Dizzy and off all the time

[Jules31]

Hi

I'm new to this board but have been suffering from anxiety for over the last year and a half. At the moment I feel dreadful all of the time. I constantly feel dizzy and as though my body is swaying about. My legs are like lead and I can't sit still. My head hurts and I feel so vague and remote as though I don't know what I'm doing. I'm so afraid that I don;t know what to do. The symptoms just won't shift. they are stopping me from living my life at all. I feel like I don't have a life. I feel half asleep all the time too. I feel like I'm going to fall over all the time too.

I am taking antidepressants but they don't work for me and I can't take SSRIs cos I'm allergic to them. I've tried everything to try and get better but just aren't getting anywhere

Does anybody else have the same symptoms as me. I'm terrified that I have some sort of brain disorder and that something horrible is going to happen to me.

Please I'm in desperate need of reassurance.
Julie

[kate]

Hi Julie,
Sorry to hear that you are feeling so awful at the moment.I too, have exactly the same symptoms as yourself and no longer take anti depressents as they dont seem to work for me either.I hate the feelings of vagueness, probably my most disliked symptom, and I also feel that I dont have a life. The feelings of vagueness are in fact your bodies own mechanism to distance yourself from the anxiety, though it makes you feel a thousand times worse. As you are on anti depressents you are obviously receiving medical care and your doc would have sent you for tests if he thought that you had any kind of brain disorder. It sounds like classic symptoms of anxiety to me as I suffer in the same way.The main problem with anxiety is that we analize how we are feeling constantly, and this of course keeps the anxiety going.
Hope that I have managed to give you some reassurace that you are not alone in your suffering. Please keep posting, Julie
Take care
Kate x

[Meg]

Dear Julie,

These dizzy, disassociated feelings are so very, very normal for anxiety.

Brain disease doesn't manifest itself like this ...

Take some time to read many of the past posts on this forum. You'll find lots of helpful advice and healing methods.

You can use the search facility at the top right of the page to input anything specific that concerns you.


Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

[Jules31]

Thanks for the reassurance.

I just get so scared feeling like this all the time. Do other people also feel as though they are off balance and dizzy nearly ALL of the time. I can't believe anyone could feel this bad. My dizziness isn't the spinning kind but more the off balance and constant feeling of movement like being on a boat. It happens sitting, standing and when walking.

Thanks
Jules;)

[Meg]

Yup, very common.

It goes once you get a handle on your anxiety.

You might want to check with your doctor that what you're on isn't exacerbating it at all.



Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

[Jules31]

my symptoms have suddenly got worse over the last couple of weeks and even more so the last few days. I can't understand why as I haven't taken any different meds or been under any more stress. I've never felt like this. Just now I felt like I would pass out when I went to the toilet. I really can't handle this much more
I so fed up of being afraid.

Jules

Jules

[Mich]

Julie
Sorry to hear you feel so awful. Although anxiety is a huge reason for why you are feeling like you are, it may be worth visiting your doctor as Radar said incase the medication your on could be playing a part in it, but also consider there is a lot of viruses going around at the moment, and some will make you feel worse than others. A small virus with anxiety could make you panic more, and then you will feel ten times worse than you really are. Check it out with your Doctor. (ive just had the flu virus - and did feel worse this time than I hve done in the past, and thats because of the anxiety I now suffer)

Michelle

[nomorepanic]

Jules

Radar sent me some info on why we feel dizzy.

If she doesn't post it before I get home tonight then I will add it here for you.


Nicola

[uryjm]

Jules
I had a bad dizzy episode today, exactly as you describe. I was in a Director's meeting (I'm a Sales Director for a major UK company) and therefore also had to fight the urge to bolt from the room, burst into tears or lose it completely. Over the past twenty years, however, I've been there a hundred times and "know" on one level that nothing like that will happen, while on another level I'm panicking like a monkey. It's exhausting, but there you go. I think it may have been prompted by a touch of the flu, but anxiety makes it so much worse. It feels like you could pass out any time or, if you're walking, that you might fall forward flat on your face. Or perhaps that you'll float off the face of the planet. When I first had anxiety, I was in this mental fugue for days and thought I was going off my nut. The toilet, funnily enough, also brought on attacks. What if I passed out there and nobody knew? Let me reassure you that what you're experiencing is normal in an anxiety state, and that it will pass. You will get on top of it. Think positive. Act as if it's not bothering you. What would that feel like? And don't do yourself down. If you read this Board, you'll find that this affects all sorts of people and that, actually, we're normal in our own funny way! Keep posting.

Jim

[Jules31]

Nicola

If you could let me have the information on why we get dizzy that would be brilliant. I know hyperventilation causes it but I'm not doing that.

Thanks

Jules

[nomorepanic]

Hi Jules

Here you go ....

This is extremely common and although an exact one reason for this is still under debate these are all a contributing factor. The adrenal glands not surprisingly secrete adrenaline - which stimulates the heart rate and adjusts according to internal messages. Sudden changes in heart rate can affect stability in movement. They also secretes noradrenaline –which helps maintain constant blood pressure – which may contribute to why we feel a bit dizzy whilst it finds a balance. The adrenals also release Cortisol – this affects the release of glucose from the liver to give us the energy to flee and why you feel so exhausted at the end of an attack and it is so vital to replace nutrients . It doesn’t have to be a full panic attack for these symptoms to manifest themselves- small amounts of these body chemicals secreted throughout a period of time will be enough on an exhausted body to present with dizziness Additionally- In your Ears- muscles become taut straining , can temporarily affect the balance architecture within the ear leading to dizziness. Often people will complain of a head band headache often accompanied with dizziness – similar to many migraine sufferers.

Hope this helps Jules



Nicola

[Jules31]

thanks for all the info Nicola. With all that going on it's not suprising I feel so awful

Jules

[ruth]

Jules
You poor thing sounds like you need loads of support right now,one of the main problems with anxiety disorders is HYPOCONDRIA in other words thinking and believing that you have some major serious problem that all doctors have missed.......when you stop believing this it will improve, i have indeed been the same and it was,nt until i had been on my current med seroxat for a few weeks i thought about it less. i promise you things will get better, your not going mad. A good book you may like to try reading which helped me is "hyperventilation syndrome" by Dinah Bradley" although you say you are not doing this you may not realize it! sounds mad but it's true. When my daughter was 2 i was convinced i had MS as i was numb my gp sent me to a neurologist within 5 minutes of the consultation he said i was hyperventilating, this can be deep sighs as well. All i saw for ages was people in wheelchairs they used to terrify me!!!! i thought this is me. But i am still walking around just fine!!!!! Good luck and let me know how you are going x
Ruth

[nomorepanic]

Hi Ruth

I agree - us sufferers have every possible, conceivable illness that someone can get - lol.

I think it does take a while however for the docs to convince us that we are not dying. I still wonder if I have something they have missed - I guess it is hard to accept that panic/anxiety alone can cause so many physical symptoms and we feel so bad!

Thanks for the info on the book


Nicola

[millie]

This is a very important sympton of anxiety. It is awful, and it is like you are detatched from the rest of the world. When I feel like this everything seems louder, and I jump at little things.
Finding a suitable medication may help to calm you down for now, until you feel able to cope. Councilling can help too.

Millie

[harasgenster]

Hi
I haven't been here before but just wanted to post to say how helpful this thread has been to me. I've had anxiety for over a decade but I'd never had this constant dizziness and unsteadiness before. It was scaring the hell out of me. I thought I had a brain tumour!
I've had a look round the site and I think it's brilliant. A really helpful resource of anxiety sufferers. It's always good to see that the scariest of symptoms are experienced by so many others. It really helps you realise and believe that it's all just anxiety and you're not in any danger.
Thanks

[trev1234]

dizzines most of the time...that causes me to panic...its a bitch ...love this site to see im not alone...:)

[kirstielu]

Im so relieved to read all this ,i have suffered on and off with anxiety for 5yrs and never had this before as one ofmy symptoms , so its really thrown me , im experancing the feeling of things moving in my head like on a boat and it makes me feel sick,does it it make anyone else feel sick ?

[kirstielu]

so now i know its down to my anxiety how do i get rid of it like now !

[LucyR]

Hi, Yes I get this too, have been puzzling over why for many years, never got the answer, can be allright sometimes, then its back again, get it worse standing in queues and when I stop after walking, cashpoints are a nightmare for me.

[ann01]

Hi jules
i am exactly the same, the lightheaded off balance wobbly yet lead legs, its worrying me as ive had it every single day for months, often i cant even walk properly its really scary, my doc said it is anxiety but its hard to believe that it is anxiety when its with me all the time. i too have it standing walking sitting, standing still is the worst for me as i sway all over the place.
Take care
Ann
x

[NeverRelaxed]

does anyone get this in jolts? like momentary zaps..?

[TomOntario]

I have it in zaps too. And I feel off-balance all the time. Sometimes I also feel like I'm in an elevator or something. Or on a plane during mild turbulence. I also get this kind of strange feeling like a rattle inside my head that lasts maybe half a second - kinda like a head rush. It sometimes also feels like someone was trying to gently push my head. It's very weird.
I was taking SERC for this for more than a month, but it didn't help. I went to neurologist, ENT, had MRI, C.T. scan, ENG test (caloric test?), went to chiropractor to adjust my neck, tried massage therapy and physiotherapy, and also tried many different natural remedies with naturopath. Everything failed so far :( It's been like this for over 3 months now. There are worse days and there are better days, but I always feel off-balance 24h/day. I seem to feel better in the morning, and then getting worse as the day progresses.

I gets worse when I lie down (especially on my back). It gets worse when I watch movies with lots of camera movements or lots of action. It gets worse in a supermarket with lots of people and different colors. It gets worse when standing on a sidewalk and looking at passing cars. It gats worse when I bend forward (for example when washing my face). It gets worse when I feel stresses, anxious or scared.

I feel like I'm oversensitive to any movement that is registered by my eyes, inner ear or feet.
I also think about it all the time. I'm becoming depressed because it basically takes my life away :(

[simon68]

Hi Julie
I too have suffered the same symptoms as you. I still do in fact, although to a lesser degree now.
When I first had the dizzy feeling, the vagueness and feeling like i'd had a few to drink I went to see my doctor. He sent me to see an ENT specialist who in turn sent me for a brain scan. Thankfully every thing was normal, I even saw the scan.
This reassured me a little, but the symptoms were still there. I wasn't on anti-depressants or anything. After quite a few months I guess I learned to live with the symptoms and even today I'm not 100% comfortable with going out places.
I put most of it down to stress. I could go on but I don't want to bore you! :)
Try to relax and reduce your levels of stress and DO NOT worry. :)
You'll be fine :)

[gemfaith]

I have it in zaps too. And I feel off-balance all the time. Sometimes I also feel like I'm in an elevator or something. Or on a plane during mild turbulence. I also get this kind of strange feeling like a rattle inside my head that lasts maybe half a second - kinda like a head rush. It sometimes also feels like someone was trying to gently push my head. It's very weird.
I was taking SERC for this for more than a month, but it didn't help. I went to neurologist, ENT, had MRI, C.T. scan, ENG test (caloric test?), went to chiropractor to adjust my neck, tried massage therapy and physiotherapy, and also tried many different natural remedies with naturopath. Everything failed so far :( It's been like this for over 3 months now. There are worse days and there are better days, but I always feel off-balance 24h/day. I seem to feel better in the morning, and then getting worse as the day progresses.

I gets worse when I lie down (especially on my back). It gets worse when I watch movies with lots of camera movements or lots of action. It gets worse in a supermarket with lots of people and different colors. It gets worse when standing on a sidewalk and looking at passing cars. It gats worse when I bend forward (for example when washing my face). It gets worse when I feel stresses, anxious or scared.

I feel like I'm oversensitive to any movement that is registered by my eyes, inner ear or feet.
I also think about it all the time. I'm becoming depressed because it basically takes my life away :(










I cant believe how much you sound like me!!!! I am the exact same and its ruining my life...i am constantly dizzy and off balance and i'm constantly thinking about it which is obviously making me worse but its so hard not to think about it...i hate supermarkets...shopping centre's...lifts...escalators...its awful

[TomOntario]

I cant believe how much you sound like me!!!! I am the exact same and its ruining my life...i am constantly dizzy and off balance and i'm constantly thinking about it which is obviously making me worse but its so hard not to think about it...i hate supermarkets...shopping centre's...lifts...escalators...its awful

Lifts and escalators - yes, exactly. Me too. It's terrible. I also noticed that it is worse in small rooms, like for example in washrooms.

I have been suffering like this for more than half a year now, with no end in sight. Doctors are useless. They told me that it will probably go away on its own at some point, but so far it just gets worse and worse :(

How do you cope with this gemfaith? How long have you been experiencing this? What do the doctors say?

[gemfaith]

Yep am just the same...its totally ruining my life!!! It gets me down all day everyday. Its such a weird feeling but think i make it worse myself because i say am worse in supermarkets and shopping centre's and when i have to go to any of these i start to panic and get even more dizzy and off balance...your mind is so powerful. Av stuggled with this for as long as i can remember really...been to see 2 see tons of docs...i saw an ent doc and he said my ears are fine...then i saw another doc and he said my ear drum was retracted so i ad to go see the ent doc again and he said my ear drum is spot on so deep down i think its just me...myself and i and my little mind. Its the first thing i think about as soon as i awake on a morning and is there with me all day everyday until i go to bed...thats the only time i feel normal..wen im asleep. I constantly feel like am in a dream world and that anything around me isnt really happening...its the hardest thing i have ever had to deal with and just about had enough...i thought i could handle this myself but i have given i and been to the docs today so gunna give some tablets a go...i've had cbt but that didnt help and i've tried every herbal thing going which also didnt help so my last resort was some tablets...i hope to god they help me because i just cant carry on like this anymore...ive got a 4 year old daughter who i snap at all the time because my mind is constantly on my symptoms and how am feeling and it just isnt fair...sorry to go on...i could carry on and on and on...i just want to feel better and NORMAL!!!!

[TomOntario]

Hey gemfaith,

I was wondering whether you tried the tablets that you mentioned in your post above. What kind of tablets? Do they work for you? How about side effects?

My off-balance feeling is still with me. It was better for the last two weeks, but now - without any apparent reason - it became so much worse that I even have problems falling asleep because of it :(

BTW, do you also get worse in small rooms, like a washroom or a narrow corridor?

[crazyhayz]

This is normal for anxiety but anxiety affects people in different ways. My anxiety affected my balance and would literally make me so dizzy i couldnt get out of bed. But it was proved it wasnt ALL anxiety, as my GP referred me to an ENT doctor and turns out i have half hearing in one ear (never ever noticed, im only 22 lol) and also I have an inner ear problem which is being investigated and hopefully sorted end of this month. So dont plague yourself that its all anxiety as it could be your inner ear (which is responsible for your balance) so get checked out hun. Take care

[crazyhayz]

but yes, anxiety will make it all 100 times worse theres no doubt about that. I hate anxiety its like your physically ill isnt it, but infact its all in the mind, its so powerful, CBT helpeed me massivaly, and my ssri's, but being weaned off them slowly now :) tke cre and get yourself to docs!

[TomOntario]

I started the CBT too, but so far no effect. I guess I need to give it some more time. I'm not quite sure whether my dizziness is caused by anxiety. For example, two weeks ago I was feeling pretty good for a couple of days. I was enjoying my vacation and wasn't thinking about any problems or the dizziness. And then all the sudden it attacked me violently without any apparent reason, and for the next three days I had been feeling terrible. I don't think anxiety works like that.
So, I'm still struggling :(

How are you guys doing? Send some updates.

[MRS STRESS ED]

Hi all the symtoms you are discribing I suffer with as well ,dizzy all day legs feel like lead any small task leaves me feeling very tired heartbeat going mad .It is all to do with anxiety I find talking helps so if you ever need to chat im here:hugs:

[smalls]

Your post sounds like me to a T...I have been dealing with anxiety for a few years now. It got better and I was able to control it but in the last month it got bad again. It's much better now but I still get the dizzy, off balance feeling. Like my equiliberium is off or something and I am totally out of it. Like I'm a zombie or something. So annoying. But it does get better I promise

[mx740]

Hi. I am a 16 year old boy living in Singapore. I’ve gone through an emotional breakdown somewhere in April. I’ve been suffering from a spectrum of weird symptoms from then till now. Now, I have a weird rocking pulsating dizziness. Like my body is moving inside of me. It is most prominent when I sit upright or standing still.
I am in a state where I must keep moving or I will feel dizzy.... I must keep walking, on edge, cannot sit, and cannot stand still. Must keep walking..... Pacing back and forth..... Walking seems to immediately cure the dizziness. So does singing, dancing, exercising and leaning my head against something solid. Even swaying back and forth physicals while sitting seems to cure it immediately.
Is this anxiety or MDDS? I have not been on a boat or any train ride this year. Can anyone help me? Thank you all so much.

[jason gluten free]

I am learning that having a gluten intolerance cause many other problems than just mine. Here is my story:yesyes:

Hi, My name is Jason and I am going to tell you how I became so passionate about being gluten free and wheat free.
I ran a large company for 12 years and was very successful up until the very last day I sold it. For the last 5 years of running the company I was dizzy most of the time. I remember trying to associate my dizziness with needing to eat. But after I ate, the dizziness would not go away. In fact, it would often get worse!
Nothing seemed to work to stop the world from spinning and nothing would make the dizzy feeling go away.
I would often find myself researching online trying to find out why I was dizzy all of the time. If you have ever tried to do that, you know that dizziness is a symptom for hundreds of things that could be wrong with you. It can make you go nuts just reading everything.
I thought I was maybe just burnt out from running my business. So I sold it when i got the opportunity! The pressure was off and I had time to renovate a few properties I had sitting around. But I was still dizzy just like when I had the business. Something was very wrong with me.
I then went in and got a checkup and blood work. Thank God all of the blood work came back great and within the guide lines (Step 1 is to get blood work done.) The doctor could not tell me why I was dizzy. I kind of felt like he passed it off with a, “you will be ok.” Maybe he did not believe I really had a problem because the blood work was so good! He said, “if I were you I would walk away feeling pretty darn good!”
I then went and had a colonoscopy because my mother had had colon cancer at 46 and I was 36. They recommend 10 years ahead of when family found it. We again thank God that everything was great with that checkup! I told him about my dizziness & he did not have a solution either. The doc said two words that really stayed with me. He said, ”ENJOY LIFE!”.
I then went to a nose and ear doc to see if they could find something wrong with me. After my hearing check they said everything looked good, but because I was dizzy they recommended a MRI. I never got the MRI, but I continued to see doctors.
I next went to an eye doc and the full eye exam cost was $58.00 dollars. The final result was that everything looked great!
I then found a website with natural medicines where they talked about being dizzy and stated they can fix it naturally. They wanted $500 for the first 2 hours and insurances do not cover these types of medicines. After further research, I found a college that teaches the same medicine. The college appointments were only $25.00 for the first 2 hours. I went into the appointment and the first thing the guy said was, ” What makes you interested in getting acupuncture?” I freaked out! I told him I was not there for acupuncture. I was there for natural medicine. He sat down and we talked about the problems I was having and he said he could fix me and my dizziness. I kept asking him, “ If you can fix me, what is wrong with me?” He kept insisting on sticking me with the acupuncture needles. I was getting aggravated.
Then they brought in an attractive young girl to try to talk me into acupuncture. I told the girl the problems I was having and then BAMB! The girl had the same exact symptoms I had, but she had it under control where she could live a normal dizzy free life!
That was enough for me to spend the next few months with intensive research on how I would get better. I did not only want to find out how to fix the dizziness, but also how it started and how the whole body works. I researched food digestion, absorbing nutrients, rejecting irritants, inflammatory foods, glycemic index, allergies and repairing damage.
My research was key to implementing new food choices that helped me repair my body and progress to this point in time............................Read more of my story at
glutenfreewheatfree.com

[Oosh]

I suffered with the poor balance/light headed/dizziness thing for years. I have never completely associated it to anxiety until reading this thread. (This has happened a lot on this forum over past couple of weeks which symptoms I now see as that of anxiety).

I'd worry about standing up, leaving my seat and walking down the steps in the cinema. Feared I'd find it impossible to successfully judge where next step was and fall down them all. My balance felt so poor. I felt like I was swaying.
I thought if a policeman asked me to walk the line I would not stand a chance.
Felt I swayed around the kerb walking down the rd. Couldn't walk in a straight line.

It's gone now and I don't truly know why. My nutrition has improved a lot over past two years. A powerful multivitamin. Megadoses of b vitamins, amino acids.

I used to jog. I'm sure it made my anxiety worse. Body and mind more hyper. Stopped that and any other form of overtraining a few years ago and I think I feel more relaxed.

Sometimes if I get foggy headed it helps to do something like a hike or bike ride. But I no longer turn it into a habit I have to do leading to overtraining.

I don't know why my anxiety/dizziness has lowered.

The "brain zaps" someone referred to are antidepressants in my experience.
I took Prozac for four years. I'd get this sudden violent jolt to my head like it had been knocked by something. Then I'd struggle to recover as the room etc spun in front of me. After maybe ten seconds things would stop spinning again and return to normal. Very disturbing.
Happened watching film in cinema so bad I thought my head had been hit so hard my ear had almost touched my shoulder. Nothing had touched me. It was all inside my brain.
I told the doctor. He sent me for a brain scan which turned out to be normal.
Stopped Prozac at some point and they stopped.

[lindadiana]

hello jules,sorry your feeling so scared,i can completely understand how you feel.im 54 and have had panic attacks since being a child,from my experience of dizzyness i have the anxiety type whch comes on when attempting to go or do somthing that scares you,but over the last 25 years ive had about five episodes of a different type of dizzyness i told my gps and they said its your nerves,but i knew it wasnt it was different ii then found another gp and he said i think you have fluid iin the eustaton tube in the ear its not like having wax in your ears and going deaf which can also make you dizzy,i felt really dizzy on bending over laying flat turning my head standing walking sittnig its was like i was being pulled sideways all the time,to the right i also had sinus trouble come on wth it as well. i just had a three month bout of it recently it started on the 26th of october after i lay down flat on the floor,the room went round i panicked got up and there it stayed until two weeks ago,the gp who told me about the fluid in the tubes of the ear gave me nasacort nasal spray it takes about three months for it to sort of clear up i always use my spray when i have it come on,but with having anxiety about it i made it a lot worse to bare,and have ended up this time very panicky again even though i know what it is and all that.its now more or less gone but because i put myself on high alert and got so worried and scared about it ive brought on constipation indigestion trapped wind through lack of eating properley when dizzy. ask your gp about the tubes in your ears its worth a try,i had never heard of it the gps who said it was my nerves were saying it all in my head,but went on to shringe my ears making the dizzyness far worse thank god i found the gp who knew what it was. still recovering from this now anxiety wise its hard,i get fuzzy headed and foggy feeling like the band round the head,but thats anxiety dizzyness or in some cases maybe medications,im on diazepam and have been for 15 years.i hope you feel better soon and know you will be ok hugs to you