How Long Does Vertigo Last?

Sometimes vertigo can last for as little as a few hours, days or weeks. Other times, vertigo can last for a month.

There is a simple explanation for why there is a wide range of answers to how long vertigo lasts. 

• In the vast majority of situations, the most common cases of vertigo are considered to be secondary in nature. This means another condition is causing the vertigo.

• As such, the length of time an individual is affected by the symptoms of vertigo depends on the treatment method for both the vertigo symptoms and the primary condition. 

Examples of Vertigo Situations and Timelines

To understand why there is such variation in how long vertigo lasts, it is helpful to look at a few examples of situations where vertigo may arise.

• The most common form of vertigo is accompanied by motion sickness, and is usually a result of a mechanical problem in the workings of the inner ear and equilibrium.
• Most cases are brought on by a viral infection of some sort taking place in the inner ear, and the symptoms may be reduced to virtually nonexistent with the treatment of the infection.
• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, however, causes symptoms to arise with the sudden change of body position. This form of vertigo requires retraining of bodily movements to be effectively treated.

As you can see, the amount of time that is required to rid a person of vertigo symptoms depends directly on what type of vertigo is being suffered. Some cases may take as little as a week to dissipate, while others require more intensive treatments which may last for months.

Symptoms of Vertigo

So, now that you have a few answers for how long vertigo lasts, you may also want to know what symptoms it causes.

• The symptoms of vertigo can range greatly depending on the root cause of the affliction.
• A person experiencing the symptoms may feel dizzy upon becoming stationary, to the point of nausea and even vomiting in some cases.
• The symptoms of vertigo can even make a person feel as though he is completely full, even though he hasn't eaten anything in quite some time.
• The dizzy spells, steady and excessive perspiration, nausea, becoming suddenly unstable or even falling down are all symptoms of vertigo that can range greatly from mild to relatively severe.
• Because of the fact that the symptoms are often indicative of the type of vertigo the individual is experiencing, they also directly assist health care professionals in diagnosing the underlying issues that are commonly to blame for the vertigo in the first place. 

Treatment for Vertigo

The treatment that is available for vertigo is varied as well, because of the fact that most cases of vertigo are secondary to a primary cause.

When the symptoms of vertigo are being experienced because of an inner ear condition, the treatment usually will begin with resolving the condition causing the vertigo.

In cases of viral infections that may affect the function of the inner ear, vertigo symptoms are often experienced by the individual suffering the infection until the prescribed antibiotics have eliminated the infection from the individual’s system.