[The pharmacology of vestibular disorders]

In recent years, significant advances have been made in the physiology and the pharmacology of vestibular disorders. It is now possible to elaborate an approximation of the mechanisms of action of the drugs used in the symptomatic treatment of vertigo.

These drugs usually have a number of different pharmacological actions and overlapping effects. They can modify the intensity of the symptoms (e.g. vestibular suppressants) or prevent recurrences (e.g. calcium blockers in the case of vestibular migraine). Most of the drugs used for the acute treatment of vertigo can have a negative effect on the central compensation mechanisms. Vestibular rehabilitation exercises and certain drugs can speed up compensation. Choice of medication and the method of administration depend on the severity of the clinical symptoms, the pattern of temporal evolution, the underlying vestibular disease, the associated clinical conditions and the profile of the collateral effects of the drugs utilised.

Vestibular suppressants and antiemetic drugs are still the basis of the acute treatment of vertigo.