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Mental Health  (Expert Forum)
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Don't know what to think - please read
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
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MedHelp Member's Question

Don't know what to think - please read

by tamrz, May 09, 2006 12:00AM
Well here I am again, in this horrible feeling of anxiety/panic or just plain sick. I have fought this for a long time. Last October I was in a bad place after taking some diet pills that eventually lead to my heart doing funny things. When my heart was doing these funny things while comming off the diet pills it sent me into a horrible feeling of panic and anxiety. I went to my Dr and told him that the xanax I had been taking to sleep was not working to calm me down any longer and so he switched me to Klonopin. This worked much better and it got me through the detox of the diet pills and the xanax. Since then I have been doing ok but the main symptom of my anxiety has always been feeling lighheaded. Sometimes to the point it drives me crazy. At one point years ago they said I had possible MS or Fibro and so when these flair ups begin, my anxiety starts again too. I get so lightheaded and weak that I am afraid to go anywhere. This make life dificult as I am an outside sales rep and I have 2 teenagers. Does anyone else have lighheadedness as it relates to anxiety?? I keep something is wrong with my health and I cry. I have had all kinds of blood tests, heart evaluations, echo, treadmill ect and they told me I was fine. I read about anxiety and I am not convinced that you can feel lightheaded from this alone. I also feel off balance and weak too. I watch my Blood Pressure and it is always normal. I am reading Hope and Help for your Nerves and it is a great book.

I feel sick and tired. Afraid to do most anything again - like even go to the store. Any thoughts would be great! Thanks Tammy
Doctor's Answer

by Roger Gould, M.D., May 10, 2006 12:00AM
Lightheadedness is one of the most common symptoms of anxiety, and once it happens, there is a vicious cycle because you get more anxious worrying about that symptom.  Ask your doctor to give you another trial of klonopin to break the vicious cycle and get you back to ok again.
Member Comments (8)

by tamrz, May 10, 2006 12:00AM
Yes - I am taking it - but sparingly I think. Only .25 before bed and maybe .25 during the day. I think I could probably up it and get out of this rut. I am just scared that maybe the Klonopin would make the lightheadedness worse??

I am really trying to get some strength and get back to work. I have been pretty much in bed for 2-3 days, not good for a sales person. I ordered another anxiety self help book today hoping to understand this problem a little better. These forums are helping, thanks.

by slandis75, May 10, 2006 12:00AM
The lightheadedness is usually a result of your changing pattern in breathing, which often times you don't even notice is happening because you are paying attention to the knots in your stomach, the shakiness of your limbs, and your heart pounding so hard it feels like your having a heart attack.  However, next time stop and think only about your breathing, and you will notice that you are hyperventilating without even realizing it.  So to help calm your fears about the lightheadedness, the cause (if not simply from fear and that rush of adrenaline) may be from breathing TOO MUCH oxygen, rather than not enough, even though it honestly feels like you're suffocating!  I had the same problem and almost passed out when I though I couldn't breath until a nurse calmly reassured me that I was in fact getting too much air, and told me that if I did pass out, I would not be hurt because my breathing would go back to normal since I was no longer freaking out.  So next time you feel that way, explain this rationale to yourself several times in a calm voice (in your head or out loud) and concentrate only on steadying your breathing.  If you focus on nothing but making your lungs slowly fill with air and then slowly exhale, you will eventually calm yourself and lessen the attack tremendously until it is completely gone.  Although it may feel like it goes on forever, it really only lasts approximately 15-30 min, and very rarely more than that unless you dwell on the scary feelings like your heart racing.  Just imagine you just finished a race and now are trying to cool down.  Basically, that's all your body is experiencing and it's NOT going to kill you.  Plus, the better you get at calming yourself during your attack also helps you get less frequent recurrences of attacks.  My first year I had attacks nearly daily, the second year about once a month or so, but today I maybe get them once a year.  I've kept that pace now for about 10 years, so if I can do it anyone can if they just believe they can.

by shade, May 21, 2006 12:00AM
The other commenters seem to know more about anxiety than I do.  But one other thing to think about...Have you had your thyroid checked.  Sounds like you could ppossibly be having a problem there.

by bloatedugh, Jun 03, 2006 12:00AM
I hope someone reads this. I am a 36 y ear old female (single mom) and just had my gall bladder removed because I was complaining of tightness around my chest, difficulty breathing. etc. They did find gall stones after an ultrasound, but this past Wednesday, after surgery, I still have the tightness around my chest, burping, etc. I was rushed to the ER because I complained of difficulty breathing. My boyfriend said "It's all in your head"...which upset me even more. Well, after several tests, ultrasound, x-rays, bloodwork, it turned out that everything was fine.

The doctor said that I might have a spastic diaphragm (sp?). I suffer from anxiety. Badly.  I constantly worry about EVERYTHING, and most recently obsess about death. What will happen, etc. etc.  But the difficulty breathing is REAL. I can't get a refreshing gulp of air unless I sit up or hold my back on the right side. It's very strange.



I am on the highest dose of Effexor that the doctor will allow.

I have been to counseling before, but I never feel as though anything is resolved or helps me.  



Is anyone else out there experiencing anything similar to this?



by aamit, Jun 13, 2006 12:00AM
To: bloatedugh
hi

bloatedugh



Firstly -> you should write your problem in a seperate thread to make it visible to all those who can help you.

Secondly -> as far as of anxiety is concern .....

..............DO MEDITATION.................

the best thing you can have in this world

by ArashB, Jul 29, 2006 12:00AM
Hi tamrz60,

I guess I have the same symptoms as you do. I have lightheadedness especially when I move my head slowly. It's mostly at the back of my head and I feel imbalance.Sometimes I can't even move my head to do simple stuff like laundry, cooking,.. . I also feel very tired and exhausted for the most of the day. It's really hard for me to work and do simple stuff. I've taken 3 weeks off work and going back to work this monday. I have done blood test, ENG test and a CT scan and everything is normal. I've tried accupuncture, chiropracter, massage therapy, but they haven't helped me much. Initially my doctor said that it's all from anxiety. I've seen ear specialist and neuralogits. The neauralogist said it's from my ears. The ear specialist said that it's not from my ears and it's something that I have to be patient with and it'll go away by itself. It's been 6 months now that i'm feeling like this and i'm really frustrated with it. I don't know what to do.

I'm going to see the ear specialist again this thursday. I hope he can help me.

Are you symptoms similar to mine. Let's work together to find out more about this. Thank you so much. Please reply back.

by sabian722, Sep 09, 2007 01:13AM
To: med help
Im a 41 year old male. Everyday I have this uneasy feeling like Im in a fog. I've been to the ER more times than I can count. I don't have insurance but, fortunately I am a veteran so I am able to use the VA. Hosp. I ve been trying to find out what is wrong with me but almost everything points to panic attacks. The problem now is I have had several test and they are contradicting each other. Every blood test and EKG came out normal and I've had a lot of them. Next a stress test came out normal but they didn't keep me on that long. Then an echocardiogram showed that I  have mitral valve regurgitation/ a 45 percent ejection fraction so my cadiologist orders a nuclear scan stress test and says this will be a better test(more accurate) than the echocardiogram,everything came back normal, ejection fraction was at 55percent the only thing I saw on the report was it said I had systolic thickening of the walls. I was told that could be from working out. My resting heart rate will sometimes drop to 46bpm. I've been working out regularly for fifteen years. I never smoked, drink on occassion although not anymore while Im on xanax. Never used steroids or any kind of growth hormones and have no family history of heart problems. Now my cadiologist want me to do a cardia-catheterization