Vertigo weeks after disembarking

[PendingPeril]

So it’s been over two weeks since we got off our cruise and my wife is still experiencing dizziness. She was mostly fine on the boat and used a scopolamine patch, but as soon as she stepped off she started to feel uncomfortable.

Any tips? She doesn’t really feel like going to the doctor will help much unless there’s something they can prescribe. She’s tried taking Dramamine and it’s only provided temporary relief.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So it’s been over two weeks since we got off our cruise and my wife is still experiencing dizziness. She was mostly fine on the boat and used a scopolamine patch, but as soon as she stepped off she started to feel uncomfortable.

Any tips? She doesn’t really feel like going to the doctor will help much unless there’s something they can prescribe. She’s tried taking Dramamine and it’s only provided temporary relief.

Some people find they avoid this by continuing with their medication regime for a few days upon returning. Since it's been 2 weeks, I'd say she really needs to talk to her doctor.

That said, I always get the "I'm still onboard" feeling after every cruise. Most of the time for just a few days, but once it lasted close to a month. It wasn't debilitating, mostly happening in small spaces (like the shower).

 

[PendingPeril]

Yeah it’s not debilitating, but definitely driving her crazy. She loved the cruise, but unfortunately will probably be put off going on another one if this doesn’t resolve itself soon.

 

[Marc D]

Land legs usually disappear after a few days at the most. Multiple weeks is probably a sign of something else that might have been triggered by the cruise but that could have happened in other circumstances.

I’m no doctor, but it could be benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) which is caused by crystals out of place in the inner ear. It needs to be diagnosed by a GP, a specialist or even an audiologist, as the treatment is not medication but specific movements to move the crystals back into place. It could be something else that was triggered by the cruise but that will not resolve itself by waiting or taking over-the-counter medication.

 

[DLgal]

Land legs usually disappear after a few days at the most. Multiple weeks is probably a sign of something else that might have been triggered by the cruise but that could have happened in other circumstances.

I’m no doctor, but it could be benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) which is caused by crystals out of place in the inner ear. It needs to be diagnosed by a GP, a specialist or even an audiologist, as the treatment is not medication but specific movements to move the crystals back into place. It could be something else that was triggered by the cruise but that will not resolve itself by waiting or taking over-the-counter medication.

This has happened to me twice now, neither time after a cruise, but after riding coasters at Disneyland. A simple maneuver can knock the crystals back into place and now I know how to do it myself at home.

You can look up how to do it on You Tube. It's called the Epley Maneuver. It's worth a try...it won't cause any harm if that's not what is causing the dizziness, but it may make it go away. Importantly, stay upright for 12 hours after doing this maneuver.

Another option is taking sudafed for a few days. She could have some fluid trapped in her inner ear.

 

[Tiggerette]

This happened to me after a weeklong cruise. I never left the ship, and had a fantastic time onboard. Once I was back on land, I felt like the ground was dipping below my feet- even though my rational mind knew the ground wasn't moving. At two weeks I was concerned and went to the doc, just in case. Nothing medically wrong, my body just really wanted to keep my "sea legs." All told it took about 3-4 weeks for it to dissipate.

 

[quickcat]

Bonine - I have to take it for days after, usually up to a week. I definitely recommend it!

 

[Rosehip327]

This happened to me after our last cruise. I think it lasted around a week before it finally stopped. I am nervous about it happening again after March cruise. I experience no sea sickness at all.

 

[PendingPeril]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. We’ll make a dr appt just in case, then also try the bonine and Epley maneuver. Might as well throw the kitchen sink at it and hope it goes away eventually.

 

[Adventurelawyer]

Have her try the Epley maneuver and make sure she is staying hydrated. That means electrolytes not just water.

 

[chrisnb]

Have her try the Epley maneuver and make sure she is staying hydrated. That means electrolytes not just water.

it sounds weird but this actually works i kept getting dizzy for 2 weeks followed the u tube video and i was cured after i had already gone to doctor

 

[GaMomof2Girls]

I continue taking my Dramamine or Bonine for about a week after we get off a cruise, seems to help with the "land sickness" LOL

 

[cruisehopeful]

I've had lots of experience with vertigo - sometimes lasting for months. It's something to go to the doctor for. My first experience was sea sickness after not having sea sickness for my entire life. Eventually, I had vertigo constantly. Since I've dealt with it for years and seen different doctors for it and have had MRIs, I know what causes and works for mine. It took a very long time to figure out what worked best for me and this may not be what works best for her, but I'll share anyway.

Turns out, I have an allergy to dust and causes my sinuses to back up and dump fluid in my ears. I also have the crystals that the epley maneuver helps with. The epley maneuver does nothing for the fluid, though. If I do nothing, supposedly the fluid will dry out in approx. 8 weeks. The problem with that is that my sinuses are always dumping, so I need 8 weeks to dry out pretty much every day. My solution is to do a squirt of Flonase in each nostril every day and take half of a zyrtech every day. I can't take a full zyrtech because it makes me too tired. I used to use Bonine instead of the zyrtech and my ENT said that makes sense because the medications are cousins to each other.

There are times when I can months without using the zyrtech, but I've been on this current regimen for about 6 months. When I forget to take one of either allergy medicine, I start getting vertigo in about 2 days. If I get really bad positional vertigo (only happens when turning my head certain directions), I get the epley maneuver to move the crystals. Epley will help me with the positional vertigo, but if there's still mucous going into my inner ear (and usually there is because there's dust everywhere), I'll still have a general, albeit liveable vertigo.

 

[DLgal]

I've had lots of experience with vertigo - sometimes lasting for months. It's something to go to the doctor for. My first experience was sea sickness after not having sea sickness for my entire life. Eventually, I had vertigo constantly. Since I've dealt with it for years and seen different doctors for it and have had MRIs, I know what causes and works for mine. It took a very long time to figure out what worked best for me and this may not be what works best for her, but I'll share anyway.

Turns out, I have an allergy to dust and causes my sinuses to back up and dump fluid in my ears. I also have the crystals that the epley maneuver helps with. The epley maneuver does nothing for the fluid, though. If I do nothing, supposedly the fluid will dry out in approx. 8 weeks. The problem with that is that my sinuses are always dumping, so I need 8 weeks to dry out pretty much every day. My solution is to do a squirt of Flonase in each nostril every day and take half of a zyrtech every day. I can't take a full zyrtech because it makes me too tired. I used to use Bonine instead of the zyrtech and my ENT said that makes sense because the medications are cousins to each other.

There are times when I can months without using the zyrtech, but I've been on this current regimen for about 6 months. When I forget to take one of either allergy medicine, I start getting vertigo in about 2 days. If I get really bad positional vertigo (only happens when turning my head certain directions), I get the epley maneuver to move the crystals. Epley will help me with the positional vertigo, but if there's still mucous going into my inner ear (and usually there is because there's dust everywhere), I'll still have a general, albeit liveable vertigo.

Hey there! So, last August, I had a 3 week bout of vertigo and it was determined that it was likely allergy related (I also am allergic to dust, but also a lot of other environmental stuff, which I only discovered in May of last year after allergy testing for frequent hives of unknown origin.)

Anyway, I had been on Zyrtec since May, but had to stop because it was making me a complete ZOMBIE during the day. The addition of the dizziness made the drowsiness intolerable. So, I gave it up. I had already tried Claritin and Xyzal and didn't get relief from the hives, so after my PCP told me the dizziness was likely allergies, I went back to the allergy doctor.

He recommended Allegra. He said a small subset of people get very drowsy with Zyrtec, but Allegra is the ONLY true non drowsy allergy pill on the market. He told me to get the generic from Costco, which I did.

I started taking the Allegra and the dizziness was gone within a day. In addition, it cleared up my persistent sinus/nasal congestion so I was able to stop using Flonase. I couldn't believe it! I haven't had dizziness since and absolutely NO drowsiness. I take it at night because that way it works best while I'm sleeping and probably surrounded by dust mites.

You may want to try Allegra. Using Flonase long term can cause damage to your nasal passages, and Allegra works really well to combat sinus pressure. I am getting over a cold right now which was just awful, and at one point, I blew my nose and felt fluid rush into my ear and got SO immediately dizzy that I almost fell over. The room was spinning so badly! It cleared after a minute or so, but it was a reminder of how sensitive that fluid balance is in the inner ear.

 

[EllieBride]

It might be a bad withdrawal reaction to wearing the patch. I had a terrible reaction the one time that I wore the patch on a longer Mediterranean cruise. When I returned home, the room was spinning and I had some crazy hallucinations (thought I was flying). It lasted a couple of days. Apparently, it’s a rare side effect, but it does happen to some people.

 

[lozzypop]

There is a condition known as mal de debarquement. It is more common in women than men. I suffer from it after every cruise (and one time after a flight back from California) for weeks on end. I don't get seasick, but it can take me weeks or months to get over the feeling of the ground moving beneath me after a cruise has ended. It's not like vertigo, because I don't feel like the room is spinning, it is more like a swaying sensation. I am lucky because it doesn't make me too nauseous.

I find it best to simply ignore the sensation as much as I can. It will go away eventually. The more I focus on it, the worse it gets.

 

[Pooh2]

A consult with a vestibular physical therapist will help to determine what kind of vertigo and treatment she needs.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I started taking the Allegra and the dizziness was gone within a day. In addition, it cleared up my persistent sinus/nasal congestion so I was able to stop using Flonase. I couldn't believe it! I haven't had dizziness since and absolutely NO drowsiness. I take it at night because that way it works best while I'm sleeping and probably surrounded by dust mites.

Thank you for that information! As you can imagine, I am very hesitant to change my protocol right now after years of trying to find something that works. There's a lot of pollen in my area right now. I'll give the Allegra a try when the mass pollen passes.

 

[DLgal]

There is a condition known as mal de debarquement. It is more common in women than men. I suffer from it after every cruise (and one time after a flight back from California) for weeks on end. I don't get seasick, but it can take me weeks or months to get over the feeling of the ground moving beneath me after a cruise has ended. It's not like vertigo, because I don't feel like the room is spinning, it is more like a swaying sensation. I am lucky because it doesn't make me too nauseous.

I find it best to simply ignore the sensation as much as I can. It will go away eventually. The more I focus on it, the worse it gets.

Vertigo doesn't have to be spinning sensations. When I had my 3 week long bout, it was that "floor dropping out from under me" feeling as well as feeling like the ground under me was suddenly shifting to the side while I was walking. It's still called vertigo.

 

[pfp258]

It might be a bad withdrawal reaction to wearing the patch. I had a terrible reaction the one time that I wore the patch on a longer Mediterranean cruise. When I returned home, the room was spinning and I had some crazy hallucinations (thought I was flying). It lasted a couple of days. Apparently, it’s a rare side effect, but it does happen to some people.

This! Been on 14 cruises and I only used the patch once as I had terrible withdrawal symptoms. Thought I had a brain tumor two weeks after we had been on land- turns out it was a bad reaction to the patch. My regiment now a days is Bonnie starting two days before a cruise and each day on the ship.