feeling faint while driving

[tam31]

I have had some scary symptoms while driving that have begun within the past 3 years.  I often get dizzy feeling, like I'm going to faint, my vision seems to narrow in, I get pressure in my head, my hands get cold and clamy, it's almost like I'm losing consciousness and have to constantly refocus.  When the car stops, the symptoms seems to alleviate.  Sometimes when I stop the car, it looks as though I'm still moving.  Sometimes this happens when I'm tired, but sometimes not.  Also, it seems to get worse the faster I drive.  It's so bad that I can't drive on long road trips for fear of passing out.  Interestingly, it doesn't happen when I'm a passenger, which my doctor says rules out motion sickness.  I've only been on an airplane one time, but it happened then as well, just in a milder way.  My doctor says I am having anxiety attacks, but I don't feel anxious at all until it begins.  I have BPV and Meneires (diagnosed about 10 years ago) and my question is, could it be the Meneires triggering these sensations, thus causing anxiety, or could it be anxiety triggering the Meneires, which triggers these symptoms?  Or is it the BPV, all of the above, none of the above?  Help!!??
Thanks

[hotrodmom]

OMG!!!  I think you are so right!!!  I have shallow breathing ever since my pneumonia!!!  I think Im afraid to take deep breaths because when i had the pneumonia thats when I felt stabbing pain!!!! However, I just took a few big deep breaths and now I especially feel dizzy.  Like I am hyperventilating lol.

[hotrodmom]

I too have a similar condition.  I havent been diagnosed with anything as I gave up on doctors and the whole medical industry in 2004 when I was sent home from the hospital with pneumonia and ended up in a coma with a collapsed lung and nearly died.  I did however, go to the hospital in 2009 when I got vertigo.
The doctor seemed to think the vertigo was brought on dehydration but I think the vertigo caused the dehydration from puking so much.  I was sitting at my computer and started feeling dizzy and hot all of sudden.  As soon as I started puking, I couldnt stop.  I puked for a good hour and half before I decided to go to hospital.  
The car ride there was unbearable.  If felt like I was spinning one way and the world was spinning another.  The faster he drove the worse it was.  Needless to say he drove about 20 mph most the way.  The worst was deceleration and acceleration.  I remember not being able to stand up because of over-compensation for the spinning.  The crazy part is 2 bags of IV is what brought me out of it and also what lead doctors to believe dehydration brought on the vertigo.
I have been experiencing motion sickness since a young child.  I was always getting car sick.  I will not go anywhere if I cant drive simply because all I have to do is focus on something inside the car ie. map, cellphone, and I instantly get a headache and feel nauseous.  Riding as passenger also puts me to sleep or in a state that is hard to pull out of once the ride is over.
Driving thru town is a piece of cake for me, its the long straight stretches of highway or interstate that are my worst enemy.  This just started happening however.  I bought a new car recently thinking there was something wrong with the steering in my old car but I still feel the same steering issue with the new car.  Its not a steering issue obviously its a perception issue.
I notice it more when I turn my head.  It feels like my eyes are bouncing up n down.  I would close my eyes to refocus and stop the bounce and as soon as they are closed I feel the falling sensation.  Just the other day I was driving on the freeway and going thru this and a semi truck went around me, there was a barrier on my right and as soon as the semi was on my left I felt so strange I cant even describe.  Was like walls closing in on my spinning eyes.  I panicked and freaked my son and another passenger out.  Needless to say, I got off the freeway at the next exit.

I also have many days where my head feels full and eyes feel heavy like my brain clouds over from pressure within.  Does anyone else experience this?  My sinuses always feel full of something, my ears pop a lot, I hear my heartbeat in my left ear and can see my pulse in my vision.  Its likes it darkens with every pulse.  I have floating black dots, and times when focusing seems difficult.  Sometimes it just takes longer, sometimes I have to look at something totally different to restore it.  If it happens while Im at my computer, it feels like I'm "spacing out" and cant bring myself back to reality like I should be able to do.  My face also will turn bright red and it feels like its because some "flow" is being cut off.  If I lay on my belly up on my elbows with my chin in my hands this seems to help "the flow" ( I first started doing this with my migraines which I havent had in years THANK GOD)  I have been getting frequent headaches lately, like a blood pressure headache or something but they are dull and easily tolerable.  I also "see stars" a lot for no apparent reason.  I have gotten them from standing up or bending over or sitting up to fast. I also cant seem to concentrate or recover thoughts that are important for me to remember.  You know when you cant remember a name or a word your looking for?  Its similar to that only its retrieving the thought I was thinking about.
I was diagnosed in 2003 for major depressive disorder and panic disorder but after trying effexor, zoloft, lexapro and two others (cant think of name) but one came with vistaril I gave up.  I am convinced doctors are merely drug pushers and the FDA was just a way the govt could get a piece of the profits.
Does anyone else have similar symptoms.  

[parames_wary]

Also, I feel like I only took half a second to look at the side mirror or the rear mirror to see if there is a car and by the time I look back at the road in front of me, the car in front would be so close to me that I have to hit the emergency break. (the car in front me was at a safe distance before that). Sad to say, I have had accidents before because of this. The symptoms is getting worst by the day. I told my bf that I have to take driving lessons all over again because I thought I was getting worst at driving. As usual, we just laughed it off.

I have had 2 major car accidents before this (not because of this symptom) where the car turned 360 degrees a few times before it stopped. One was about 7 years ago and one 2 years ago. I was driving when the first happened but not the second time around. I never had any trauma because of that as I continued driving the very next day of both the accidents. I have considered delayed trauma when my first symptoms happened (2 years ago). Also, my dad passed away because Motor Neuron Disease and Im not sure if its hereditary. Anyone can shed some light on this matter?

[parames_wary]

Hi all,

I had the same thing that Taravalene has been experiencing. Like driving a car on a walking machine. I felt like I was playing video game. Im stationary but the world is moving towards me. Its really scary especially when Im driving alone. This is elevated when Im driving long distance and its raining. It hurts my eyes a whole lot as Im trying to concentrate. I tried looking elsewhere (to re-calibrate my eyes) just for a second and looking back to the road but it is still the same. I will get terrible headache and irritated at the end of the journey. I will also feel extremely sleepy and tired.

:(  Any suggestion on how I can avoid this or any diagnosis for this?

[Taravalene]

Interesting! I was driving tonight for the first time ever, it felt like I was driving on a walking machine. The car was moving but it felt like the road was moving forward towards me. I drive alot and have never had this, I have been experiencing alot anxiety lately and thought it might be the cause so I stopped and did a quick meditation session in the car to relax. Once I was relaxed I started driving again and it was back and I was definitely relaxed and calm. My back and neck has been hurting more than usual lately though, and I also hear my pulse in my right ear 24 hours a day for about 4 years now. Might go to the doctors and check out my back and ears

[Guitarguy89]

davi ---

I had verrrry similar symptoms. Like I was over exhausted even if I got a good nights sleep. Felt very disconnected from other people like I couldn't be a part of the conversation because I kept drifting off and having to refocus and try to remember what they just said.

either way, I am no doctor, but nearly POSITIVE you have symptoms of anxiety/depression.

i used to throw up EVERY morning my senior year before i drove to school. turns out this was anxiety, because I was always afraid of being late. didn't realize this till about 3-4 years later.

your brain is in overdrive right now, and its working so hard it literally makes you physically tired. like i said in my earlier post, your brain can out think you. it will work you over in ways you don't even realize. my suggestion to you is get more sleep at night, if you're waking up you are probably just bugging out about having to wake up in 'x' amount of hours. just like i used to throw up before class because i had 'x' amount of minutes to get there on time, or i'd get detention. you see?

as for the car bit, i dont know whats up there. My issue was that my first panic attack was in the car, while i was alone. so i was always afraid to have another one while i was driving. thus my anxiety would kick in and i'd feel like my vision was slow, as if to say if i was looking both ways before crossing an intersection, when i looked right, i would already be looking left before my vision caught up with me. same deal with looking down at my spedometer, by the time i looked back at the road, i could still see the number clearly, even though i was looking at the road.

hope this helped.