Why Medicines Can Make You Dizzy

Dizziness is one of the most common side effects reported from medicines in older adults. Different tablets can affect:

• Blood pressure – causing it to drop too low when you stand up (postural or orthostatic hypotension).
• The brain – making you sleepy, slower to think, or less steady on your feet.
• Inner ear and balance – causing a feeling of spinning or imbalance.

When you stand up, your body normally tightens blood vessels and speeds the heart slightly to keep blood flowing to your brain. Some medicines make these adjustments slower or weaker. The result can be a few seconds of:

• Light-headedness or feeling “swimmy”.
• Grey or blurred vision.
• Wobbliness or a sense that you might black out.

This is called postural hypotension or orthostatic hypotension – a drop in blood pressure when you change position. It is common in later life and is strongly linked with falls risk.

Medicines That Often Affect Dizziness and Balance

Only a doctor or pharmacist looking at your full list can say which medicines are relevant for you. However, some medicine groups are well-known for causing dizziness, sleepiness or drops in blood pressure in older adults, especially when several are taken together. Examples include:

• Blood pressure and heart medicines (for example tablets for angina, high blood pressure or heart failure).
• Tablets that make you pass more urine (diuretics or “water tablets”).
• Strong painkillers such as opioids (for example codeine, morphine, tramadol).
• Sleeping tablets and some medicines for anxiety or depression.
• Certain medicines used in dementia, Parkinson’s disease or other brain conditions.

These medicines can be life-saving or life-improving. The aim is not to remove them all, but to:

• Use the lowest effective dose.
• Avoid combinations that make dizziness and falls more likely.
• Spot side effects early, before a serious injury happens.

What Does “Dizziness” Feel Like for You?

The word “dizzy” means different things to different people. Before you speak to a professional, it helps to describe more precisely what you feel. You might ask yourself:

• Do I feel light-headed, as if I might faint?
• Do I feel the room is spinning, as in vertigo?
• Do I feel unsteady or wobbly, as if my legs are unreliable?
• Do I feel sleepy and slowed down, as if I am walking through treacle?

Notice also:

• Does it happen mainly when I first stand up?
• Does it happen after taking certain tablets, or at certain times of the day?
• Has it started since a new medicine was added, or a dose was changed?

When Dizziness Is an Emergency

Most medication-related dizziness is uncomfortable but not immediately dangerous. However, call 999 immediately if you have dizziness with any of the following:

• Chest pain, tightness or pain spreading to your arm, jaw or back.
• Sudden weakness in your face, arm or leg (especially one side).
• Difficulty speaking, slurred speech or confusion.
• Sudden loss of vision or very severe headache.
• Collapse or blacking out where you do not come round quickly.

If you keep getting unexplained dizzy spells, nearly fainting or frequent falls, contact your GP or NHS 111 as soon as possible, even if you think it might “just” be your tablets.

Why You Should Not Stop Medicines Suddenly

It is natural to think, “if this tablet makes me dizzy, I should just stop it”. In some cases, suddenly stopping or missing doses can be dangerous – for example with medicines for:

• Heart rhythm or blood pressure.
• Serious mental health conditions.
• Epilepsy.
• Long-term pain where the body is used to strong painkillers.

Stopping certain medicines overnight can cause:

• Rebound high blood pressure or chest pain.
• Withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, shaking, sweating or insomnia.
• Return or worsening of the original condition.

This is why health services repeatedly say: do not stop or change prescribed medicines without discussing it first.

Questions You Can Ask Your GP or Pharmacist

You are not expected to know drug names or guidelines. Your role is to describe your lived experience; their role is to adjust treatment safely. These questions can help:

1. “Could any of my medicines be causing or worsening my dizziness?”

Take an up-to-date list or the actual packets to your appointment. This includes:

• Tablets and capsules from your GP or hospital.
• Inhalers, patches, drops or liquids.
• Over-the-counter remedies, herbal products and supplements.

2. “Is my blood pressure going too low – especially when I stand up?”

Ask whether you might have postural hypotension. Your clinician may:

• Check your blood pressure lying or sitting, then again after standing.
• Review medicines that lower blood pressure or make you pass more urine.
• Suggest lifestyle steps (like getting up more slowly or drinking more fluids if appropriate for your condition).

3. “Are there safer alternatives or lower doses we could try?”

Not all dizziness can be removed, but options may include:

• Reducing a dose gradually to see if symptoms improve.
• Changing the time of day you take certain medicines.
• Switching to an alternative with fewer effects on balance or alertness.

Changes should be made one at a time, so you and your prescriber can see what makes a difference.

4. “Can you help me understand the risks if we keep this medicine versus if we change it?”

This invites a “shared decision-making” conversation. Your prescriber can weigh:

• The benefit (for example protecting your heart or preventing strokes).
• The harm (for example falls, confusion, severe dizziness).
• Your priorities (for example fear of falling, desire to stay active, worries about side effects).

5. “What should I watch out for, and when should I seek urgent help?”

Ask for clear, specific advice about:

• Which symptoms are expected and usually settle.
• Which symptoms mean you should contact the surgery or NHS 111 urgently.
• Which symptoms mean calling 999 straight away.

Preparing for a Short Appointment

GP and hospital appointments can feel rushed. A little preparation makes a big difference:

• Write your top 2–3 concerns on paper beforehand.
• Take your dizziness diary or a simple list of episodes.
• Bring your medicines or a clear written list, including doses and times.
• Consider taking a trusted person with you to help remember what is said.

Home Safety While You Are Sorting Medicines Out

While you and your team review medications, it is wise to reduce the harm from any dizziness that still occurs:

• Get up slowly – move from lying to sitting, pause, then from sitting to standing.
• Have a stable chair or surface nearby in rooms where you often feel unsteady.
• Keep pathways clear of clutter, cables and loose rugs.
• Avoid rushing to the phone or door – let it ring, then move carefully.
• Make sure night-time routes (for example to the toilet) are well lit.

Our page Home Hazards – A Room-by-Room Safety Walkthrough offers a printable checklist to help you review your home environment step by step.

How PHAT Sessions Fit Into the Bigger Picture

PHAT Zoom classes cannot change your prescriptions – but they can sit alongside your medical care by:

• Building leg and core strength, which helps your body cope better if blood pressure dips briefly.
• Including balance practice in seated and supported standing positions, with rest breaks as needed.
• Encouraging you to notice how you feel before, during and after activity – useful information for your healthcare team.
• Providing a safe space to talk about meds, dizziness and falls fears without judgement.

Over time, this combination – careful medication review plus regular strength and balance work – offers a stronger shield against avoidable falls.