efaardvark

It is irritating.  I really needed to spend this weekend catching up on things.  As for how long.. I went to urgent-care since it was the weekend.  They couldn't give me a definite duration, but the pills they gave me to take "as needed" are enough to last for at least a week.  I plan to call my regular doctor as soon as his office opens tomorrow (Monday) and schedule a visit so I can get his input and ask more questions. 

So far today has been much better than yesterday when it started.  I haven't even had to take any more of the medicine.  I'm optimistic at the moment that this is a temporary thing of a few days.  If it as much better tomorrow morning compared to today as it was today compared to yesterday then I'll probably even try going to work.  Work is only a few, non-freeway miles away, and I can take the bus if I don't feel like driving.  (Though if I don't feel confident enough to be driving then that's probably a good enough reason to not go at all.  I do have enough unused "PTO" - Paid Time Off - accrued that my boss shouldn't give me too much grief if I want to take a day or three off.)

Be grateful that it sounds like they expect it to be temporary. I’ve been dealing with Meniere’s  Disease for about 10 years now. In addition to constant ringing and being practically deaf in one ear, I have bouts of dizziness similar to what you describe.  Most “spells” are just feeling a little lightheaded/woozy but can usually get by if you move slowly and try not to turn your head suddenly. But once or twice a year I get one of the severe cases. In addition to feeling like your spinning or falling even when you’re lying down, break out in a cold sweat and can’t raise my head without throwing up. Ran up some hefty emergency room bills the first couple times it happened since they ran all these tests thinking I had a heart attack or stroke. All you can really do is take the pills (Meclizine & Phenegren), lie down and wait for it to pass (usually a couple hours, though I feel weak the rest of the day).

Meclizine is the stuff they gave me.  While it seems to work, it is an antihistamine.  Histamines are what causes inflammation and irritation like the itchy eyes and nose during pollen season.  Histamines also stimulate the nervous system in general, so antihistamines tend to relax me and make me dopey.  If I take a couple Benadryl I'd better have a pillow handy because I'll probably be asleep in 20 minutes, tops!  I can be groggy and sluggish for as much as a day after taking them too.

This Meclizine seems to hit me the same way.  The pills they gave me are chewables and seem to hit me even faster than Benadryl.  After I took the first one I laid down to wait for it to take effect.  The next thing I knew it was 6 hours later and didn't even remember falling asleep!  They leave me groggy and lethargic too, just like the Benadryls.  Yesterday I took 3, one every 8hrs, while the worst of the dizziness lasted and basically slept the entire day.   

Today it seemed much less so I decided to try doing without the pills & see if I could salvage some of the weekend.  So far so good.  The dizzy is basically gone as long as I keep my head level, though sitting up or laying down can trigger half a minute or so of spinning.  No sit-ups for a while.   Sitting upright watching the TV and occasionally getting up to deal with the washer and dryer seemed fine, as long as I was careful not to tip my head suddenly.  It seems like rotating my head as I walk around isn't a problem anymore.  Only nodding foreward or back suddenly, or side to side, are still a bad idea.