Does anyone have or had sudden vertigo? The is not the constant swaying of ataxia rather a sudden spinning sensation brought on (I think) by looking downward w/o knees bent. It feels like being on a merry go round at warp speed. it stops when eyes are shut or glasses applied or efforts are made to slow things down. Is this an eye things? Ataxia thing or both??? N
have you taken the medication [dilantin] ? it might be the start of cerebellar ataxia. thats what happened to me. they thought it was vertigo and couldnt fiqure out why i wasnt getting any better in p.t .
then thats when they found out i had c.b. caused by dilantin
Yeah I have vertigo like thing when I suddenly stop walking. The sensation of visual movement mostly happens when I look down, especially if there are patterns with a certain statistical frequency on the floor. The visual information would appear to move constantly away from me and I would have to cling on to a pole or wall to stand without falling into a vortex. It’s a bit like alice-in-wonderland where I feel things are just getting smaller and smaller. The movement sensation for me persisted even with eyes closed…If I remember it correctly you also have EA. I have EA as well so I think it can be one of the symptoms. I feel most of the time I just float about (ungracefully) on the surface anyway. The whole EA thing still seems so surreal to me…it’s only been a bit more than a year.
I had that recently, very scary, getting a mri
Thanx AnnAUK,
Also thin its a visual thing.
Sudden Vertigo like you describe was one of my early symptoms of ataxia. Not everyone has it but mine is vestibular and the vertigo would come on suddenly while I was sometimes driving and I’d have to pull over and close my eyes and rest for about 15 min to get it to calm. At home there were times I couldn’t stand or see anything at all. It was brought on by excitement, both the good kind and bad kind, and by stress. Also by sugared coke of all things. Diet coke didn’t do it. The severity of this has nearly disappeared over 17yrs, although a milder daily vertigo is still with me. I am now taking 4-aminopyradine which really helps this tremendously. It was prescribed by my Ataxia specialist and my neuro-opthamalogist.
Thanx Maryseas
I hope you get this. Read your email with great interest.My vertigo
developed much later then yours. Triggers can be sudden neck movements such
as rolling over to one side
or excitement as u say… These seem to have abated but I never know when
they will strike. I definitely think its ataxia related…maybe eye brain bt
thanx xx N
Neta, I experience vertigo rolling on my side in bed. I was tested and found to have Benign Paroxysmal Posterior Vertigo (BPPV). You might find it helpful to be tested 
Lots of people are helped by therapy, specifically the Epley Manoeuvre. The condition is caused by crystals being displaced in the ear canal, and the head manoeuvre is done to try and align them.
Recently, my Neurologist prescribed Acetazolamide to help with BPPV. A word of caution about this medication, one of the side effects is pins and needles. For me, the sensation was intense and I had to reduce the dose but, as we know, with all medication it’s often a case of trial and error xB
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Yes I used to get it quite severely, also while driving or sitting or walking. I began equine therapy and it has reduced significantly. Only get mild dizziness now with rare full out vertigo.
see my response to you under Nets. I am not that familiar with this site.
Thanx for your kind reply B, MY PT (Australian) says its all part of ataxia. Your thoughts/ N
We’re all too painfully aware that dizziness is par for the course with ataxia but, often it can be alleviated by medication, or various therapies. Your Neurologist would be the best person to advise you about this, because he/she has your medical history.
I did consult an Ear Nose & Throat specialist prior to being diagnosed with ataxia. At the time, ataxia symptoms were making me very disorientated and stressed. He became irritated and called a halt halfway through the Epley Manoeuvre because the sensation made me so upset. Consequently, I received an invoice, and a letter saying that in his opinion I didn’t have BPPV but, instead he thought I suffered from hysteria 
Thankfully I started having falls 
Only then did I get a referral to a Falls and Syncopy Clinic, where after a Tilt Table test, I was positively diagnosed with BPPV, sent for an MRI and finally diagnosed with Cerebellar Atrophy.
I’d never heard of BPPV prior to all this, it was just another one, in the catalogue of weird symptoms I’d been experiencing 
xB
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Neta, yes I got your email. Glad I could help.Yes, early on my vertigo was related to the way I layed on the bed or positioned my head but not so now. Also many of my other Ataxia symptoms have improved quite a bit. Today I got a full dose of not moving my limbs correctly and even having difficulty talking. Have no idea why as this hasn’t happened in several years, other than for a short time when I come out of the hot tub sometimes. These sudden changes are frightening but usually short lived. This morning’s change for me may be related to something eaten that I’m allergic to. I had it happen once after eating Peking duck in a restaurant that clearly was loaded with something besides duck. I wasn’t the only one reacting to it. This week I have been eating a roasted chicken loaded with preservatives that I suspect may have brought my symptoms on. Likely I’ll be back to normal tomorrow.
Beryl—“Hysteria?” That’s outrageous.
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thanx 4 your thoughts. In the meantime my vertigo seems to have vanished thank God
Thanx Mary Don’t quite know when u wrote this doesn’t matter My vertigo seems to have vanished only to be replaced by visual disturbances. xxN
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