Sudden short extreme attacks of dizziness

I have been getting very brief extreme attacks of dizziness off and on for the past year or so.  Lately though a few of them have been accompanied by confusion, or for example, if I was in the middle of something at work when it happens, I have a hard time "computing" what I am doing until it passes.  Usually the attack lasts no more than a minute or two.  One of my more recent attacks, I was at work sitting at my desk using my calculator and the dizziness came on and my lips got kind of tingly mostly in the right corner of my mouth and I was having trouble using my right hand.  It lasted not even two minutes then I was fine.  I have a history of migraines (which consist of the exact same pain in the exact same spot - left side above my temple slightly towards the front) and take 50mg of Altenolol daily for them for 4 months now. The Altenolol has kept the migraines at bay but have had to use my rescue medication (Axert) typically about once a month or so.  I realize that Altenolol can cause dizziness which i do get, but this dizziness is very different.  My "normal" dizziness is kind of like a bobbly head or tipsy feeling sometimes.  These short attacks that I am getting are like extreme flying off the planet hold on for your dear life feelings and has happened to me way before taking the Altenolol.  Do you believe that this is all related to my migraines or medication somehow or something else?  

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

The medication may not be causing this dizziness. I suspect it is the aborted migraine attacks that are giving rise to this "aura". Dizziness with the tingling, numbness are seen with migraine, even when one does not have the headache.

Regards