anxiety and now dizzy

[tasia]

Hi there i stumbled upon this site by mistake looking up reasons for my dizzy head. I see that it is a site for people that suffer with anxiety..panic attacks etc., which is great as ive suffered for a few years now and have read so many books about anxiety but to have a site like this and relate to some peoples feelings on it is so much better. I had been suffering with really bad panic attacks recently the type when you feel you are in a dream (which i find are really scary) I suffered so bad then they stopped for a week then all of a sudden im dizzy really dizzy...so i go to the doctors and because ive got a history of anemia and my blood was bit low he put me on iron tabs. the dizzyness has got better but although ive been on the iron nearly two months now im still dizzy. could anyone tell me if it sometimes takes a long time for the iron tabs to clear the anemia. or do you think it probably is related more to my general anxiety state this dizzyness than the actual anemia...thankyou so much for any advice...x

[nanny]

Hi Tasia

As you have said you have had a lot of panic attacks just recently i would put it down to that, but on saying that i'm not a doctor. I suffer severe anxiety but a few weeks ago i was dizzy almost all the time, off to the docs i went only to find out i had really low blood pressure.

I'm not saying that is the reason for yours but i would have thought that the iron would have kicked in by now and if you're still worried about it perhaps popping back to the docs would ease your mind a little.

Good Luck:)

[Allye]

I developed my PA a couple of years ago - then it was discovered I had chronic aemaema. If your iron was really low it may take a while for your body to rebalance. Even after a year of iron my blood levels were fine but the iron stored in my liver was still slightly depleted.

Probably best to go back to docs for full blood count.

Take care Allye x

[tasia]

thanks guys ive got a couple of weeks of iron tabs left think ill use them up and then will go back down to docs my enemia wasnt chronic only mild also i had my blood pressure taken and that was fine too..hopefully everything will be ok..anyway thanks again for replying..take care x

[tasia]

my anxiety started when my dad died and then 5years ago it got worse due to my mum dying of stomach cancer...ive done it all including self harming and im a women with 3 children and a husband whom even now doesnt really understand my anxiety and is really no help atall so finding this site is so fantastic x

[kenboon]

Hiya

Dizzyness is very common with high levels of anxiety.

From the symptoms page.

Dizziness or light-headedness

What you feel:
You feel suddenly light-headed, woozy or dizzy. This is sometimes accompanied by a feeling that you might faint or pass out. It also may feel as though you are walking on a boat, or that the floor seems to move up and down and it's hard to balance. You may also have difficulty placing your feet because your perception of the ground or floor may be wrong. In some cases it may seem that even though you are standing on a firm floor, the floor may be vibrating or moving.

This is a very common feeling that most sufferers get. It’s usually as a result of hyperventilation but also of intense fear and the adrenalin hit.

Feeling faint is very worrying and very frightening. You feel as though you are going to pass out or the whole world seems to be spinning and you cannot focus on anything. Your vision is blurred and this causes more Panic as you are now ‘sure’ that you will pass out or collapse.

Even when you convince yourself that you will not faint, the feeling of un-steadiness or dizziness remains. This feeling can go on for minutes or hours and there seems to be no end to it.
What causes this:

This symptom has a few variations. Some people may experience a sudden head rush feeling, which goes almost as quickly as it comes. As long as the individual doesn’t react with more fear, the symptom will come and go and will vary in frequency from a number of times per day, to a few times a month.

Another variation includes a constant state of unbalance, spinning, wooziness, fogginess and so on. Often it is accompanied by a feeling that you may pass out (some people do, however, that’s not common).

This symptom has a few causes. It could be from a blood sugar imbalance, hyperventilation (not getting enough oxygen) or an inner ear or ear pressure condition.
This is a common symptom and sometimes an individual can experience both forms, and at different times.

There are tests available that can accurately identify a blood sugar imbalance, however, most often this isn’t the main cause. Typically, those with anxiety disorder have their blood sugar levels within the safe range when tested. However, long periods without eating may aggravate the condition because blood sugar levels may drop too low because of not eating. It’s important to eat regular wholesome and natural food so that the fluctuations in blood sugar remain in the normal range.

If you are experiencing this symptom, having medical tests may be beneficial - certainly, to rule out any other cause.

If your symptom is a result of hyperventilation, deliberately deep slow breathing will reduce and even eliminate this symptom. While deep relaxation will help to diminish and eliminate most symptoms, I found that this symptom is one that hangs on the longest, and is the least responsive to immediate counter action. However, regular exercise provided me with results though not immediate.

Try to steady your breathing and sit quietly somewhere so that you can concentrate on it. The more you Panic and worry, the worse you will feel.

Try to occupy and distract your mind with something so you don’t focus on the dizziness and if necessary sit down for a while to help get your balance back.

As with all symptoms, when the nervous system gets sufficient rest, this symptom will diminish and eventually subside.




I get not full on dizzyness, but sudden head rushes where it feels like everything moves for a split second and i feel unsteady then its ok again. I would also say your dizzyness could be anxiety related too. Its a little harder to say with your situaton with iron levels ect. Maybe reading the symptoms page to the left might give you an idea if you have any more anxiety realted symptoms?

All the best

Ken

[tasia]

Thanks for answering me ken but i had such a severe attack 2 days ago i had to have an emergency appt at docs..he has now decided i suffer with vertigo...he has given me some tabs which at the moment have helped me so much but now im worrying myself sick that maybe it will come back bad again and im getting anxious about it which obviously doesnt help the situation too. oh god what ever next i ask myself. thanks for your reply anyway.x

[bluewoman]

what tabs did he give you that helped with the dizziness out of curiosity??

[bluetitan23]

Hi ya i know its horrible, i have suffered from panic attacks for 10 years now it started after in I divorced my husband, he was violent, they started about 6 months after the divorce, the doc recons it was like a relieve sympton, meaning all the time i was with him, i was scared, then we split and my body started to relax. So all the things I had been through started to come out, which was weakness, tiredness, feeling sick etc.. then the anxiety, and god I so remember my first full blown panic attack. I was just thinking that you have been through a hell of alot loosing your parents, it must of been hell, so Im wondering now if its the same. I am on escitalopram 20mg a day and they have helped me so much, I have been on these for about 4 years, I have just moved out to germany as my husband is in the army and I tried reducing them, but Im not ready, being away from family and friends is bad enough. My husband is ok, he never really knows what to do when I feel strange but I normally just get on and keep my mind busy. Anyway not sure if this has helped in anyway, but I hope just a little. Take care jeanette

[tasia]

Hi guys thanks for your replys..the tablets im on at the moment are called wait for it..Betahistine hydrochloride...quite a mouthful i know, my dizziness has improved quite alot but still have it maybe it is going to take another week or so for it to go away completely but in my heart i know these tabs are not going to work and this dizzy head of mine is going to go on and on...
I think you are right about me.. the loss of my parents especially my mum was very overbearing for me and probably has had a detrimental effect on my health. I look at my daughter and think my god will she go through the same as me too when she is a grown women as we have an incredibly close relationship with each other as i did with my mum. Im a bit like you too in the fact that my husband has never been able to cope with my panic attacks and i usually have the depersonalisation type when everything around me seems unreal which for me, i find terrifying but i do cope on my own and try to pull myself together and after years of suffering am getting quite good at it I cant go running to my husband he wouldnt know what to do anyway. infact i was having these panic attacks very frequently and then all of a sudden they stopped and i was left with dizziness instead...life sucks....thanks for your replys...wish you both all the best.x

[tasia]

Hi everybody who has been reading this page about my dizzy spells...well I got some good news that since taking my tablets the dizzyness has improved so much I have now finished my tablets and although when i look down i still feel little bit dizzy its not half as bad as it was it is so much better. If it gets bad again I will go down to docs again for the same tabs..but at moment i feel great cant believe it really. It just goes to show that sometimes its not always due to your nerves etc., it can actually be due to a physical problem, as in my case vertigo..anyway lets hope it continues.. take care guys xxx