Dilated pupil and headaches... really worried

[tasha87]

Hi all

So here I am again back to one of my regular fears, brain tumour. For the last week I have been experiencing weird head pains and pressure on and off along with dizziness and really weird "out of it" feelings. I visited the doc yesterday and he seemed completely unconcerned, so I was trying to brush it off as my anxiety but last night, while in full hypo swing I noticed one of my pupils was slightly larger than the other. It seemed normal during the day but then the same again this evening. I am in a complete state of panic and ive started to feel nauseous and almost threw up, although I know that is me working myself into a state.

I've just started a new job and going into my 5th week of zoloft which seemed to be helping but now I feel im back where I started :(

What's it going to take for me to stop obsessing, my doctor will think im crazy if I go back again, which I'm sure he already does :scared15:

Has any one ever experienced this? It seems the side of the pupil I get most of my head pain on is smaller, which freaks me out.

I would give anything to have my old self back, this is starting to take over my life

Please respond with any suggestions etc , thanks for reading :)

T x

[jill]

Hi Hun :D:hugs:

I am no expert, but what I do know, FACT, it is possible that when acute with anxiety your pupils CAN dilate and look very large, this can cause headaches and sore eyes, or sensitivity to bright light. Although harmless, it can be scary if you don't understand whats going on.
This is one of my daughters main symptoms. I have seen one pupil larger than the other.

Reason.. When we are acute our senses can pick up, get sharper, because we are anxious our body goes on alert, preparing for the flight, fight response
(THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE GOING TO PANIC, please DON'T think that),
One or some of our senses MAY get sharper, sight, taste, smell, hearing, touch.

It is human nature that when scared or feel in danger one or more of the senses WILL pick up and as you know with panic/anxiety, it is a false alarm.

Hope this has helped a little, even if its just knowing your not alone

TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XX

[tasha87]

Thanks for your reply Jill :)

It is reassuring to know im not the only one experiencing this. I've had several extensive blood tests all normal, a chest xray and a trip to the er but nothing will convince me im ok. At this stage I feel the only way I'll feel better is if I have a ct or mri. Although I don't know if I'll be given one. And then I will probably move onto something else. Its funny because when I was fearing leukemia only a few weeks ago, I kept saying to myself no way is this a brain tumour, and now look at me.

I feel its because its the only thing I haven't been tested for my mind is going to jump straight on it. And of course I stupidly Googled. I notice that I start trembling when im nervous about it as well, and I'm afraid this is seizure. I just cant break the cycle.

Thanks again for your kind reply

Take care xx

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Hey Tasha87,

Sorry to hear your feeling this way. Your thread seems so so familier to me as I was asking about similar things a few months ago while I was in a state about all of my random symptoms.

The 1 dilated pupil is something I have experienced to and knowone new why I was getting this symptom. It was getting me really worried but the doctors never seemed concerned about it. In the end I had a brain scan after going back to the doctors so many times. Everything came back clear.

Anyway from my experience, I am 99% sure it is the medication that causes the uneven pupil size. I was on Citalopram and then changed to Zoloft and both times I have experienced different size and shapes of my pupils. Even doctors will tell you the medication doesn't do this but I know it does. I am now nearly off the medication and my eyes seem to be returning to normal.

It is a combination of the anxiety making your pupils dilate while the medication makes them uneven.

There are other things that can cause uneven pupil size such as migraines and some people are just born with uneven pupils but in our case I would say it is the medication.

Have a look through my threads if you like, I made quite a few posts asking about exactly the same thing.

Hope you start to feel better soon :)

[tasha87]

Thanks gotta get through this :)

Glad to see you are doing better, I truly feel for anyone that goes through this.

Its so bad right now I couldn't go to work today, I went yesterday and was a trembling mess which I feel totally useless for. I cry and cry to my partner every day about how I just want to get back to normal. I feel like such a burden to everyone. And unfortunately I live abroad so have no family around me for support.

I am only 25 and used to be so laid back until a couple of months ago. If I really did have a BT I'm sure the meds wouldn't have helped in the first place, at least I hope! I have had a few days of "normality" here and there and they have been bliss! But it doesn't last long enough.

I've decided to increase my dose to 75mg as maybe the 50 isn't enough to kick it to the kerb.

Thanks for your advice xx

[amattis13]

I've been sitting here driving myself nuts with the same thing..

I have been on Zoloft for a whopping three doses, and I just noticed the unequal pupils this afternoon. Its freaking me out.

It is comforting (as much as anything is..) to know that I'm not the only one with these issues. I put myself in the ER Monday over fear of a heart attack.. they gave me all of the tests and sent me home .. then I went back 8 hours later..

They gave me Zoloft for anxiety and prazosin for nightmares.

I finally managed to get over the heart mess, any now this.. Of course, my head automatically goes to worst case scenario. So much for a sound sleep tonight...

-Adam

[Hopeandlove]

is fear of illnesses ocd?

[roxy90]

Hey :)
Silly question, and I don't mean to be insulting but are you sure it was actually larger? I only ask this as at my full on hypo stage I was utterly utterly convinced one of my pupils was bigger. And I mean completely convinced. The more I looked for it the worse it got, I even got a little flashlight app on my phone and shone it in my eyes quite often to see if they contracted ( I know this sounds crazy!) anyway it wasn't even dilated, at all.


I don't think it counts as a dilated pupil unless it is very very large and very noticeable :) I know what it's like to worry about this, it could be plenty of things. You'll be fine and dandy, a brain tumor you would have more symptoms than that x