Cilostazol treatment of vertigo.

Gilostazol not only suppresses platelet aggregation but also increses blood flow in the brain. To determine whether it is useful in patients with vertigo due to circulatory disorders in both the peripheral and the central vestibular system, we investigated its clinical effect in 19 patients with vertigo, who were over 40 years of age and whose vertigo was considerd to be caused by circulatory disturbances. A dose of 200mg/day was administrated for 4 or 8 weeks.1. The overall rate of improvement was 78% after 4 weeks and 85% after 8 weeks of treatment.2. Fifteen of the 19 patients (79%) complained of a slight headache during the first week of treatment. Seven of them recovered soon without treatment. The other eight recovered when the drug's dose was reduced by 50% or when an analgesic was administered.