Vertigo - Anxiety or Neuro issue?

[chloejo0516]

Hello, I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety/clinical depression. I get headaches here and there/dizziness/heart palpitations/ heavy head/ lightheaded etc. As of recently I have been experiencing random bouts of vertigo like symptoms, where I feel like the room is spinning - sometimes for hours. And of course I get on google and it tells me I have a brain tumor, now my anxiety is worse because I think I’m dying. Does anyone else with severe anxiety get this ?? Or do I need to see my dr?

[specialmom]

Big goal for someone with health anxiety is to stay off google. :>)  Vertigo may be caused by something like a brain tumor, but that's really rare. Many get it from other things such as Eustachian tube dysfunction. I had this for a long period of time. Little tube in your ear can close in on itself. Sometimes ear wax can do it. Lack of sleep. YES! Anxiety and mental health CAN impact it. Medications you take. Dehydration. All of these can cause it. And the odds that it is a brain tumor are so low. Speak to your doctor though. If dizziness is a new symptom, see your doctor. Does it happen just all the time? When you get up quickly? Have you been sick lately How IS your anxiety level?  How are you treating the depression and mental health issues? Do you take medication?  More and more, you read that serotonin is part of various things such as long covid and they are treating with SSRI's to help. I'm a believer.

[chloejo0516]

Sometimes I get what I call “vertigo attacks” it’s just a random thing that happens it just hits me randomly and I’m down for hours, the room is spinning. A lot of the time I feel like heavy and that someone is just pushing me, my balance is just off as of lately, it’s so frustrating. I am on Buspirone, as well as Wellbutrin. These vertigo symptoms started probably 6 mo ago. I did go to urgent care a long time ago and told the dr that I thought I had an ear infection. I couldn’t hear out of my ears and they hurt. Dr said to just let it clear up on its own. Im now beginning to wonder if I did in fact have one and it damaged something in my ears :( I just want it to go away. It’s awful.

[specialmom]

I'm not adding to your health anxiety, am I? Want to be careful of that. No, you didn't have anything damaged in your ears. I had Eustrachian tube dysfunction for over a year before an ENT helped me. I'm not diagnosing you with this but you could see an ear nose and throat doctor. The remedy was not complicated for me. I did reverse ear pops (hold nose and gently blow, ears pop) over and over, I chewed gum,  took over the counter allergy pills (otc claritan),  took ibuprofen (shrinks inflammation), I massaged down the way behind my ear toward my neck), vagus nerve stretches, and it went away. See an ENT if you really think you might have inner ear dysfunction. If your sound isn't muffled, less of a chance this is going on.

Do you think you are actually having panic attacks?

[specialmom]

Here is some more info: Inner ear problems that cause dizziness (vertigo)
Your sense of balance depends on the combined input from the various parts of your sensory system. These include your:
    Eyes, which help you determine where your body is in space and how it's moving
    Sensory nerves, which send messages to your brain about body movements and positions
    Inner ear, which houses sensors that help detect gravity and back-and-forth motion

And this sounds most likely:
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This condition causes an intense and brief but false sense that you're spinning or moving. These episodes are triggered by a rapid change in head movement, such as when you turn over in bed, sit up or experience a blow to the head. BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo. (key word BENIGN).

A few other things to consider
:Medications. Dizziness can be a side effect of certain medications — such as anti-seizure drugs, antidepressants, sedatives and tranquilizers. In particular, blood pressure lowering medications may cause faintness if they lower your blood pressure too much.
Anxiety disorders. Certain anxiety disorders may cause lightheadedness or a woozy feeling often referred to as dizziness. These include panic attacks and a fear of leaving home or being in large, open spaces (agoraphobia).
Low iron levels (anemia). Other signs and symptoms that may occur along with dizziness if you have anemia include fatigue, weakness and pale skin.
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). This condition generally occurs in people with diabetes who use insulin. Dizziness (lightheadedness) may be accompanied by sweating and anxiety.
Overheating and dehydration. If you're active in hot weather or if you don't drink enough fluids, you may feel dizzy from overheating (hyperthermia) or from dehydration. This is especially true if you take certain heart medications.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dizziness/symptoms-causes/syc-20371787

Read through that and tell me what you think.