Anxiety Dizziness/Lightheadedness

[GlennCahill]

So I had a panic attack about 3 weeks ago (no idea where it all came from). Ever since that day I have been having horrible feelings of impending doom and that I was going to be snatched away from my friends and family and most importantly my new born baby girl Lacie and my gf Chanelle.

I had been suffering with constant lightheadedness, heart palpitations and thinking the worse of the situation and living in constant fear and anxiety that my time was up. I hit a really low point where I broke down in front of my parents and that led to us visiting A&E.

After blood work, xray and ECG was done, they came back and said everything was normal and put it down to stress. I was advised to go and see my GP who I saw a couple days later. She took my pulse rate and blood pressure and she said all was normal. She also said "It's all in your head."

I just dont understand why I am still feeling constant anxiety, sadness and more annoyingly lightheaded (nearly all the time)

Any help or advise would be great.

[MrAndy]

Hi Glenn welcome to NMP ,what your going through is not unusual in fact I went through a similar period when my daughter was born.Anxiety messes you up but can be beaten,have a read of this book it really puts things into perspective http://www.anxietynomore.co.uk/the_book.html
ps I love Stella !

[GlennCahill]

Hey MrAndy,

Thanks for the reply.

My daughter was born 10 weeks ago and she has been suffering with Colic for most of that. The birth was rather traumatic for myself as there was nothing I could do for my partner. (Labour was 42 hours).

Are you still having to deal with the lightheadedness or has that now passed? How long did it stay with you?

P.S. I have no idea why my picture is a stella logo lol. I want to change it

[MrAndy]

Hey MrAndy,

Thanks for the reply.

My daughter was born 10 weeks ago and she has been suffering with Colic for most of that. The birth was rather traumatic for myself as there was nothing I could do for my partner. (Labour was 42 hours).

Are you still having to deal with the lightheadedness or has that now passed? How long did it stay with you?

P.S. I have no idea why my picture is a stella logo lol. I want to change it
my daughter contracted NEC and very nearly didnt make it ,she also had severe colic when she left the hospital so I know what your going through.
I only get agitated from my anxiety now and have no other symptoms,the symptoms pass but it takes patience and a bit of hard work to get over them.Maybe a visit to your GP to see what they can offer and a read of that book would help you

[GlennCahill]

That book is rather expensive though isnt it... Is there an audiobook version at all?

[MrAndy]

That book is rather expensive though isnt it... Is there an audiobook version at all?
not sure ,i think you can email the author via the website
it was worth every penny to me when i was really suffering

[GlennCahill]

I guess what I am looking for is a portal to open up and to discover someone who has experienced the exact same thing as me... Feel like I am alone etc

[MrAndy]

I guess what I am looking for is a portal to open up and to discover someone who has experienced the exact same thing as me... Feel like I am alone etc
plenty of people on here who are going through the same thing.most anxiety symptoms are similar

[helenclaire]

You are definitely not alone with these symptoms,
There are a lot of us going through the same.

I have had the lightheaded/ dizziness for months now.
I feel if I could get rid of it then my anxiety would get better, as I am constantly worrying about it.
It makes it hard to go anywhere when you feel like you could fall or collapse at any time.
I do know my breathing is not good and this can cause these symptoms.
I tend to breath in more than I breath out so I am trying to do breathing exercises but it is not easy.
Unfortunately these symptoms are a common problem with anxiety.
Take care
Helen

[CA88]

Been like this for 3-4 months now, all started with a panic attack driving home for
Me, and the lightheadedness has been there ever since. And when it isn't there I'm worried about it coming back.

I've started on an anti depressents in the hopes of it helping put my head in a better place, some days I'm okay, others I just have to write off completely at the moment. My GP gave me the link to some free online CBT packages which are quite useful. Let me know if you'd like the address and I'll pop it over to you in a message.

[GlennCahill]

My biggest annoyance is I feel great and then all of a sudden (usually after I have eaten or been to the loo) my heart starts to race and I get lightheaded again, and then anxiety sets in. Vicious cycle...

The link to the CBT course sounds great. Thank You

[rchippex]

Hi Glenn,

I promise you 100% that you can recover and symptoms can go away. The only way to do it though is to accept it. The more you fight against it the worse you will get if that makes sense. The way to think about it is that it was caused by high stress and if you get stressed about the symptoms then all you are doing is adding even more stress/fuel for the symptoms to feed on so your mind and body dont get the chance to come back down from the extreme stress. The more you focus on yourself and how you are feeling the more symptoms you will notice. 5 years ago I had the worst time of my life with anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I managed to recover 100%. I recently relapsed due to being under constant stress for 12 months with no relaxation whatsoever. I am confident I can get over it again using the same approach. I can recommend 2 books that helped me with the main symptoms: At Last A Life (which I think has already been mentioned to you) and Hope And Help For Your Nerves by claire weekes. If you commit yourself to what they say in the book you CAN get over it all.

I can send you an ebook if you would like to give me your email address. I cannot send a PM on here yet but you can put your email in a comment and then delete it so it doesnt get hammered by spam bots etc

[GlennCahill]

Hi Guys, thanks for your support on this post.

I have been back to the doctor and they have given me Citalopram. I am hoping this will help rid me of this lightheadedness and depression.

[GlennCahill]

I wanted to give you guys an update on how I am feeling...

The lightheadedness seems to have gone. I was on the Citalopram for around 4 days before I realised that it was making me more anxious so I just stopped. I haven't this good in a looooooooong long time. Together with counselling I have managed to feel less anxious about everyday life more and more each day.

My biggest annoyance though is that now the lightheadedness has gone, I have been dealt with headaches (when using computers), spots across the sides of my head and tummy pains/uncomfortable feelings.

Hopefully this is just side effects of stress/anxiety