Lightheaded 24/7 And Derealization

[LightyHead0704]

Hey everyone!
I'm new here :)

Well for the past couple of months (over 3 months now)
I have been suffering with constant lightheadedness!
From the minute I wake up until I go to bed.
I never get a moment of peace. It only gets worse, especially when I go out somewhere.
I always have it, watching tv, sitting down, laying in bed. All the time:wacko:

I have been to the ER 3 times. I got injected tranquilizers, they only made me feel worse...which makes me rethink the whole anxiety issue? Is it really anxiety, all my doctors tell me so, but in fact, there is still something that tells me it's not.

I've had a MRI, MRI with contrast, CT scan, blood test, and Carotid Ultrasound(because I thought there was narrowing in my arteries)
Everything came out fine except for really high cholesterol, but I don't think high cholesterol causes all of this?? :doh:

Besides the lightheadedness, I always feel as If I am in a dream. Like nothing is real. This weird spacey feeling.

At night I get these swooshing noises in my left ear that go along with my heartbeat which is called Pulsatile tinnitus, that's what also made me think I had narrowing or blockage in my carotid arteries. Doctors don't seem to pay much attention to that though. So maybe it's not that big of a deal.
But anyway, my main problem is the lightheadedness and derealization...

I was wondering If there was anyone else going through the same situation.
How do you cope ??
Any of you that have recovered from this nightmare?

I am only 18 years old and I can't do anything anymore, for the past 3 months I have not been myself :weep:

[zmey]

I have exactly the same problem, lightheadedness and "brain fog" for 4 months now. Sometimes everything around me seems strange and unfamiliar. I suffer from panic disorder with light agoraphobia.

Antidepressant Cipraex (Lexapro in US) helped with panic attacks and agoraphobia but I'm lightheaded every day and sometimes have anxiety attacks.

I did regular blood tests with thyroid hormones, spine x-ray, EEG, eye fundus (optic nerve)... all turned out normal. I'm visiting neurologist and having MRI next.

If they don't find anything I guess it's anxiety related.

It's less scary when you convince yourself it's anxiety and it can't really harm you and do everything you would do as if it wasn't there. When I accept it like that sometimes I get absorbed in things I'm doing and forget about it. That strategy helps me a lot but it takes practice.
Worst thing you can do is stare at the objects around you and keep asking yourself if it's real or something like that.

[vastano]

I have exactly the same feeling a few months ago. Trust me it does go after time. I used to get dizzy/spinning feelings. The more i thought about it the worst it got. I also had the spaced out feeling which is a weird feeling to try and explain to someone who has not had it. It is like you are living in a bubble or a dream and everything just passed me by. Those feelings have gone but then other different feelings come next!

[zmey]

I'm not really dizzy, no spinning sensation but constant feeling like I'm going to faint and I can't see clearly.
Friend of mine suffering panic disorder also had the same lightheaded feeling for couple of months and now she only has it when she's really anxious.

[charlene82]

i have the exact same problem ive suffered the constant lightheadedness for 7 months now and its there 24/7 i get no relief ive had loads of tests n tablets but everything came bck normal and no pills have worked as yet
i dont go out i get scared it only gets worse when i go out or wen im hungry if any1 knows how to deal with this please help....

[kathy.x]

i had that for weeks on end, and it's only just gone - so there is always end in sight! i used to just do the things that relaxed me the most and then try and ignore it best i could, since it's a mental issue the more i ignored it and moved on the more i got periods (however brief) where it wasn't there anymore :) i think it's one of the worst problems and for me anyway, one the worst things was i felt i couldn't do anything like i used to. but that's not true, once you realise you can infact do whatever you want and you are still you and still able then i think it may start to dissapear.
hope it passes soon and then you can be comfortable again :)

[lioness]

i had that for weeks on end, and it's only just gone - so there is always end in sight!

how many weeks exactly did you have it? can you pinpoint the moment when you first started feeling like that?
i have constant feelings of lightheadedness/derealization and have had for 10 months now, it's awful, some days are better than others but i haven't felt like myself in so long.

[Valka]

Sounds very familiar! I get it a lot, although I've never had it for this long. Myself, mum and my younger brother have both had derealization on and off for most of our lives, and my mum told me she had it constantly for nearly a year after she had me. The stress she experienced through a traumatic birth and being a new mum seems to have triggered it. But it went away eventually.
It's really freaky though - I know what you mean about not being yourself! From my own experienced I would say, though, that if you can get a handle on the anxiety in general then the derealization will get much better.

[lioness]

i just can't see any end to feeling like this, but i can't lose hope otherwise i'll totally lose who i used to be! do you take any medication for your anxiety? i'm sorry to hear other members of your family suffer x

[Valka]

My psychiatrist told me that when I'm feeling really, really awful, I should think of it like being in a tunnel. Even thought I can't see the light, it's there, I just have to hold on. Whenever I feel like I can't cope, I try and concentrate on this and wait for the light to appear. So far it always has!

I'm currently on Cipralex for my anxiety, which has really helped me in the past although I'm sure it's different for different people. Last time I took it I recovered very quickly and then stayed off it for many months, then a couple of months ago I started to get really anxious and weird again, got panic attacks again etc. so I've gone back on the meds.

It always makes me feel better when I remember that I've felt horrible before but it's always, always gotten better again and I know I'll wake up one day and feel like myself again!

[lioness]

Thanks for mentioning the tunnel idea, it's a really helpful way to see it!

[kathy.x]

lioness, I had it for 3 weeks constantly and it's only literally just gone away for me in the last few days and I do appreciate it beyond belief! but i know exactly how horrible it is, at the time i didn't believe it would end - but it does. i think the best way for me, was to try and do everything normal and even though i could never ignore it (no matter what people say it's almost impossible i think) i did start to slowly realise i can continue to function. but i guess it's all about how different people are affected by it. i only get it for short periods at a time now when i'm feeling really overwhelmed by all my symptoms or i'm really tired.

[MoonlightFire]

I've been suffering from derealisation and light headedness for the last 2 or 3 months. I went to see my Doctor who straight away told me it is due to anxiety and upped my prescription of Sertraline to 100mg a day. I felt a little better for a week but I've been feeling a little strange again for the last two days. All I can say is that I know how you feel and I hope you start to feel better soon.

[Spartan]

Ive had it for almost four years now. It started when I played hockey, I guess I wasn't getting enough air and it occurred for the first time. A few months later I got it again, then again during hockey games. I ended up quitting after the season ended because I had thought it was a respiratory problem. The following year I got it on a daily basis; on and off. By the end of that year, I had it mostly controlled. Today it kind of reactivated and I decided to see if anyone else had this. Turns out many people do