When to go to Urgent Care for Dizziness
Call urgent care if you are dizzy and lightheaded or feel like you are spinning. Often, people with a bleeding disorder, such as hemophilia, may not experience a dramatic difference in how they feel when their blood doesn’t clot properly. This can result in small bleeds that don’t seem serious but could lead to an emergency. If you have an appointment with your doctor in a few days, wait until then and describe your symptoms so he or she can examine you. But if it’s been less than three hours since you began feeling dizzy, call 9-1-1 or go directly to your nearest hospital emergency room . The sooner someone with bleeding problems receives medical treatment, the better chance he or she has of avoiding complications.
Dizziness is a symptom of many different conditions, including: Migraines, dehydration, sleep disorders, chronic hypertension (high blood pressure), drug side effects, and heart disease. You might want to consider going to an urgent care facility if your dizziness has not improved after two weeks or you have any of these other symptoms along with it: Nausea or vomiting Disorientation or confusion Fatigue or loss of energy Severe abdominal pain (stomach pain) Sharp chest pains Back pain Your doctor can run tests at urgent care that can determine what’s causing your dizziness. Whether you should see a specialist after that depends on what he/she finds. Sometimes dizziness is harmless but annoying—and others times it could be life-threatening.
If you don’t feel like yourself, but can’t pinpoint a problem, going to urgent care may be your best bet. We all get dizzy from time to time; however, if it happens every day or is accompanied by other symptoms (such as changes in blood pressure), you may have what’s called episodic vestibular syndrome. Although there isn’t much evidence-based data on treatments yet, some preliminary studies suggest that various types of therapy might help improve daily life and reduce symptoms. If you want a less invasive route that won’t require a referral from your primary care doctor or specialist, urgent care could be right for you.
If you’re dizzy or lightheaded, visit your doctor immediately. That said, not all dizziness is a sign of something serious. If you’ve just stood up too quickly, if it only happens when you move your head or if it lasts less than a minute or two, it could be something as simple as dehydration. But if dizziness doesn’t go away within a few minutes and gets worse as time passes, you might have an inner ear infection (usually caused by bacteria) or Ménière’s disease (an inner ear problem that affects balance). Check with your doctor to rule out these conditions. They can be treated fairly easily with antibiotics and other medications.
