Seeing your GP

See your GP if you're feeling lightheaded or off balance and you're worried, particularly if you also have other symptoms, such as Syncope episodes or headaches .

Your GP will first want to establish exactly what you mean by dizziness, and check that you're not actually describing vertigo a severe type of dizziness,where you feel your surroundings are spinning or moving.

Theyll also want to know:

• whether the dizziness started for no apparent reason, or if it followed an illness
• whether you have repeated episodes of dizziness and, if so, when you tend to experience these
• how long the dizziness lasts

Dizziness can sometimes be caused by an ear condition. A simple way of distinguishing between ear-related dizziness and dizziness due to other causes is todetermine whether it occurs only when you're upright or also when you're lying down.

Dizzinessthat occurswhen you're upright is probably not related to the ear. Dizzinessthat happens when you're lying down is usually caused by a viral ear infection, which can't be treated with antibiotics .

Its a good idea to keep a diary of your dizziness, recording when and where you experience the problem, and take it with you to your GP appointment. It's helpful to note:

• what you were doing at the time of your dizziness
• how long it lasted and how bad it was
• whether you had any other symptoms such as fainting,vomiting, nausea, blurred vision, headache, hearing loss or tinnitus

If you're taking prescription medicine, your GP will probably review this to check whether dizziness is a possible side effect. If necessary, they can prescribe a different medication for you to try.

You may be referred to a specialist for further tests and investigations.