My dizziness, its not just anxiety!

[lindajane1971]

Hi everyone!

I have been plagued by slight giddyness/dizziness/lightheadedness for the last 3/4 years, each time i go to the doctor about it im told its anxiety and not anything else, i know i have health anxiety, brought on by my mums young sudden death, but im fed up with the doctor blaming my anxiety for anything and everything i go there with.
I have often described my dizziness like this - in supermarkets, looking down aisles they sometimes look longer than they are and looking at shelves gives me the same sensation like my vision has "zoomed" in or out for a split second.
Once or twice while driving or being in a car when a few cars in a row close together come towards us i get the same "zoomy" sensation and then i start to have an anxiety attack as obviously i am scared it causes an accident. The last time it happened it was dark and the lights seems to make it ten times worse.
Out walking alongside low walls or tall walls i feel like im walking squint,like im swaying while walking, like ive had a few drinks, i really hate this and its stopped me from going out.
If im watching television and they show a scene where the camera pans round a person or object it makes me feel like im on a roundabout.
In a crowd of people or even a queue, seeing lots of people moving around gives me the zoomy, swaying, slight dizzy feeling.

I have been looking on the internet, i know i shouldnt but im at the end of my tether with this, andi found an article on "Vertical Vertigo" i will paste the colum below :

Visual vertigo

Some people find that certain visual surroundings can trigger dizziness, or make existing dizziness and balance problems worse. For example, some people feel disorientated and dizzy in supermarkets when they are surrounded by tall stacked shelves, or in crowded train stations when they are surrounded by people.

Others find that the sight of fast-moving or spinning objects can cause dizziness or make their dizziness worse. People might experience dizziness in a car when they see fast-moving scenery out of the window, or when they see fast-paced action on a TV or cinema screen.

People might also experience dizziness when they are adjusting to new prescription glasses or contact lenses.

Visual vertigo can also occur if people are experiencing problems like reduced or blurred vision. You should speak with your GP, optician or specialist if you experience problems with your vision.

Now this is exactly what i have been feeling!!!! I have had slight blurred vision lately too but i put that down to turning 40 recently LOL. I cant seem to find much on how to treat this but im going to take it to the doc and she what she says.
I knew it wasnt just anxiety!!!

here is the link to the article if anyone wants to have a look, there are things on different types of dizziness, it may be a help. ive had a quick read through the page and there is nothing nasty on there :)

http://www.brainandspine.org.uk/information/publications/brain_and_spine_booklets/dizziness_and_balance_problems/what_conditions.html

[emmalrob]

Have you ever heard of labryinthitis, the doc told me once I may suffer from a mild form as mine comes on when I am run down and full of cold.

---------- Post added at 20:52 ---------- Previous post was at 20:52 ----------

Should have put it's not serious just something to do with the middle ear

[Beyonderz]

Hey Linda, as far as I know visual vertigo is also a part of anxiety related issues. Eye movements and blurred vision can be a very strong trigger to anxiety/panic attacks.

At least it's like that with me, sometimes I feel dizzy and lightheaded with only by changing the position of my eye sight faster than usual, or if I'm looking behind a not smooth bus window and etc.

There is that eye movement therapy also (I don't remember the name, just read about it once) is using eye movements to replace negative triggering thoughts to better ones.
All such stuff are related to anxiety related disorders probably. If you don't have any organic problems in your eyes/nerves...

Hope you feel well soon

[LittleMissSleepy]

Oh I can relate to this, visual vertigo with the rapid moving images on TV makes my dizziness worse. Thanks for the article.

[frenchbean]

This is really helpful for me to read. I have occasional bouts of severe vertigo which I thought were unrelated to anxiety. However, this slightly off kilter feeling is something i can really related to and happens quite a lot to me - especially when walking if it's dark or sometimes watching the computer screen. Thanks for sharing!

[lindajane1971]

I have been feeling so off balance all weekend and it's still here today, I'm so annoyed with it now. it's like if I move my head/eyes then everything takes a second to catch up, weird to describe.
made an appointment to see dic but it's not till Wednesday. this isn't anxiety but it's making me anxious!!!!!!!!
going to be housebound till I see the doc now as afraid to go out :(

[Female healthanxiety]

Hello Linda Jane,

I know it was a while back - but what did your DC's say?

[lindajane1971]

Hi there just seen your message on the board, after seeing all the gp's in my surgery I finally got one who didn't fob me off with the anxiety brush!! He thinks I have a few things which have combined over time to give me anxiety.
He thinks I have a problem with my inner ear plus migraine associated vertigo which has triggered anxiety, I've been reading about the migraine vertigo and my symptoms are spookily similar. After a LOT of persuasion from the doc I have managed to take some meds this last couple of weeks- propranolol 10mg 3 x a day, I am really med phobic so that is a huge step for me. I can't say they are helping yet as I Amon a tiny dose, usual is 80mg but he is trying to ease MRI to them and this time I think I may just manage it!! Had a few side effects tho, feel quite tired a lot and been having weird dreams, not nightmares just weird!!

[dardarbinks]

Hi Linda,

I have a lot of the same symptoms as you especially the giddiness and zoom vision when I drive. Driving is the worse for me and when it first started sometimes I would get a feeling like my brain was shutting down and I might faint, everything else become more manageable but driving is the worst and has not felt the same since this started one day when I was driving out of the blue. I have no previous history of anxiety so understand the frustration when doctors say that's all it is. It's hard not to be anxious when all of a sudden your world is completely different. I also got diagnosed with migraine associated vertigo and was given propranolol too though the first time I took it, it made me more dizzy and tired so i quite after 3 days. I haven't had much luck on other meds they've given me for MAV either and wondered if you found anything that worked. Thanks!

[HoneyLove]

Dardar have you ever been to the mvertigo.org forums? It's an excellent resource for anyone suffering with MAV (I haven't been given a diagnosis, but my VRT therapist thinks this is what I have) and has lots of articles written by some of the top doctors treating MAV around the world.

I have found it endlessly helpful for understanding MAV, anxiety and what kind of lifestyle measures you can put in place to help with it.

My GP just prescribed me propranolol last week, to see if it will help with my symptoms while I'm waiting to see a neurologist, but I haven't tried it yet as I'm nervous about taking a new drug (like many MAV sufferers!). I haven't tried any meds yet, but lifestyle measures seem to help a lot and VRT has helped me too. I think that a problem with my TMJ may be triggering the MAV so I'm going to visit my dentist again soon too.

[dardarbinks]

Hi HoneyLove, I have been to the mvertigo.org forums thank you! Unfortunately the lifestyle changes don't seem to help me. There's no test for MAV so I have a bit of a hard time believing that's what it is. My problems were 24/7 and have eased up a bit over time but the driving is still awful. I don't get too nauseated but it bothers my vision and cognition too much.

I've tried the propranolol and it's really not that bad compared to the others I've tried. A small amount made me sleepy and dizzy so you should perhaps try your first dose before bed. It also made me feel a little anxious the next day so I stopped. I'm not saying that will happen to you and in fact find it odd because it's used off label as an anxiolytic.

I have TMJ as well and wondered if it is contributing, please let me know how your dentist visit goes. Thanks!

[HoneyLove]

I'm sorry to hear that you've not been able to get much help with this, with both the meds and lifestyle measures :(

What has your neurologist said about the fact that none of the drugs are helping you?

I find that some of the lifestyle measures have helped a bit, and stress reduction seems to be very important for me too.

Have you tried VRT?

Or are you getting any treatment for the TMJ? I m pretty certain that muscle tension in my face & neck from the TMJ & teeth clenching are a big factor in the MAV. Bad posture (which creates muscle tension) also seems to trigger it, as does sitting down for too long. I used to do a lot of sitting looking down at my iPad or reading, eventually realised this was really hurting my posture & triggering the dizziness.

I'm off work with it at the moment, it was all getting too much for me. I was doing really well in the summer, but have gone backwards a bit since September.

[dardarbinks]

Hi HL,

My neurologist says that everyone is different with meds and was actually going to not give me anything else since i've had such bad luck with them but gave me propranolol per my request. I asked her if I could have something other than MAV but she didn't seem very concerned. I do naturally worry about going backwards which is why I think having a med that actually controlled the issues would make me feel comforted, having a definitive diagnosis would be great too! My neurologist did say that with MAV you usually don't end up back at square 1 so I'm banking on that.

I actually saw a neuro-otologist from the veda website that knows my neurologist. She was really awful and did not offer VRT when I asked about it. I haven't received any treatment for my TMJ even though it's really bad. I've asked the dentist about it and he told me to see an orthodontist?? I'm just tired of getting the run around and have seen so many docs.

I completely understand you not being able to work for now as well. I had to take a lot of days off and have people drive me to work when I went back. But I will say things aren't as bad as they were when this first started so I think time helps. Hope the propranol helps if you try it! keep me posted.

[HoneyLove]

Ugh I'm sorry you had a bad time with the neuro-otologist! You'd hope that finding someone through veda that they would at least be good! You don't need a referral for VRT though, so you could have a look to see if anyone in your area does it? I found it very helpful for a while, and it was the therapist who told me about MAV which really seems to fit my symptoms. It's really frustrating trying to get help from doctors though. I've seen two ENTs so far, and they've been useless! A hoping the neurologist will be better.

I recommend that you look into treatment for the TMJ, for me it is definitely a factor in how dizzy I am and I notice that many people on the mvertigo forums also suffer with it. I reckon the muscle tension is creates can trigger the migraines and dizziness, or make the nerves in that area over sensitive. I really believe that helping the TMJ will help the vertigo (and in fact I notice that when my jaw feels bad the dizziness is usually worse).

I don't think an orthodontist is the right kind of dentist for it though, I have read that a neuromuscular dentist is a good start. Or what would be best is to ask around the area where you live, or have a google, and see if there are any TMJ specialists near where you live. Beware of any dentists who take an extreme approach first though, they say that conservative is best!

I will let you know how I get on with the meds, I'm very nervous to take them.