has done on it and the iPhone app along with it.

DIZZYFIX is the app and it is free. Basically an advertisement for this gizmo and how to use it. Apparently a prescription in the US but not here in Canada. Videos and everything.