{"id":15736,"date":"2025-08-28T12:15:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T10:15:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/?p=15736"},"modified":"2026-02-06T17:27:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:27:21","slug":"vestibulaere-sedativa-und-sturzrisiko-neue-us-studie-warnt-vor-routineeinsatz-bei-schwindel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/studien-evidenz\/vestibulaere-sedativa-und-sturzrisiko-neue-us-studie-warnt-vor-routineeinsatz-bei-schwindel\/","title":{"rendered":"Vestibular sedatives and fall risk: new US study warns against routine use in dizziness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>For Healthcare Professionals:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dizziness is one of the most common reasons for medical visits among <a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/schwindelerkrankungen\/presbyvestibulopathie-altersbedingter-schwindel-und-gangunsicherheit\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"7179\">older adults<\/a>. To provide rapid symptom relief, vestibular sedatives such as meclizine or benzodiazepines are frequently prescribed. However, current guidelines strongly discourage routine use\u2014especially in older patients\u2014since these <a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/schwindelerkrankungen\/vestibulotoxizitaet\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"7355\">Medication <\/a>increase fall risk and impair central compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udd17 Marmor S et al., 2025. <em>Vestibular Suppressant Utilization and Subsequent Falls Among Patients \u226565 Years With Dizziness in the United States.<\/em> Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (J Am Geriatr Soc). PMID: 39902815<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC12100683\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Original study<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Study design:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Database<strong>:<\/strong> Database: US insurance and Medicare data<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zeitraum<strong>:<\/strong> Period: 2006\u20132015<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Population<strong>:<\/strong> 190,348 patients \u226565 years with dizziness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Analyse<strong>:<\/strong> Analysis: Association between vestibular suppressant prescription and falls<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key results<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>32% received vestibular sedatives after diagnosis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>8% of these patients experienced a fall requiring medical care within 60 days.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adjusted for age, sex, and comorbidities:<br>HR 3.33 (95% CI 1.93\u20135.72, p &lt; 0.0001)<br>\u2192 Patients prescribed sedatives had more than a threefold increased fall risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>Clinical Relevance<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vestibular sedatives may reduce symptoms short term, but hinder long-term central compensation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Their use is appropriate only in <a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/schwindelerkrankungen\/neuritis-vestibularis\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"7427\">acute vestibular crises<\/a> \u2014and then for hours to a few days at most.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Guidelines recommend against routine prescribing, emphasizing <a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/schwindelerkrankungen\/diagnostische-tests-fuer-gleichgewichtsstoerungen-und-schwindelsymptomatik\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"8955\">targeted diagnostics<\/a> and etiology-specific treatment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Particularly concerning: high use of benzodiazepines, well known for causing gait instability, sedation, and cognitive impairment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Conclusion for Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This study underscores the importance of differentiated diagnosis in dizziness rather than reflexive prescription of vestibular sedatives. In older adults especially, inappropriate use can dramatically increase fall risk and delay recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udc49 Are you interested in a comprehensive further training in <a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/patientenedukation\/vestibulaere-rehabilitationstherapie-und-gleichgewichtstraining\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"8932\">vestibular rehabilitation<\/a> and evidence-based dizziness management?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Current further education opportunities can be found in the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/fuer-medizinisches-fachpersonal\/fortbildungssuche\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/fuer-medizinisches-fachpersonal\/fortbildungssuche\/\">IVRT Course search<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For Patients \u2013 Easy to Understand<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>Dizziness &amp; medication: Why some pills may increase fall risk<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new large US study shows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many <a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Presbyvestibulopathy.jpg\" data-type=\"attachment\" data-id=\"14077\">older adults<\/a> receive medicines for dizziness that dampen the balance system\u2014so-called vestibular sedatives like meclizine or benzodiazepines. But these drugs can actually worsen unsteadiness and raise the risk of falls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udcc4 Marmor S et al., 2025. <em>Vestibular Suppressant Utilization and Subsequent Falls Among Patients \u226565 Years With Dizziness in the United States.<\/em> Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (J Am Geriatr Soc). PMID: 39902815<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC12100683\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/40421807\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Original study<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>Key findings<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1 in 3 people aged 65+ with dizziness were prescribed vestibular sedatives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>8% of them fell within 60 days after prescription.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The fall risk was more than three times higher compared with those not taking these drugs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What does this mean for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Such medications may help briefly in very severe <a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/schwindelerkrankungen\/neuritis-vestibularis\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"7427\">acute dizziness<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are not intended for long-term use because they:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>further weaken the balance system,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>can cause drowsiness,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>increase fall risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you can do<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Seek a second opinion\u2014from your pharmacist or a <a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/schwindelerkrankungen\/diagnostische-tests-fuer-gleichgewichtsstoerungen-und-schwindelsymptomatik\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"8955\">specialist<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If dizziness is not caused by medication:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/schwindelerkrankungen\/vestibulaere-rehabilitationstherapie-und-gleichgewichtstraining\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"8932\">Targeted exercises and balance training<\/a> are often highly effective and evidence-based.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Our IVRT\u00ae-certified dizziness and vestibular therapists<\/strong>, who can support you individually, can be found through our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/fuer-betroffene\/therapeutensuche\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"101\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IVRT therapist search<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>F\u00fcr Fachpersonal: Schwindel ist einer der h\u00e4ufigsten Gr\u00fcnde f\u00fcr Arztbesuche bei \u00e4lteren Menschen. Um Beschwerden rasch zu lindern, werden h\u00e4ufig vestibul\u00e4re Sedativa wie Meclizin oder Benzodiazepine verordnet. Doch aktuelle Leitlinien raten dringend vom Routineeinsatz ab \u2013 insbesondere bei \u00e4lteren Patient:innen \u2013, da diese Medikamente das Sturzrisiko erh\u00f6hen und die zentrale Kompensation behindern \ud83d\udd17 Marmor S [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":15738,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_surecart_dashboard_logo_width":"180px","_surecart_dashboard_show_logo":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_orders":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_invoices":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_subscriptions":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_downloads":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_billing":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_account":true,"_jf_save_progress":"","iawp_total_views":221,"footnotes":""},"categories":[215],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-studien-evidenz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15736"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17493,"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15736\/revisions\/17493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}