INDIANAPOLIS -- A vaccine designed to prevent cervical cancer has now come under fresh scrutiny amid thousands of complaints, including one from an Indiana family.

Mattie Turkupolis, 13, said she began suffering unexplained dizzy spells last fall.

As 6News' Stacia Matthews reported, the seventh-grader had to quit sports, and stay under constant supervision as the symptoms got worse.

"I didn't know who I was or where I was," Turkupolis said. "Everybody was suggesting these mental illnesses I had never heard of, so I thought I was going crazy."

After visits to several specialists and a psychiatrist, the family told Matthews they were ready to give up when a neurologist hit on a possible link to Gardasil.

Turkupolis' family said she received the shots, given in a series of three, and got sick shortly after each injection.

The vaccine is now the target of nearly 8,000 complaints to the FDA linking it to ailments including dizziness and nausea.

Several Indiana researchers were instrumental in the drug's development and still oversee their studies. Dr. Marsha Shew told 6News she's not seen any serious side effects.

"I think it is important to remember that more than 7,000 women have received this vaccine in clinical trials (and some of these women have now been followed for over seven years) and the manufacturer has not seen any serious side effects with the vaccine," Shew said in a statement.

Merck, which makes the vaccine, said it will continue to evaluate the reports and update product labels with safety information as appropriate.

Turkupolis' family said she received her final injection of Gardasil last New Year's Eve. Her episodes ended May 8.

"I'm just grateful we have Maddie back," her mother Jill Turkupolis said. "I'm glad she's protected. Would I do it again? I'd probably wait until more research was done."

Gardasil hit the market in 2006 as the first vaccine to protect women from cervical cancer caused by HPV, the human papillomavirus. The vaccine is recommended for girls 9 to 26 years old.

Last month, the FDA rejected Merck's application to sell the vaccine to women 27 to 45 years old, citing the need for more time and research.