From medication concerns to itchy skin – Dr Jeff answers your health questions
DR Jeff Foster is The Sun on Sunday’s GP and is here to help.
Dr. Jeff, 43, splits his time between working as a GP in Leamington Spa, Warks, and running his clinic H3 Health, which is the first of its kind in the UK to deal with hormonal issues in men and women.
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Visit h3health.co.uk and email drjeff@the-sun.co.uk.
Q: I am a 43-year-old woman and my doctor says I suffer from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and has prescribed me three prochlorperazine tablets per day.
They give me headaches and I read that they are also anti-anxiety medications.
Since I previously relied on anxiety medication to function, I don’t really want that type of medication in my body again. Is there anything else I could have?
Georgia Ripley, Brighton
A: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is one of the most common causes of dizziness and vertigo.
Those affected usually feel the illusion of movement, so that the room appears to be rotating and a feeling of insecurity can arise.
The cause of BPPV is actually a dysfunction of the inner ear.
The small hair cells in our inner ears that are normally stimulated when we turn our head are falsely triggered, causing us to feel like we are moving even though we are not.
You may even experience vomiting and falls.
For most people, BPPV is a self-limiting disease, but it can last for several weeks. Therefore, other treatment options include a movement technique called the Epley maneuver, which involves rotating the head to remove malfunctioning hair cells.
There are also various medications.
However, there is evidence that certain prescriptions for dizziness are completely ineffective. So talk to your doctor again.
Q: I am a 37-year-old man and have extremely itchy skin all the time. No rashes, just chronic itching and no explanation for it. My GP has given me various creams and skin washes to try, but nothing other than four antihistamines a day helps at all. Any ideas?
Don Smith, Barrow, Cumbria
A: The general rule is that if there is nothing visible, there is no point in putting cream on it because you don’t know what you are treating.
The feeling of itching all over the body that you can’t see can be difficult to diagnose.
The causes range from problems with our organs such as kidney or liver disease to the medications we take, stress reactions and even mental illness.
Ask your doctor for a blood test (without antihistamines in your body) so that you can determine whether there is an allergic reaction in your blood.
If this doesn’t solve the problem, consider taking medications or supplements, address possible causes of stress, and if you still can’t find a cause, I would see a dermatologist.