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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
balance
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.
balance
by tlsteven, Oct 20, 1999 12:00AM
I have just started zoloft today along with klonopin for anxiety, panic disorder with some deppresion. This seems to be an ongoing proplem. I have all the symptoms of the panic attacks and can get them under control. I have the proplem of being nervous all day long i feel off balance when i walk i feel like im swaying or walk tippedto one side i feel like i stagger or im on a boat on rough water. Am i nuts i feel fine when im sitting down . I have had every test i can think of and its all been negative even to mri one with dye one without,ear speacialist,blood work ,thyroid,heart, blood pressure normal except goes up with panic attacks,excellent cholesteral readings i have hada tramatic past along with at least 15 people close to me pass away in the last 10 years. I am only 40 and have 4 children. I am also so nervous to go into public places i cant wait to get out i sit in the back row at church i make all apts. so i can leave if i have to and when i shop i always grab a cart to hold on to. So what do you think am i crazy do i have a chance for normalacy in my life? My family is sick of it and i dont blame them i never feel like doing anything with them . Thanks for reading this sorry it is so long. LINDA
Doctor's Answer
by HFHS.MD-AJ, Oct 21, 1999 12:00AM
Linda,
The symptoms you describe may be due to panic disorder. It seems you have had extensive medical evaluation, with no physical cause being found. Panic disorder is treatable with a combination of medications (such as Zoloft, Klonopin, etc). and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Please refer to our forum archives for more information on panic disorder and depression.
The symptoms you describe may be due to panic disorder. It seems you have had extensive medical evaluation, with no physical cause being found. Panic disorder is treatable with a combination of medications (such as Zoloft, Klonopin, etc). and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Please refer to our forum archives for more information on panic disorder and depression.
Member Comments (5)
by Rebecca, Oct 20, 1999 12:00AM
Linda, Sorry to hear how much you have suffered. I'm glad to hear that you are on some medications to try and help some of those symptoms. Remember they could take several weeks to make a difference in how you feel. I too had a problem with dizziness and being off balanced for 2 years. After I went through all that you did with the MRI's and ear specialists, etc. etc., I went to an otolaryngologist, who specializes with the head and neck. He did an MRA which can show blood vessels in the head. The 8th cranial nerve controls balance and this nerve turned out to be compressed by a blood vessel in me. I had surgery to correct it and the dizziness and the feeling of being unbalanced is totally gone. The otolaryngologist can also have you try vestibular therapy to see if this helps instead of surgery. Hang in there and try to find support from someone, if not your family then maybe someone in a support group on the web that may be going through some of the same things. These medical problems can be very challenging for people and their families, but in time answers usually come and then help is not far behind.
by tlsteven to Rebeca/balance, Oct 20, 1999 12:00AM
thank you for your reply what is a mra and is it bad to have your blood vessel compressed like you did i worry about rupture of blood vessels like anurysm my mom died of that at the age of 37 they said it was none hereditary thow should i worry about this now? LINDA
by tlsteven, Oct 20, 1999 12:00AM
please feel free to e-mail me at ***@****
by Rebecca, Oct 22, 1999 12:00AM
An MRA is just like an MRI. You go into the same type of machine and they take pictures of your head, but they inject you with a liquid that shows up the blood vessels. Nerves being compressed by blood vessels are not life threatening from what I know. What happens is the nerve and blood vessel "connect" to each other and the nerve gets pulled by the blood vessel, causing the dizziness. The doctors can go in and put something between the nerve and the blood vessel so they don't touch anymore. Some people have compressed nerves and never have any symptoms or problems from it,where others do. If there are any problems with the blood vessels in your head, the MRA should detect it.
