dizziness and anxiety

[want to be normal again]

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???

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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!!