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I Am Having A Sudden Light Headed Feeling That Comes

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Posted on Thu, 12 Sep 2019
Question: I am having a sudden light headed feeling that comes on once or twice per day. i ha
ve checked blood pressure and pulse when have such events and it is essentially normal. had an EKG at the Doctor%E2%80%99s office a few days ago and it was normal. it is a strange feeling and leaves me very tired
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dariush Saghafi (3 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Several things to consider with LIGHTHEADEDNESS

Detailed Answer:
Good evening and thank you for your question.

You're not providing very much information to go on such as gender, age, other medical problems you may have (diabetes, hypertension, thyroid problems) or for that matter medications you may be taking for any reason.

The symptom of SUDDEN LIGHTHEADEDNESS 1-2x/day can be caused by at least several entities. For example, changes in one's medication regimen over the past several weeks by either adding something new, increasing the dose of something or even taking something away that could be helping stabilize symptoms?

One could also hypothesize volume depletion based on insufficient dietary and fluid intake. Could that be a problem. Also, the presence of infections such as bladder, kidney, or pulmonary infections can cause dizziness/lightheadedness or woozy sensations. And there are more things to consider.

If I were to be working you up therefore, here are the preliminary things I would do for you:

1. Full and complete examination (general medical with focus on metabolic, neurological, and cardiological parameters).

2. I would order blood and urine work to include basic electrolytes, CBC w/differential, thyroid hormones (TSH and FT4) as well as an ESR and CRP (inflammatory markers that could show positive in an infectious state). Urinalysis to rule out a bladder infection.

3. I would perform what are called orthostatic blood pressure measurements which are quite easy to do and just may reveal problems that can be attributed to dehydration vs. the effects of medications or nutritional status. Specifically, I would choose to do what's called a MODIFIED AMINOFF PROTOCOL which is slightly different than the standard protocols used by non-neurology folks whereby both blood pressure and pulse are measured in various challenge positions of lying, IMMEDIATE STANDING, and STANDING for 2 MINUTES to see if symptoms of lightheadedness can be reproduced.

4. I might also order an MRI of the brain as well as an MRA of the head and neck looking for possible vascular obstructions in the carotid or vertebrobasilar arterial systems. Doppler scans are very LIMITED in what they can actually see.

5. One additional test based upon your comment that you felt particularly TIRED after each of these episodes might be an EEG (Electroencephalogram) though this may be dependent upon your history. If there's no real change in your mental status during these episodes...I probably would not order this through.

6. I might even consider a HOLTER CARDIAC MONITOR and autonomic function testing if everything panned out negative after the workup. Although the EKG didn't show anything remember that is a 30 second snapshot in time and unless you're actually dizzy or lightheaded, why would anything really show up when you're not feeling anything aversive, make sense?

These would be the gamut of tests I would run on you with the idea of discovering something either metabolic or physical out of whack which will then, tell us how to fix it.

If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and be sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel so inclined? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.

Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. I'm also very interested in knowing how things turn out for you if you get any testing or evaluations done so drop me a line.

This query has utilized a total of 65 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Dariush Saghafi

Neurologist

Practicing since :1988

Answered : 2472 Questions

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I Am Having A Sudden Light Headed Feeling That Comes

Brief Answer: Several things to consider with LIGHTHEADEDNESS Detailed Answer: Good evening and thank you for your question. You're not providing very much information to go on such as gender, age, other medical problems you may have (diabetes, hypertension, thyroid problems) or for that matter medications you may be taking for any reason. The symptom of SUDDEN LIGHTHEADEDNESS 1-2x/day can be caused by at least several entities. For example, changes in one's medication regimen over the past several weeks by either adding something new, increasing the dose of something or even taking something away that could be helping stabilize symptoms? One could also hypothesize volume depletion based on insufficient dietary and fluid intake. Could that be a problem. Also, the presence of infections such as bladder, kidney, or pulmonary infections can cause dizziness/lightheadedness or woozy sensations. And there are more things to consider. If I were to be working you up therefore, here are the preliminary things I would do for you: 1. Full and complete examination (general medical with focus on metabolic, neurological, and cardiological parameters). 2. I would order blood and urine work to include basic electrolytes, CBC w/differential, thyroid hormones (TSH and FT4) as well as an ESR and CRP (inflammatory markers that could show positive in an infectious state). Urinalysis to rule out a bladder infection. 3. I would perform what are called orthostatic blood pressure measurements which are quite easy to do and just may reveal problems that can be attributed to dehydration vs. the effects of medications or nutritional status. Specifically, I would choose to do what's called a MODIFIED AMINOFF PROTOCOL which is slightly different than the standard protocols used by non-neurology folks whereby both blood pressure and pulse are measured in various challenge positions of lying, IMMEDIATE STANDING, and STANDING for 2 MINUTES to see if symptoms of lightheadedness can be reproduced. 4. I might also order an MRI of the brain as well as an MRA of the head and neck looking for possible vascular obstructions in the carotid or vertebrobasilar arterial systems. Doppler scans are very LIMITED in what they can actually see. 5. One additional test based upon your comment that you felt particularly TIRED after each of these episodes might be an EEG (Electroencephalogram) though this may be dependent upon your history. If there's no real change in your mental status during these episodes...I probably would not order this through. 6. I might even consider a HOLTER CARDIAC MONITOR and autonomic function testing if everything panned out negative after the workup. Although the EKG didn't show anything remember that is a 30 second snapshot in time and unless you're actually dizzy or lightheaded, why would anything really show up when you're not feeling anything aversive, make sense? These would be the gamut of tests I would run on you with the idea of discovering something either metabolic or physical out of whack which will then, tell us how to fix it. If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and be sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel so inclined? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out. Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. I'm also very interested in knowing how things turn out for you if you get any testing or evaluations done so drop me a line. This query has utilized a total of 65 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.