What could cause dizziness?
Patient: For the past few months, for seconds at a time, I feel very faint - then it goes away. At first it happened 2 or 3 times a month, once or twice each day. It usually occurs when I m sitting or standing still, but today, for the first time, it kept happening while doing pilates exercises at home, and I had to stop. I do have SVT, for which I do not take any medication. I started taking Livalo a few months ago, but stopped after feeling muscle aches and stomach discomfort. However, my internist felt I should try it 3 x a week with COQ10 because my cholesterol rose from 190 to 304. The last few years have been very stressful for both my husband and me in terms of health issues and family - I m wondering if it could be due to anxiety, but how do you tell? Doctor: Hi,  With your medical condition and worries happening at once it is sometimes difficult to tease things out, however, the right steps to always follow in such a case involve making sure to the extent possible that nothing organic is really going on. Therefore, I believe you should do what you can to control the SVT's.  Perhaps, this medication is causing intolerable side effects so you need to have a discussion with your doctor to see if another suitable drug can be chosen. Often times that solves a lot of problems.   Second, I would check your orthostatic blood pressures (your doctor knows about this) and make sure any other medications you're taking are not potentially lowering blood pressure, you need to be well hydrated at all times, and not becoming hypoglycemic (i.e. skipping meals for weight loss purposes, etc.).    Beyond that, if there are still problems your doctor may consider an ultrasound of the carotid arteries and do other blood work to guarantee there are no blockages in the arteries going to the brain and that you don't have an anemia that should be treated (especially since these feelings have now occurred during exertional activities).  Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.  Regards, Dr. Dariush Saghafi, Neurologist