dizziness and anxiety

O.K, here is my story:
last year I started having episodes of shortness of breath, where my hand would be shaking, and i had no control over my self. Also no apetite. Went to the ER several times. They did all kind of tests EKGs, Blood (including thyroid), urine, etc. Everything O.K. I was prescribed with xanax by two different doctors, but I didn't take it (completely against medicine). I kept having the symptoms and started to have new symptoms: palpitations, like I couldn't swallow (or a feeling tha i would swallow my own tongue), dry eyes, etc. Kept going to the ER and they kept sending me back. I must say that in all these episodes, I woulkd always feel better, actually symptoms free, the minute I got to the hopsital. Anyway, the last time I went to the hospital, the found a little abnormality in my EKG,and to make a ling story short, I ended up having and cardiac cath at age 23, along with all the possible heart exams (echocardiogram, blood tests, etc.) They didn't find anything wrong. I went home after two days in the hopsital, and gradually understood that my symptoms were caused by anxiety, and even though i keep feeling them, it is easier for me to calm down and not go into a panic attack.
My problem now is that about 6 months ago I had a terrible episode of dizziness, and for some reason I've been feeling constantly dizzy ever since. Doctor says it's due to anxiety, but it just hard for me to belive it because vene when i don't feel anxious, i'm dizzy. I don't get the sensation of spinning, I feel like I'm going to faint, or fall. Any comments, anyone???

[Bigbaby]

iv been having the same symptons for awhile now, my dr. said its stress/anxiety.try and not worry too much and see if you feel any better, if not go back to your dr.good luck, like i said try not to worry as iv found it makes things worse! all the best.

[Bigbaby]

iv been having the same symptons for awhile now, my dr. said its stress/anxiety.try and not worry too much and see if you feel any better, if not go back to your dr.good luck, like i said try not to worry as iv found it makes things worse! all the best.

[NoAspartame]

For the dizziness, you may want to try stopping the consumption of any sugar substitutes... like aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet, SugarTwin) or Splenda.  (Aspartame particularly.)  It's in about 6,000 products, so it's imprtant to read the labels of what you buy.  It's in OTC remedies, diet soft drinks, most chewing gum, low-fat foods (like yogurt and sugar-free cookies).

For panic attacks, you might want to check out REBT.  For general information on REBT, try http://www.rational.org.nz/public.htm

[Krystof]

Hi ,

I had similar symptoms plus discomfort in my upper back and tingling in my left palm

[boninclyde]

Shame on the doctors for performing such a procedure and not realizing it was probaly just anxiety at such a young age. Or maybe their rent was due. I to suffer from panic attacks/generalized anxiety disorder and yes I do have many, many symptons including dizziness. You might want to get a new doctor. Who knows what kind of major test/operation he wil perform next time.

[kona girl]

Hi, I just had my first major panic attack and went to the emergency room. What triggered the panic attack was me losing balance and falling down. Like you I always feel dizzy. I've had three blood tests and three EKGs. I always get the same results everything is fine. I also had a ct scan and an MRI which was fin too.   I found this forum and I never considered my anxiety to be connected to my dizziness. In a way this is helping me cope. Thank you.

[713]

me to i've been feeling dizzy(loss of balance)for months know
and im starting to think is anxiety.

[FRESCA777]

I want to be normal again

I understand (or think I do, anyway) exactly what you're going through.  I have been suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and panic attacks for the past 7 years or so.  After taking medication following the birth of my son six years ago, I began to feel much better.  However, there were still those times that I would feel miserable with dizzy spells that would last for days.  About three months ago I stopped taking my Zoloft and just recently (about two weeks ago) I was struck again with one of those dizzy spells and it's still ongoing. The following is what usually happens...

I've had a stressful day (but not always) and I feel a pressure surrounding my head and I feel as if I'm going to faint, my head feels heavy...then comes the panic attack...it's very scary...then lingers on the dizziness with occasional headaches, weakness, tiredness, and sometimes even a tingling sensation on my head and always with an edgy feeling. No words can describe it.  I used to think the worst...that I may be having a stroke, could possibly have a brain tumor, etc. I've had several tests done in the past...have even gone to the emergency room a couple of times, but I along with doctors have come to the conclusion that it's anxiety.  

It's funny how some people will dismiss it by saying, "Oh, it was just a panic attack" or "it's just anxiety".  I feel, even to this day, that I have no control over this which has lead me to even become depressed.  Just yesterday I started taking my Zoloft again because the dizziness has just become too much.  Right now, as I sit in my apartment, I'm wondering how I'm even going to drive to work (one hour away) tonight. I think the best solution is cognitive-behavioral therapy.  I've been in therapy before and it helped significantly, but now I have no  health insurance and can't afford it.  I don't know what I will do.  I feel lost and alone, but it's helpful to know that I'm not alone.

Sorry, I wasn't of much help, but I can assure you that you are not alone either.

Sincerely,
Christy

[laral]

I have been having very similar symptoms - have been to the ER twice with dizziness, head pressure & chest pains, convinced I was having a heart attack only to have a normal EKG & chest x-ray.  First diagnosis was anxiety, second was bronchitis.  I've had full bloodwork which was totally clear (my doctor even said he wishes he had my labs) and a second EKG which was normal. Even had a stress test which came back normal, although my blood pressure does border on the high side. I don't know if I'm still having panic/anxiety attacks or what, but my head still feels heavy, particularly at the back of head, near the base of the neck.  I have momentary feelings of what almost feels like weightlessness or a sensation of falling backwards and feeling "detached" from myself.  It's also worse when I drink alcohol.  Sometimes the pressure is so intense that I'm popping my ears all day and I have to rub my jaw joints.
Anyone else ever have this or know what I'm describing?  I keep telling myself it's just stress/anxiety but my body isn't responding which makes me think there might really be something wrong.
Thanks!!

[713]

i feel the same way

[luisflo]

I feel somehow the same way and is very upseting that all the doctors that I have gone to have not been able to tell be what is wrong with me, have been with cadiologists ECG, Echo, all normal I feel many sympthoms and I just cant figure it out, and all i can say is that I want my life back, I am a 33 year old male, smoke free, dont drink any alcohol and started suffering with this thing about 2 years ago, heart palpitations, shortness of breath all the time and specially while eating. My doctor says that is stress and thats it.
I think its all related to my stomach, I did had a ulcer caused by H polory and a small Hiatal hernia, buy my doctor told me that is got nothing to do with it.
Its all a mystery
I wish I could take a magic pill that will take me back to normal

[ancient_bc]

Hi everyone from Australia. Laral and luisflo, what you have both written is exactly what I have experienced over the last 9 months. I have beaten the "panic attacks" and when I feel one coming on I can stop it.

But what triggers it is what you are describing. The heavy head, the dizziness, the pain in the back of my head/neck, tingiling in the hands, feet etc. I too have had all the tests, the doctors love my results.

Sometimes I just get a weird feeling and that sends me dizzy etc. I don't have to explain it, you all know what I am talking about. The more I read guys, the more I believe what we are suffering is purely what we are doing to ourselves (not that we want to, believe me!)

Everytime I get the feeling of impending doom/death/fear/dizziness/nausea or any combination of those, nothing happens. I do not pass out, I do not have a heart attack, I do not have a stroke/brain tumour, I do not have stomach cancer etc.

Guys, from the reading I have done, the more power we give it (believe something will happen) the greater the effect it has. I still have the odd occasion when I believe there is something else sinister at work, but then nothing happens. In fact when I face my fears(say a major presentation at work) or exercise hard, it actually goes away. Crazy I know ( and no we are not going crazy). I will let you know if I find the magical solution but for now it is not to give in, face the fear and exercise frequently and eat good food as often as you can.

Lastly, just when you think things have gotten better, it will come back with vengence. It is your body/mind reacting strangely to feeling good again. DO NOT LET IT WIN.

My thoughts are with you all. Good luck in the battle.

Regards,

Brad

[boninclyde]

Went back and read everyones comments again and was just wondering how everyone was doing?

[bruce88]

I have the same sympotoms! I feel Dizzy almost 24 hrs a day! Started taking some anxiety medicine yesterday, we'll see how i do!

[mellee22]

I had my first panic attack 9 years ago. Struggled with it for a couple years and slowly it subsided. Just recently I have been getting really dizzy. I fell once and often have to brace myself.  I have'nt gotten the same symptoms as i did nine years ago. This time there are no palpitations or racing heart. I have been feeling primarly dizziness, shortness of breath, and disconnected. Has anyone else had just these symtoms (symptoms)?

[Kyork]

I just came across this message board and wanted to share with you my experience with panic attacks.  They began in 1988, shortly after giving birth to my second child.  (At this time, the words "Panic Attack" were not common.)  I thought I was losing my mind.  I had all of the symptoms you have described, but the scariest symptom was the "out of body" as I called it.  I felt as though I were dreaming all of the time.  This feeling caused me to quit shopping and driving (I associated these tasks with panic, because I had attacks when I did such things)and they absolutely controlled my life.  All that I ever prayed for was a life without panic attacks.  PLEASE BELIEVE ME they can go away!!!  My life now is NORMAL again, and I was able to get to this point by simply learning to breathe.  Three years ago, I decided to try yet another psychiatrist....and I am so glad I did.  He taught me to breathe!  My problem was that I wanted to breathe too much when I had an attack, because I felt like I couldn't breath.  When you have an attack...try not to breath...this will keep you from hyperventilating and slow down your heart rate.  GET YOUR MIND ON SOMETHING ELSE!  This is important.  If you wake up in full panic...turn on your tv to something entertaining and watch it immediately.  This will slow down the symptoms much faster.  If your driving is affected...once you figure out that you can breathe and that YOU can control it...you will feel more confident behind the wheel and you will begin to take baby steps toward short drives and they will get longer until it no longer has control of you....YOU WILL HAVE CONTROL OF IT!!!!  This is the place everyone with panic needs to be...YOU IN CONTROL-NOT THE PANIC! I strongly urge anyone out there reading this to seek help from a psychologist who can teach you breathing skills.  My psychologist created tapes that I could use until I learned to breathe without them.  I never imagined that getting over something so powerful as panic attacks, could be as simple as control of breathing, but now I know this is true!!!

[bad kim]

Hi! I have had anxiety for years. Everyday you wake up you want to feel normal. I have been on all the pills. Prozac seemed to help me. Well I thought it did, but on Friday had a panic attack. I felt like I was losing my mind. I had to leave work and couldn't go to work today. Now this is freaky, I'm taking my pills and still having attacks. The dose of Prozac I take is making me strange, I can just image what I'm going to be like on a higher dose. The pills have effects on me as well. I'm going to the doctor today. I hate being dizzy,sick,and out of control. I also hate how people jugde you. People think it's a way out so you don't have to do something.I would love to be normal. Nobody understands. Unless you suffer from this. I was doing good until now, I have no clue what is wrong with now. I just couldn't go to work today, the fear was still with me. I have panic,anxiety,and depression. The last time I couldn't work for a total of 45 days. I love to work. I can't do that again.

[over the hedge]

I had mono in 2002 and still have post mono chronic fatigue. . Because the medical field has nothing for mono I went to a Naturopath which has helped me big time and may help you also. To help me figure out what may be the cause of some of my symptoms, I kept a diary writting down everything I ate drank, and any supplements I took along with the time that I injested things. When I started felling a symptom coming one I would keep track of the time it happened. I then looked at what I injested before that and I have figured out quite a few symptoms were related to what I ate or a supplement I took.
So I stongly recommend starting a diary and see if you can link your symptoms to someting you ingested.
Also a couple of good books to read are Potatoes Not Prozac and the ones by Dr. Schwarzbein author of the Schwatzbein Principles. They helped me with some of my symptoms.

Over the Hedge

[liveinfear]

I had a mild drug induced heart attack at the age of 30.
Ever since, I experience terrible anxiety and panic attacks.
I get nasty heart flutters which I've been told are harmless.
I do what I can to help them subside, but sometimes, I get so scared that it will happen again.
What do you all suggest???

[boninclyde]

Everyone has their on unique way of dealing with these spells. I just have to tell myself I am OK and I am not going to die. Do you take any meds? Our thread I going to go to history soon so if you want to talk post a new thread.

[renate]

hi everyone,

i have the same problem. dizzy 24/7. my first panic attack was almost 5 months ago, but of course i didn't know what it was at that time and rushed to the ER. since than my life has change so much with this dizziness hindering me from driving or even going to the store by myself. i had a tilt table test done, x-ray of my chest, ct scan, EKG,lab work all seems fine and test came back negativ, and yet i'm still dizzy. I recently was diagnosed with an axiety disorder - panic attacks with agoraphobia. great, all this time they gave me bloodpressure meds. for my high bloodpressure, that i only had during and anxiety attack or doctors visit. now, i'm off the bloodpressure med and was put on xanax. well this makes me feel much better although i refuse to take more dann 0.25mg 2 or 3 times a day. My doc. told me I can go up to 0.5mg 3times a day if i have to and that alone already makes me feel better.
like almost everybody out there i refused meds at first, because i seem to be very sensitive for the side effects, but i stoped kidding myself that this will go away on its on without meds so I have to hang in there and try one med after the other till one screems out my name. i've been on zoloft,celexa,and effexor. all had side effects on me - now i'm back on zoloft since yersterday taking 12.5 mg instead 25 mg as you are surpose to start with. my doc said to try it again with this low dose and gradually go up to the recommended 50 mg a day. it will take much longer this way but better late than never. I just hope i don't develope side effects again over a period of time taking this med. well, until than i guess i just spinn my way thrue life with my dizziness. i too have my doughts that my dizziness comes from my anxiety, because i am dizzy aswell without beeing even close to a panic attack or so. they (docs)all seem to agree on this one so i guess i have to go with it until i'm on this zoloft long enough were dissiness could be ruled out and still is present.
to everybody out there going thrue the same thing i can only say enjoy one day at a time - don't look to far ahead into the future getting depressed about that this will never get better, because i've been there and i still am, but now i enjoy my days where i feel better rather than panic about the situation and depress myself with future thoughts that we have no control over anyway. hang in there an get medical help. because although my doc said this can never be healed - just masked with the meds. I rather mask it than going thrue this for the rest of my life. he explaind it to me this way that gave me some comfort. when you have a hadache you take meds. that does not mean that you will never get a hadache again in your life - and that's how it works with this anitdepressant an anxiety pills - you take them now when you need them for as long as you need them. and also - just like me i seek help and comfort from people like you to get me thrue this - but i also found out that there are people out there that never see anything positiv in anything - taking advise from people like that is the wrong way to go. it's comforting to know that you are not alone out there but do not compare yourself with anybody else but yourself. everybody is different with meds and the reaction to meds. and with the speed of the recovery or other things. just listen to yourself how you feel and share positive things with people. i know i'm in the need for positiv things and tiered of negative comments.
take care everyone and keep posting positiv expierences no matter how small they might be - it's still better than nothing!!

[bad kim]

Hi! I wanted to say I went back to work. The doctor gave me a week off from work. He up my Prozac and gave Ativan. Ativan can be taken three times a day, when you feel anxiety coming on. This is like a magic pill, I feel so relax. I only take it one pill a day. The strange thing when I went back to work, two other people I work with went home for the same thing. Where we work is really hot and stressful. We deal with the public and its crazy there. I feel better knowing there are other people out there. Because sometimes you feel alone. It really sucks there is no cure for this. You have to take pills just to deal with life.I hate knowing that. I would love to be free from my pills. I would have more money and more energy. I hope everyone is doing well.

[flames03]

to everyone on here i have been dealin with anxiety and panic for a year now . i have had an echo done blood work the whole nine. i feel dizzy everyday and was concerned about it so i was doing a web search and stumbled on this page and realized that im not the only one here who is suffering from the horrible symptoms from anxiety and panic. i was prescribed lexapro but am a little nervous to take it. i live everyday fully of nervouness and worry it gets to the point where i will get chest pain with a little bit of arm pain and i will have a full blown panic attack i wont be able to breathe, see, hear, my head will feel like it weighs a ton i will think im dying. its horrible. my test all came back fine, i go for an MRI soon but i am expecting as well as my doctor is too that it will come back fine. this sucks and im only 19, i have to find a way to beat this.

[dulihead]

Hi everyone!
     Reading this string of emails made me want to cry!  I've always suffered from anxiety...all kinds of weird symptoms and every time I'd get them checked out, I'd be fine.  I did the whole panic attack thing where you think your dying.  I even called 911 before and had a bunch of EM's come to my house breaking down my door just to find a 19 year old freaking out on her couch with nothing wrong with her.  I've thought I've had some weird diseases, but I've had all kinds of bloodwork, MRI, C-scan, Xrays...I ace everything.
     About 3 weeks ago I went to a party and drank a little too much.  The next day, I was so dizzy I couldn't get off my couch.  Ever since then, I've been able to work, drive, and take care of my son but I CONSTANTLY have this imbalanced feeling....like if I turn my head too quickly I'll fall over.  Or if someone even touches me, I'll fall to the side.  Sometimes (and these are the most freaky to me), I feel like I'm dropping/falling straight down.  I'm seeing an ENT and he gave me a hearing test, which of course I ACED.  Best hearing in the world, they said.  He gave me allergy meds but they didn't help with the dizziness at all.  Even as I write this, I'm dizzy.  My ears sometimes pop as well and sometimes my right ear hurts like crazy when I wake up in the morning.  I was convinced I have an inner ear problem....but now that I'm reading this....is this just my anxiety at work yet again??  I may have to call my doctor on Monday and agree to the anxiety meds that he's been wanting me to go on.  If this is anxiety again....I don't know what to do.  How can we get so out of control like this?

[renate]

hi everyone,

i have posted a comment a few days ago. now back on zoloft again since 3 days on 12.5 mg a day to get my boddy adjusted to the med since i'm always having trouble with the side effects, i seem to be doing well, so far, i have not had the side effect that i expirienced the first time around - but my dizziness and the pressure in my head as increased since then. everytime i'm on this type of medication these symptoms seem to come on but i'm not sure if it is the medication. I just wanted to ask everybody out there if you expierence the same and if the dizziness actually did go away after a period of time beeing on the meds. I'm asking because i do not want to get off the meds to quickly with these symptoms before i gave them a good chance to work for me. if the dizziness comes from the anxiety that we suffer from it should go away after a while. please post positive feedback on this one. i really could use a good boost for the next week.thanks everybody.

[boninclyde]

My dizzyness did go away but so did my other feelings. I felt like a zombie. But like you or someone else said on here we are all different and meds will effect us differently. Keep posting.

[Guitar03]

Hi everyone, im 21 female i was diagnosed with server generalized anxiety, i went to the hospital about 7 months ago for my first panic attack...it was horrible it happened while i was working out, i felt weird like i was going to faint, my neck became tight, i couldnt move, i could barley talk, my heart started racing like crazy, my chest was hurting..anyways they did all these test MRI,CT scan,chest x ray, blood test, 24 hr heart monitor, echo, stress test, more blood work, ekg's....etc. i was taking diet pills when this happened...anyways i stayed in the hospital for the night bc they said the ekg didnt look normal..anyways come to find out it was a panic attack...well after all these happened i have been feeling really dizzy and feeling like im not in my body, everytime i got up to do something my heart would race....i mean i would walk 5 steps and my heart beat was at 130 to 150. Did that happen to anybody else? well so i went to the doctor and told them to check my hormones well my testoserone was a little high and they gave me med's for that which btw made me more sick...to make a long story short im now seeing a kineseoligist (whole foods and natural) kind of dr. i have been going to him for 2 months now and i tell u i feel a difference. Oh!!! also go to a chiroprator and get adjusted that also helps ur anxiety, i can tell when i go at least more then a week without getting adjusted i start feeling bad....if anyone have any question please feel free to ask, thank you and dont worry we all will get better......it has to get worse in order to get better.

[einna123]

can some one please help me i am 19 and i was told that i had anxiety but i never took any medication because my mom had no insurance and itw as too expensive and all this stuff so i just stopped goin to the doctor and dealt with it. i dont get all the symptoms that everyone on here is talking about i feel a little diff. so im starting to think its not anxiety. i have like this huge fear that i am goin to fain when i go anywhere like a mall, movie theathers or i feel like i am going to fall out of the seat so i brace my self. sometimes when i drive i fell like i have to keep coughing or (i kno this is nasty) or like burping or doing anything with my mouth to feel normal and i start to feel weird and i cant even explain it. i cant even go out to eat in a resturant with out feeling like i am going to choke on my food so i always end up gettin it to go.  but latley for like the past 5 days almost all day i feel not dizzy to the point where everything is spinning but wheni walk i feel like i just got off a boat or like the floor is going up and down and my head feels very heavy. is this anxiety? i really hope it is!! because i am too scared to go to the doctor because i am afraid i am going to find ou tthat i have a brain tumor or something very wrong with me! does anyone know what this is??

[einna123]

can some one please help me i am 19 and i was told that i had anxiety but i never took any medication because my mom had no insurance and itw as too expensive and all this stuff so i just stopped goin to the doctor and dealt with it. i dont get all the symptoms that everyone on here is talking about i feel a little diff. so im starting to think its not anxiety. i have like this huge fear that i am goin to fain when i go anywhere like a mall, movie theathers or i feel like i am going to fall out of the seat so i brace my self. sometimes when i drive i fell like i have to keep coughing or (i kno this is nasty) or like burping or doing anything with my mouth to feel normal and i start to feel weird and i cant even explain it. i cant even go out to eat in a resturant with out feeling like i am going to choke on my food so i always end up gettin it to go.  but latley for like the past 5 days almost all day i feel not dizzy to the point where everything is spinning but wheni walk i feel like i just got off a boat or like the floor is going up and down and my head feels very heavy. is this anxiety? i really hope it is!! because i am too scared to go to the doctor because i am afraid i am going to find ou tthat i have a brain tumor or something very wrong with me! does anyone know what this is??

[renate]

hi ainna123,

I've read your comment and it does sound as though you have an anxiety disorder. My guess would be that you have agoraphobia with your anxiety. Agoraphobia means fear of being in public places not because you don't want to be there but more that you think something will happen to you when you are out and about. Maybe that is why you do the coughing thing and so on to make yourself feel more safe and normal when you out there. Please read up on the agoraphobia as it will be better explained to you on the Internet like webmd.com.I've panic disorder with agoraphobia and your condition sound much like mine. You only know for sure if you go to a doctor.Not everybody experiences the same symptoms with there anxiety but the dizziness sound just like everybody else's, too. I'm not spinning dizzy either (because that would be vertigo - I was explained)but more that boat feeling and the heavy had and pressure in my head and ears. I'm really sorry you feel this way because I can only imagine how terrible this must be for you. I'm going thru a healing process myself at this moment and I'm hopping to have a normal life again soon, but I know I would not have been able to to this without medication. I understand your situation with the health insurance but if you could only get a diagnose from a doctor just to be sure it is anxiety. they usually can diagnose that without any expensive ct-scans or so. At least than you would know for sure and you could deal with it much better that way. I do not believe it is a tumor however but I do not know I'm just saying that the "tumor scare" most of us had that experienced dizziness turned out to be nothing but a scare .some people are able to deal with there anxiety without medication some can't. If you try to deal with it without any medication more power to you and always tell yourself it is just fear that's in your head. Nothing can hurt you - no physical harm is done. Just stay calm and breath slowly. But just get the diagnose from a professional doctor first and be care full with your driving and your dizziness. keep posting. take care and good luck.

[lee214]

ever tried neurofeedback? i have been going for about a month and a half now and am panic free!
I have suffered from multitude of symptoms for 2 years and have tried all meds out there.
It takes time at least twice a week for about 30 sessions total.
it is working for me..something to consider..

[Biblue]

Hello everyone, i have been reading this, and i thought that i was the only one feeling dizzy and anxious . It just happened to me three weeks ago and i thought that this will go away,but it does not . i have been crying because of this, and i went to the doctor today and he send me to the neurologist, cardiologist ,physicologist and psychiatrist. So i pretty sure that is anxiety.    

[justshootme]

I have peristent nausea, weird tingly feelings in my neck, moving down my arms, GERD symptoms, and cold flashes.  Anyone else??  What is this??  My Doctor perscribed Lexapro, which I started today.

[anxiety81]

Hey everybody, I've been getting these dizziness panic attacks since I was about 5, I'm pretty sure from all my ,searching, reading, research that this is anxiety that I drove into my self years ago..... Were not alone in this and this can be fixed.... Just a thought for fellow sufferers, Im currently going to try another approach called ""the Charles Linden method"" which sometimes can completely cure anxiety which in turn gets rid of the dizziness.... There is some really good information on the site if people feel that this might help... Im at a stage where Im so fed up with doctors and the way they send you to all these specialists that seem to no nothing... So, Im giving this a try  because what have I to lose....

[ema25]

hello ppl this is my first time of posting and am so happy i found ppl with the same sort of symptoms.
iam 25 yrs old mother to 5 and every day for the past three months i have been dizzy non stop.i dont know how much more i can take ... i keep thinking ive got a brain tumour and iam gonna die,which makes me even more worried.i live in the uk,so i dont really have to worry bout med insuance,but ive been to a doc who said i have an inner ear prob and put me on betahistine but the dizzyness is still with me and hes refferd me to an ent now.
i do get stressed alot ...do u folks think this dizzyness is due to stress? i dont want my doc to think i am a nutter iam at my wits end!

[lindasue645]

hello first time i was here im glad im not alone....im 35 years old female with graves disease im dizzy all the time i feel like **** all the time i have 2 girls and i feel so bad for my husband all he tells me is he wishs he can fix me....im so glad i found this page because i feel the same as every body here....i just called a counseler so i hope that will work and he can give me some thing to help me out.........

[Toddles]

I strongly suggest those of you who are feeling this way consult a Dr. and then get a second opinion.  I was feeling terrible, dizzy, unsteady walking, nausea, and tingling in my arm and then eventually my leg.  For two years I was told by my primary care physician that it was anxiety and I was put on medication for just that.  Six months ago I switched doctors and in two days I was under the care of a neurologist and receiving my first spinal tap and steroid infusion.  The diagnosis, Multiple Sclerosis.  I have learned from this that you can't take the word of just one doctor, and that when you KNOW something is wrong, it is best to continue excerising your right as a patient to get every possible opinion.  If I had done this two years previous, I could have slowed some of the damage done to my nerves during deymeylization and I could have prevented a very depressing and expensive exacerbation.  

I am not trying to scare any of you, but I look back and these boards now, of which I frequented when I was trying to self diagnose or follow up on what my Dr. was saying, I only wish I had known then what I know now.

[Jessie_72@1]

Hi  I have just read this page.  I have had a terrible year where everything that could have gone did, from family members getting severe illnesses to one of them in the end dying.  I am usually the strong one but three months ago i got a lump in my throat after eating.  The doctor put me on Lansoprasol for heart burn which got rid of the feeling within a week.  After a week of taking the tablets however i started to get terrible dizzy spells.  I put it down to the medication and came off them.  The dizzy spells eased for a week or so but now i get a strange 'light headed' feeling, almost as if i had had a couple of vodkas.  This begins about an hour after i wake and lasts throughout the day.  If i really think about it I also get a very heavy crushing sensation on the top of my head like a tight band squeezing it.  The doctor thinks it is just anxiety but i am terrified it may be a brain tumour.  I have a 2 year old son and keep looking at him thinking that i wont get to see him grow up.  I can't seem to stop worrying about it and it is driving me mad.

[sheet]

This topic is just like me, they put me through the same tests and said anxiety. Everything thing you said even symptoms leaving while going to the hospital.  I'm curios about the dry eyes, I have something like that and have been noticing visual disturbances, and would like to hear more about this.

[ancient75]

Hello. I am feeling dizzy, heavy headed, feel like I'm losing control of my limbs sometimes and this of course gives me these nice panic attacks which make all of those symptoms worse. This began about 5 days ago and seems to have gotten a bit worse today. This same thing happened to me about 4 years ago and it lasted about 3 weeks and then it went completely away. During that time I went to the doctos and had blood tests and he said everything was fine with me. I've had anxiety problems and attacks for a while now so it's nothing knew for people to tell me it's just anxiety. But of course I'm worried.

What I have noticed is that I feel good and normal in the morning when I wake up, do any of you feel normal in the morning also? This kind of makes me think that it is anxiety since if it was something else I don't see why it would take a break in the morning, right? Seems like the stress in the back of my mind or whatever is bothering me goes to sleep and wakes up with me and takes a while to start bothering me again. Is this true for anyone else?

If this is anxiety, it is pretty amazing that we are suffering from such physical symptoms. Do you think people have always been like this? To me it seems like a new epidemic in our world come out of nowhere. Seems this anxiety attack thing is becoming very popular within the past decade. I wonder if there is this one common root cause that we haven't discovered yet. Maybe something in the water or in the air or in fast food? I don't know, but it seems strange how more and more people are not being able to handle stress that humans before us could without being incapacitated by anxiety the way we are.

[Jessie_72@1]

[Jessie_72@1]

Yes, that's exactly how it is with me.  I feel absolutely fine in the morning and then the pressure begins to gradually build up in my head and until i can't ignore it anymore and begin to feel spaced out.  I have noticed that if I take a strong pain killer before it gets too worse that it sometimes keeps in the background.  Perhaps it is because the pain killer is relaxing me? The fact that i feel better first thing is the only thing keeping me from going demented with worry about maybe having a brain tumour as surely it would be worse first thing as you have been laid flat all night allowing the pressure to build up?

[ancient75]

Hi Jessie. It would be interesting to try and possibly narrow down the common factors between us and maybe figure out possibilities to explore. We can do this here or by e-mail. Just let me know, my e-mail is ***@**** Thanks.

[Jessie_72@1]

Hi Ancient.  Thants fine with me.  I am due to have blood tests at doctors next Wednesday but I don't think anything will come up.  I am currently trying to take regular brufen/ibuprofen to see if it is a muscular problem.  As i said before, when i get up in the morning it is fine and then gradually the heavy feeling in my head starts to creep up on me and then the dizzy spaced out feeling.  I have noticed that if i take ibuprofen before the symptoms get too bad that they sometimes don't get quite as bad as when i don't take any.  I was wondering if these symptoms are maybe caused by spasms in the muscles in my scalp tightening up and making me feel spaced out.  You can buy some tablets for tension headaches over the counter.  In England they are called Syndol but i am just trying ibuprofen at the minute.  I was  wondering if the spasms in the musles in the scalp are causing a type of migraine effect as i do feel more spaced out when i am in a shop with overhead strip lighting?   If I think about it a lot i also get a heavy feeling in my body.  At it's worse about two weeks after I first started with the symptoms my right leg used to feel really heavy like i could't move it properly but i think that was because i was getting so worked up about it.  I really don't think that these symptoms are psychological due to anxiety as i get them whether i am stressed or not.  i have a friend that is trying accupuncture due to panic attacks, they said that she will probably only need four sessions but says she feels a lot better after only two?!  I fancy trying it but have difficulty getting child care when I am days off from work.  I have had these symptoms for 3 months up to now and would be very interested to hear about yours.

[kbrad11]

I have the same sort of feeling, dizzy all day but better in the mornings,  I have the same "spaced out" feeling.  I have had an MRI and seen an ear, nose and throat specialist. Nothing was wrong there. My bloodwork was normal a few months ago, but i've just had it retested.  I have also just had an EKG and am waiting on the results.  My mother has a heart condition called Wolfe Parkinson White's Syndrome, which this may be a symptom of.  My doctor thinks it is just anxiety, but I feel fine. I do have some stress in my life but I don't feel as though it is overtaking me. I don't really want to go on anti-anxiety medication at the age of 23.

[Jessie_72@1]

I went to see the senior doctor yesterday and he thinks that it definately could be the muscles in my scalp tightening up and going into spasm as they are all over the scalp.  He has referred me to a neurologist for advice and i am going on wednesday (I paid privately for the first visit so i get seen quicker).  I, like you, don't feel particularly stressed at the minute.  Have you tried a tension headache tablet like Syndol or Boots tension headache tablet?  I was wondering if they helped with you.  I will let you all know when i go next wednesday.

[kbrad11]

For the last couple of days I have been trying to take an advil when the dizziness gets really bad. It seems to be helping.

[Ametrine]

When I was in my 20's, I thought I was having panic attacks. It turned out that my blood sugar and blood pressure were low. Once I was able to get treated, I stoped having them. Turns out I have autonomic dysfunction, that drops my blood pressure, makes me dizzy and causes fainting sometimes. Also low body temp, slow intestinal motility, and heart arrythmia. Something that can be worth checking into. The anti anxiety drugs only dropped my blood pressure more and made me faint. A tilt table test is used to diagnose it. That was no fun, because for me it stimulated the same reaction I had when I was told they were panic attacks, but at least it got diagnosed.

Don't get me wrong. It could be anxiety as well, but I say check all your options, just in case.

Ame

[Jessie_72@1]

Hi,  Went to see the neurologist last week.  He checked me out and feels pretty certain it isn't anything to worry about.  I do get a lot of headaches so he thinks that what I am getting is a type of repeated migraine where all the muscles in my scalp and neck are going onto spasm.  We do have a strong family link for migraines but i can't quite believe this is just migraine?!  He has put me on a type of anti-epileptic medication which has been liscenced also for migraine in the last couple of years.  I have been on it since Friday but don't feel any different yet but i suppose it will be a slow process.  I am also booked to have an MRI but that could take up to 3 months to come through on British National Health.  I had blood tests on friday.  Still cant help worrying though.  Just want to feel normal again, instead of just pretending to be to everybody.  How is everyone else doing?

[valeriev30]

I have GAD and Panic Disorder and have experienced ALL symptoms you mention.  Specifically, the dizziness is caused by hyperventilated.  You may not realize you are taking short shallow breaths which is really what hyperventilated is.  I never realized it until I was in the ER laying in the bed and about every 5 minutes the nurse would tell me to take deep breaths from my diaphram because my resp rate was showing I was hyperventilated.  Normally, it leads to the panic attack.

[dazed28]

Wow, I'm so glad to find so many others out there experiencing the same thing I am!  I don't feel so alone in this battle with myself.  I had my first panic attack 5 years ago, after my son was born.  I have been through all the tests, and the only thing they found was GERD.  It is under control now, and has helped a little, but I still get sudden strange feelings out of nowhere... dizziness, feeling detached from myself, dreamish, jumpy, unable to breathe... I almost want to jump out of my body and wait until the feelings pass.  I do take an occasional xanax, and it does help tremendously - especially when driving or in confined places, where I can't take the time to concentrate and try to mentally control it.  Anyhow, in addition to the anxiety/panic, my Dr. thinks that I may be B-complex deficient.  He has put me on a prenatal level supplement, we'll see if it helps.  I noticed a couple of other posts on here that mentioned problems starting after the birth of a child... I'm starting to wonder if there really might be a connection to the vitamins.  Afterall, pregnancy & child birth do deplete your system.  Not to say that others can't have deficiencies - it can happen to anyone at anytime, even if you're pretty careful about what you eat.  Any thoughts?  Has anyone else had any help from taking extra vitamins, or suffered vitamin difficiencies?  

[valeriev30]

I had my first child in Aug 2003 and my second in Oct 2004.  My panic attacks started July 2005.  In the same time span, my mother died and my husbands grandmother died.  I can't say if the pregnancies and births contributed or not but it might.

[valeriev30]

I have also read that panic attacks are symptoms of thyroid disease too so it might be good to look at that as well.

[Jessie_72@1]

I have had thyroid tests, all normal.  I think that perhaps having young children makes all the other stresses in life so much harder to deal with. There doesn't seem any pattern to my dizzyness/spaced out feeling.  One day i will have it a little bit all day, another couple of days it will be really bad and then one day out of the blue i will hardly have it at all.  It doesn't feel like a panic attack put could be muscle spasms in response to stress.  I don't know.  All i do know is that it is driving me mad.

[neha123]

hello everyone,
I am 19yr old girl from India
I consulted ENT and neurologist,  they told me that it is due to anxiety.

It all started last week,  
DAY 1&2:   I suddenly woke up in the night,  sensing numbness in the right side of my head.  Then numbness would come and go for the next two days.
DAY 3&4:     No numbness,  but started experiencing high amounts of ear pressure and mild diziness
DAY 5&6:    head pressure/lesser ear pressure,  more diziness,  dropping eyelids, unable to concentrate,  racing thoughts,  insomnia

I experience these scary symptoms heavily during nights.  I hardly slept since last 7 days.  I am scared, PLEASE HELP...WILL I BE NORMAL AGAIN?

I have no clue what triggered anxiety,  because i had a normal life previously.

I want to know,  Is there any good treatment for anxiety??  

[cjhoop9]

Dear, Neha
                   I feel the exact same way dizzy all the times feeling like my breath will be my last and i have gone to so many doctors thinking cancer or something else. I am going back soon but tell me what you find out. what really helps me is just lay down in a spot where YOU feel comfortable and think of something else watch a movie do something to calm your self down. But please keep in touch with me and tell me what treatment you get because i need help badly everyday i feel dizzy as though i wont make it through the day.
                                                                                 Sincerely hope you get better, Chris

[tristanbolt]

Everybody,
Its been touching hearing everyones stories. I am a heart patient, i've had 5 open heart surgeries and i was feeling fine, Finally went to school and completed a Diploma and went away to work while away i over exerted my heart and passed out. Since then i have not been myself at all. i've been to the emergency room Probably about 40-50 times.I've had, EKG,ECHO, CAT SCANS ,XRAYS,BLOOD TESTS, PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST, Been hooked up on a heart monitor. The Doctors say im fine, im just finding it so hard to believe it i need help to believe it . I becomes Dizzy, Shortness of Breathe, Chest Pains, Back Pains, and i have these Forceful , painful heart beats at times. Nothing is showing up on the test, all my friends and loves one are telling me i need to go on my life  All the Doctors are telling me its anxiety, when i go to the doctor  now they are so certain they dont even want to give me any tests. Im so tired off this anxiety, it happens out of no where, i dont feel stressed out but it just comes on.  Does Anyone else have these sympthoms? please answer me i want to be back to myself ...please respond.

[heyheymama]

hi, tristan -

i also had a previous cardiac event - a heart attack at age 24. now i am 34 and have had every test known, and am suffering from this dizziness others talk about for a week now, with heart palpatations at night and so on. i have been to teh ER again and again and so on. i have a severe anxiety disorder and i hate it. you are having anxiety. the best thing you can do is remind yourself that all of the times you've been to the ER, there's not been a problem - and that you are having an anxiety attack and this WILL NOT KILL YOU. you wil eventually learn to deal with it because you will build confidence knowing you can control it. if you respond, i'll know you're still out there and i'll talk more...be kind to yourself.  

[heyheymama]

I had to add this: I have had anxiety for these 10 years and have never comepletely overcome it. So I didn't want to come off as knowing all, you know. But I just realized today that this dizziness is anxiety-related, because my workout partner had experienced it also and everything I am reading points to psychosis (yay!). So, I too am trapped, but I know my own mind will set me free. I hope you find peace. I know you CAN. You are ABLE. And it is okay to be scared and it is not abnormal to have anxeity, especially with your background. So that is why I say be kind to yourself. It is very TOUCHING TO HEAR THE STORIES OF OTHERS...We are not alone. We do not suffer alone, feeling crazy and helpless. My anxeity has taken new forms over the years, and this is my latest. Yes, I feel like my mind has turned on me, but also I know I am stronger than this part of my mind that is out of control. And I am committed from today on - after hearing all of you describe your feelings - I AM COMMITTED TO RECOVERY. I am committed to not dwelling on fear and to taking this day and running with it. I have had too many traumatizing medical and personal experiences in my life, but I am alive. I have a Master's degree, 2 kids and a dog, good family, good face, body, I'm ethical and moral and loving and kind, AND I AM ALIVE!!! Most of all, I HAVE ME!!!!! And as long as I am alive, I am going to be in control. So there, anxiety!!!!

[dawn775]

I am sorry you feel this way, but let me tell you i SUFFER with anxiety attaks, PAD, agoraphobia, SAD, and panic attacks. Im not depressed as i would say, but i dont know what that feeling is like. Ive also had the same symptoms as you dizzy feel like i was going to faint, tension in my head pressure, my scalp hurt jaw pain from clentching my teeth, shoulder pain. So one a Dr put me Xanax 1 mg three times a day. THE reason for Xanax, it works fast where if you take Zoloft it takes weeks for it to have full effect with Xanax it takes five minutes and the heart palps, feeling of have a disease or a heart attack, or a stroke, or searching for the most horrific disease such as "i must have cancer or a tumor" The feeling of not knowing!!! is the most suffering i can explain, i could not even open my door, because i was afraid. I soon there had to CONVINCE MYSELF TOO TAKE MEDS. I as well dont like meds, i would read all the info the pharm. would give you and id say OMIGOD, i could have this that, and this can happen...and boom anxiety attack. I promise you the reason you might be afraid to take meds, is because of the anxiety. Xanax is the best best meds for anxiety and the reason again it stops the eratic behavior FAST!!!!!! also helps with tension. But you do need a long term med Like Zoloft to help the underlying of anxiety, because Xanax is usualy short term to HELP cop and get over fast until the other Med kicks in. Another thing is if you just stopped a med like Zoloft for no reason you will have the affects of anxiety, its withdrawls from that med that can manifest its self into a anxiety attack. You shold never stop taking a med, slowly reduce it so you dont have side affects. I did that with Xanax, and i had siezures, because it is a benzo med you have to tapper off slowly. for four days i had anxiety attacks 24/7 and i went to my doctor while having a siezure and didnt know what was wrong. i know enough words from all of us will not convince you; you are not alone or not dying. I would take my blood pressure, check my pulse the whole nine yards, everything was fast of course im having an anxiety attack. Find the underlying problem, and search with in yourself for the answer. therapy is good, exercise is wonderful for anxiety. I know you find yourself thinking alllll the time...What COULD IT BE OR WHAT DO I HAVE?? I have been there like the rest is not an easy feeling. I am so afraid to take any meds, i tell my Drs im allergic to everything...ands thats everything they have prescribed to me. I forced myself to take the Xanax one day and saw i was not going to die from it as my anxiety told me i would, and now its controled. But i need also a underlying med to cop with it everyday other than Xanax, BUT im afraid to take Effexor XR, BECAUSE I READ THE INFO PACK ON IT!! well like im suppose to BUT BECAUSE I HAVE anxiety i makes it a bigger issue for myself and i cant take it, its been a month now and i still cant t convince myself to take it. So you see "We" manifest the anxiety with out really knowing. You have to keep focused..yeah right huh? I know there are some great ppl here that have posted to you, and i thinks it wonderful and so kind from some strange person to tell you or me we are not alone. So i thank all of you for your kind words and advice. With out this site i would never of taken my med and would still be suffering!!!!! All i would say is just try it, and see if it makes you feel better. I so wish there was more i could tell you, and help, but i know from my experience it doesnt matter how much we tell one another...we still dont believe or think we will be ok from the disease...but you get it under control and you will see...you will be ok...Best of Luck...and God bless...

[Reese402]

Wow.  I stumbled on this web site because I was researching anxiety and dizziness.  I have been suffering from this for about 3 years.  The funny thing is anxiety presents itself differently in one's body over time.  At first, it began with the "shakes".  Then after a couple of months, I began having heart palpitations.  Over the past year, it has turned into chronic dizziness, and when I say chronic, I MEAN CHRONIC.  I have had a CT-Scan, MRI, Stress Test, Blood test... You name it, I've had it and the tests are always normal.  It's just amazing to hear other stories of people who suffer from this BEAST.  I've tried counseling, acupuncture, emergency room visits, and plenty of primary physician visits but all to no avail.  I often wonder will i have to live with this for the rest of my life, and although I am hopeful that I won't, I am certainly hoping that it ends soon.  Sometimes it's unbearable, but I am not alone and neither are any of you.

[Jay318]

Is it possible to have symptoms of aniexty such as dizziness without actually feeling anxious.

I have been lightheaded and dizzy for the past month.  I am 30 and healthy and this came out of nowhere.  ENT said my ears are healthy.  I feel great other then this pressure in my head and the dizziness.  I wonder if it is anxiety.