what should I do?

[fashiongeek]

Ok, for the past few months I have been suffering from this lightheaded, spacey feeling. I started getting this right before I went back to college after christmas. At college, it became almost unbearable and making it through classes was terrible. In addition to feeling lightheaded, the back of my neck and my head are extremely tense, which makes me feel very uneasy. The feelings seem to intensify when I go out somewhere. I feel as if I am going to pass out and it's rather scary. I have never had a panic attack, but when I feel intensely bad, I'm afraid that I'll experience one. Lately, I have felt lightheaded and spacey ALL the time in addition to having uncomfortable tension in my neck and head; even when I'm at home. I want my life back! I went to the doctor in the spring and they did blood work, but nothing showed up. She suggested it was anxiety, but I just have a hard time believing that it could make me feel SO terrible.
I really don't want to go on medication, but I'll have to have it under control by the time I start back next semester. Does anyone know what is the best solution in my case?

[Hensley258]

This constant feeling of spacyness and light headedness can be a symptom of Major depression.

I have had severe Depression and severe Anaxiety dissorder for 18 years now and it first started with a light headed and spacy feeling. It was always there and never went away. It was not until I was put on the proper combinations of medications that the stmptoms faded. Unfortunatly they still come back from time to time and I must switch meds to get it back under control again.

Does this spacy feeling give you the sensation that you feel off balance? Does it distort and skew your vision?  I mean you can see fine, but everything looks almost two demensional. It's a very odd feeling. Kind of feels like someone druged you.

When it started happening to me I had thought that someone put LSD in my drink or something because I felt almost dis-attached in an odd sort of way. It is a very scary feeling. These symptoms progressed with me and soon I became VERY suicidal and then the depression got even worse and my world became an altered place that I was no longer a part of. I would also get a kind of floating feeling when I was walking. It was a very freaky feeling and it scared the **** out of me.

I later thought that perhaps I had somekind of brain tumor, so I want to the hospital and for days they ran just about every test you could think of. They all came back good. Doctor said, "body of an 18 year old."

This only made me feel worse as I was hoping they would find something wrong with me.
It was only many months later that a Psychiatrist diagnosed me with very severe Depression caused by a serious chemical imbalance in my brain.

Maybe this is not your issue, but if what I said rings a bell with you then it's probably Depression. When Major Depression gets really bad it can cause the symptoms you described for sure.

[SassyLassie]

Believe me, anxiety can cause ALL kinds of weird, uncomfortable feelings, and it sounds like you are under some major stress being in college and such. Yes, depression can certainly cause "unreal" feelings too. Combine the two together and you have a very un-happy nervous system.

When I first started having anxiety and stress, I had very tight neck muscles and dizziness, well, I went to my chiropractor, he took some x-rays, felt some places in my neck and discovered I had some vertebrae out in that area, he adjusted them and I started to feel better, to this day, when my neck is out, I get an adjustment and I start feeling better.