Dawaa Reference

chronic

Fainting (vasovagal syncope)

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class AS07 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care · Vasovagal Episode - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470277/

Verified against2 documents
  • No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
  • Fainting (vasovagal syncope) - disease-level clinical article (syncope-vasovagal-full.txt)

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (2)

  • Fainting while standing points toward a vasovagal cause, while fainting lying down or without any warning suggests a cardiac cause [syncope]
  • History should cover how long the episode lasted, what came before it, what triggered it, and what happened afterward

Signs — what you find (2)

  • Exam centers on vital sign abnormalities such as orthostatic hypotension or evidence of cardiovascular compromise [hypotension]
  • Cardiovascular and neurologic exams look for vascular disease, heart failure, or a stroke masquerading as a faint [syncope]

Tests (7)

  • History and exam alone reach a diagnosis in up to half of patients presenting with fainting
  • Testing rarely nails down a cause, since most fainting is vasovagal and benign
  • Older patients in the emergency department need routine blood work including hemoglobin and electrolytes, plus at minimum an ECG and blood glucose
  • If a cardiac cause is suspected, cardiac enzymes, continuous monitoring, and echocardiography are added, with an event monitor for outpatient follow-up of suspected conduction problems
  • Suspected stroke calls for head CT, carotid Doppler, or brain MRI with or without angiography, and EEG is added if seizures are suspected
  • A tilt table test is considered for recurrent fainting of unknown cause without heart disease, an uncertain vasovagal diagnosis needing life-threatening causes excluded, or to tell reflex syncope apart from orthostatic hypotension
  • ECG is the single most useful test yet only identifies a cause in about 5 percent of cases, and routine blood tests find one in only about 2 percent

If not this — what else fits (2)

  • Seizures are told apart by an aura, tonic-clonic movements, a longer period of unconsciousness, incontinence, tongue biting, and confusion afterward
  • Hypoglycemia can also cause loss of consciousness but usually comes with sweating, shakiness, and irritability

SourceStatPearls "Syncope" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (REFERRAL & ADVICE)

1st line
Adult dose and duration

Most fainting in primary care is benign vasovagal syncope managed with reassurance, hydration and trigger-avoidance advice; cardiac causes need referral and there is no first-line drug a Cairo GP would prescribe. - Refer, with advice

Paediatric dose

Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is implied.

Dose source

No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Why

Most fainting in primary care is benign vasovagal syncope managed with reassurance, hydration and trigger-avoidance advice; cardiac causes need referral and there is no first-line drug a Cairo GP would prescribe.

Cautions
  • No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
  • RED FLAG - Syncope accompanied by concomitant complaints of chest pain, dyspnea, or palpitations indicates high risk for cardiac disease.
  • RED FLAG - Patients should be instructed not to drive or operate heavy machinery following a syncopal episode until completion of workup.
  • RED FLAG - Syncope during exertion, a family history of sudden cardiac death, no warning symptoms before collapse, injury during the faint, or an abnormal ECG or heart murmur.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.