View Full Version : Dizzy or faint?
When people use the word dizzy, do you really mean faint, dizzy being like vertigo and faint like a weak loss of vision feeling?
I personally feel faint not dizzy, is this the same for others?
jothenurse
06-11-10, 20:26
I feel kind of lightheaded, like I maybe could possibly faint. Sometimes I can feel dizzy.
Mine is more dizzy and makes me feel sick too. Just wished there was a cure or medication which would stop it from keep happening to me.
Hi
Mine is a lightheaded feeling more than a dizzy spinning one
mandie x
nomorepanic
07-11-10, 00:37
When I went to the doc about mine he asked did I mean faint, dizzy or lightheaded and I wasn't sure how to describe it lol.
Ok it wasn't faint as I know that feeling but how do you distinguish between dizzy and lightheaded?
Interesting isn't it?
shaggyowen
07-11-10, 00:56
yeh i feel both like im gonna fall over cuz i feel really weak as well as feeling that im gonna pass out or something lol :WTF:
hi im on prochlorperazine 2x5mg tablets 3 times a day, they are mild but good and are for vertigo and anxiety and nausea, i like the mildness as have tried citalopram etc and all those types seem too much for mere these are like a headache tablet strength if you know what i mean, hope this helps x
sugarplums
07-11-10, 10:33
hi abbo , i get all of the variations of dizziness, i get dreadful lightheadedness, dizziness, vertigo (room spinning), feeling faint, feelings of like ive just dropped through the floor or going up suddenly in a lift whist walking or standing. Even when im sat down i can still feel it. The dizziness has had a huge impact on my life. I notice it comes and goes in patches and other times its constant.
Like elouise, i also take prochlorperazine for the dizziness but only when i get the dizziness of vertigo, as that is just dreadful !
I think any type of dizziness, whether it be vertigo, lightheadedness or feeling faint.. is bound to cause anxiety.
The dizziness effects my walking when it happens, i cant move let alone stand when i get the vertigo. x
The vertigo can only be related to inner ear issues, if the room spins like getting off a roundabout it can only be related to labyrinth or calcium in the ear, or vestibular balance. I have seen private doctors for a few months about these but I don't have them after all the tests, apparently it is not a known side effect of anxiety to feel vertigo but you can feel anxious from vertigo, if that makes sense.
My symptoms is not spinning it's more like a feeling faint, almost as though my legs are going to give way, and feel very spaced out, vision is all over the place like not sure what is going on?
I would love to hear an answer for this, has anyone had the same and found to have a vitamin deficiency etc?
yeh i feel both like im gonna fall over cuz i feel really weak as well as feeling that im gonna pass out or something lol :WTF:
Have you Been told it's anxiety or something else?
I have been feeling like this constantly for around 2weeks, it's taking over my life!
For those that feel dizzy/faint are you abit breathless too? And are your symptoms almost constant too?xx
paula lynne
07-11-10, 15:09
constant dizzy for me, episodes of vertigo too. Some days better than others, so Im grateful for those x
Breathlessness is probably anxiety, its the oxygen/carbon dioxide. If its a new symptom, and you suffer with a breathing problem like asthma thought, it may be beneficail to see your gp for reassurance love. xx
I'm never breathless and very rarely feel panicked or racing heart, just the faint and light headed ness, I wouldn't even think I had anxiety to be honest if the docs didn't keep telling me and I hadn't had MRI and net checks, I really don't think I am anxious a lot of the time I really feel like it's a medical problem
hi abbo.just had a quick read through what you've written above and i've suffered from inner ear problems for years which have been left undiagnosed for years as the doctors seem to have a different idea of what it is depending on which doctor it was. i've never really seen it as a cause of problems but my recent onset of panic attacks seems to have been after i was on a flight to go on holiday and we all know how much planes can hurt your ears! it however was the worst pain i've felt on a plane. it seems to subside everynow and then but recently i noticed i've kept tripping up or if i stand up to quickly i feel like im about to hit the ground again!
does your dizzyness come and go or does it feel like its always there but the severity of it changes? xxx
Yes feels like it's always there just the severity that changes, as far as I am aware most anxiety sufferers have places or times where it is triggered, mine is there 24/7
I would love to find out what it is as I feel I am being pressured to accept anxiety by docs and it really doesn't feel like that, I'm 29 loud the joker of the group, love going out, play football semi pro and no offense to anyone who is anxious or depressed but I'm the opposite?
Feel let down by doctors who know nothing
mine is there 24/7 too however over recent weeks its developed to the case where sometimes i just want to lie down in the floor in the middle of strange places (ie supermarket or bus stop) to protect myself from getting dizzy and keeling over. woke up this morning and the dizzyness was awful. went for lunch and then a walk but the earache seemed worse from the cold. until i read your post i never thought it could be linked to panic attacks but ive just done some reading and found some info on inner ear dizziness and i seem to have several of the symtoms one of which is anxiety. but then i read some info on anxiety and they said one of the symptoms was dizziness. now feel very confused! either way they're both feel like theyre getting in the way of life at the moment whichevers causing the other. got another gps appointment at the end of the week so just trying to distract myself until then! i'll keep you updated if i find out any more info because i know hhow horrible if feels!
Yeah good luck, I don't think everything that a doctor says is anxiety is true just an easy answer
Going home
07-11-10, 19:55
Abbo, have you ever been tested for low blood sugar? If its low (hypoglycaemia) it can also cause the kind of light-headed, spaced out feelings you describe.
Anna x
Only the prick in the finger test, is that it?
I have been trying to find out about vitamin deficiency, anyone know anything or any links?
mandylou28
07-11-10, 23:06
Hey abbo im posted something similar the other day. Im pretty much a similar kind of person to yourself, 29 outgoing happy go lucky type person till i started in may this year with this weird internal rocky lightheaded feeling which is there 24/7 but varies in intensity. Ive had mris ear tests bloods etc and apparently im 100% fit. Lol. My doc has now said he thinks ive got something called mdds cus it started after a flight from ibiza, its basically caused by flying or cruises the opposite of motion sickness, he said im stressin about it (seriously tho who wouldnt stress about feelin wobbly all the time) and to stop worryin and it will go away in time!! But i like you said dont feel anxious apart from why the hell can no one say yeh you have this illness take these tablets and you will be ok in a week.
sugarplums
08-11-10, 17:33
Hi there abbo, how are you feeling? It was intresting what you said about the inner ear causing the vertigo.
It's hard to say what causes the lightheaded feeling and the feeling like you might pass out.
Nothing in particular seems to trigger it, it comes and goes sometimes and other times it is there 24/7.
I know a lady in the chemist told me that her son felt ill for months and she said after months of wondering what it could be, they eventually found out he had magnesuim defiency.
I also know that vitamin B12 defiency can cause dizziness, feeling faint etc along with other symptoms.
I have asked my doctor for a vitamin B test but they said that it would show up on the anemia test, which i tend to get anemic anyway from time to time.
Vit B5 and B6 are thought to be very useful for any type of dizziness and anxiety.
have you had any tests for anemia, thyroid, vitamin defiency?
I was wondering, as you had said in one of your previous posts that you thought it may be diet related..?
Hi all, I have had the general blood test for thyroid and organ function etc, but not had the vitamin deficiency test, can I get this done without seeing a gp?
I have seriously looked into the vertigo symptoms, and I'm no doctor but they can only stem from inner ear problems or even calcium deficiency which is still related to inner ear as the crystals in your labrynth area are made of calcium.
The feeling faint and spaced out symptoms on the other hand can be many things, I wish there was a check list!!!
sugarplums
08-11-10, 20:47
yes i agree, the feeling faint and spaced out symptoms could stem from a number of things. Which makes it more frustrating to narrow the possiblities down.
I think it's worth having a vitamin test to make sure, im trying to look into this too, im pretty sure that a dietican or nutrutionist can run these tests for vitamin tests so it doesnt have to
be done at the gp. I think to have a consultation and tests for vit defiency is around £50 from what I've looked up so far. Quite pricey but worth it if you suspect it could be a vitamin defiency.
Thanks for the info on vertigo and the inner ear , i found that very helpful x
Margaretanne
08-11-10, 21:03
mine is both and its frightening most of the time xx Is this anxiety?
sugarplums
08-11-10, 21:47
hi Margaretanne , i get both types of dizziness too, the actual dizzy spells , sommetimes vertigo, and also the lightheaded kind where i feel faint. Dizziness and feeling faint can be caused by anxiety but it can also be caused by quite a few other conditions and even by a vitamin defiency.
xx
What I don't understand is my GP said my dizziness/lightheadness is because I am so Anxious and bringing it on myself, so why carn't I stop it, its ruling my life every morning when I wake up I dread getting out of bed because of feeling dizzy, and its always there. I had it previously for 6 weeks 24/7 and it went, now its back and scaring me to death and usual.
Hi, I have had problems with dizziness too. Largely when I had bad anxiety but now I have BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal positional vertigo) which basically means I get really bad vertigo when my head is in a certain position. I have felt dizzy a lot over the years and there are many ways you can feel dizzy as I have discovered. But this BPPV is the worst and it feels like there is something going round INSIDE my head! It first happened 3 years ago. I actually woke up in bed one Saturday morning and was very dizzy! It scared me to death but only lasted 30 seconds or a minute top side. I was in a state of shock when it stopped. Then it has come back a lot but not as severe. It has only come back once, so severe and thats when I was sat in the armchair looking down at my mobile phone. Next news I had that spinning feeling in my head again! But that only lasted the same as above, 30 seconds or so. This was about a month ago.
If there is one thing I am scared of, its feeling dizzy. Its the feeling out of control. I cant bear it. So since that first episode of BPPV in bed three years ago, I have been scared to go to sleep every night in case it comes back. Usually though, when it comes back not so severe, as it did last night, I can stop it by moving myself slightly. But last night I could not get to sleep for it for ages, let alone wake up with it! And other nights I dont get it at all.
I have seen the doctor about this and she says its BPPV. Its a pain because I always thought my bed was the safest place in the world, but no longer since this happened.
BasilCat
sugarplums
09-11-10, 11:02
hi Kerry B and Basilcat , i cant believe that theres so many people with this dizzy feeling like me, i feel like it rules my life too and im so scared of the dizziness aswel, i was told by gp that anxiety is causing the dizziness and lightheaded feeling but was told that the vertigo is inner ear and that once you have had a dizzy (spinning) episode , people are prone to getting more dizziness either as a constant background or random dizzy spells.
I woke up with the dizziness this morning and had to get my kids to school.
When i got home from dropping the kids off at school, i just cried and cried.
No one understands how debiliating the dizziness can be unless they've experienced it.
Katy B when you mentioned you dread getting out of bed in the mornings because of the dizziness.... Im exactly the same too! I find some days are better than others- dizzy wise but the dizziness really limits what i do.
The doctors dont realise how much the dizziness affects day to day life.
Basilcat i have read up on BPPV before, the type of vertigo you have is to do with the crystals in the ear moving away from where they're meant to be.
It was a couple of years ago when i read up on it so i will look it up again because there is treatment involving repositioning the crystals by a gp or someone who will put the head in different positions to resettle the crystals in the ear to where they should be.
Take care everyone, i know how frustrating it can be.
I hope we all feel better soon, xxxx
If i find anything else that helps i will let you all know x
Hi Sugarplums, Thats right, my dizziness (when my head is in the wrong position or when I am in bed) is to do with the crytals in my inner ear moving away from where they are meant to be. Its awful though, this dizziness isn't it. I can understand why you would cry and cry about it. It is very debilitating. I have all sorts of dizziness before today but apart from the BPPV, one of the worst ones for me is when I am in a fast moving lift or I am in a plane that is taking off! That is really bad too and puts me off flying. No sooner has the plane left the runway than I am all dizzy and lightheaded and disabled till the plane is cruising at altitude. The first time I flew, I was about 26 years old and going to Nice from Gatwick. The dizziness kicked in straight away. Then everything went White and I found myself waking up with my head on someone's shoulder!!! I feel very similar in fast moving lifts.
And when I had an operation and was wheeled back to the ward, everytime I went round a corner on the trolley, I was dizzy as hell. Very scary.
I have had dizziness/loss of balance randomly too. Like in Woolworths (a couple of year ago) without warning. One minute I was fine, the next I was on my knees in the cafe feeling dizzy! I have had some bad scares with it over the years, I can tell you.
I understand you dreading getting out of bed in a morning. I dread going to bed!
The exercise that you mention is called the Epley manoevre and I would give it a go but I believe it brings on the dizziness to get rid of it and I am scared to death of it.
I have also suffered dizziness/loss of balance as a result of anxiety and that feels very different again. Very scary all the same. So I understand how you feel sugarplum and would not wish dizziness on my worst enemy.
BasilCat
Hi Sugarplums, Well at least I did not have much dizziness or lightheadedness in bed last night. Thats the strange thing. It doesn't always happen. Sometimes I am just laying there and my balance starts going or I feel giddy. At least I have not been as bad as that first time when I actually woke up extremely dizzy! It was the scariest thing ever. The problem with lying down in bed and waking up dizzy was, what do I do now, because when you feel dizzy, if you are in a place to do so, you automatically want to lay down. And given that I already was, I didn't know what on earth to do next. Anyway I wasn't as bad last night so thats a relief.
How are you this morning?
BasilCat
Hi everyone!:)
I too suffer from terrible dizziness. Although I would describe mine most of the time as feeling really off balance, as though I may fall over. I've had it a lot during the last two years that I've had panic/anxiety. It lasted 24/7 for months then eased off and I only had it for a day or two here and there. However I have had it nearly every day for the last few weeks. It makes me so anxious which I hate as anxiety was much better for the last few months. Not great, but better. I have had quite a few stressful events over the last few months and think this may have started it up again?
I have seen ENT docs and my own doc and no one seems to have a proper answer for me. I had operations on my ear years ago so do have some deafness and have this year also developed terrible tinnitus which they can't treat either. I was just told it's hardly surprising you have these problems it's only to be expected with the previous damage to your ear!!! That helps me a lot...not!
I was also given balance re-training exercises to try but like you Basil cat, was told it would make the dizziness worse before it would help and that scares me to death too as I'm bad enough anyway. Why would I want to make myself dizzy?! Just can't bring myself to do it.
I sympathise with all you other sufferers. It has to be one of the worst feelings.
Judy.xxx
Hi Judy, Apart from my positional vertigo in bed, I have suffered with a lot of dizziness/loss of balance when I have had anxiety - I have just got over anxiety that lasted 3.5 years - and those two things are always my main symptoms, along with unreality. Its awful isn't it. It scares me to death too. You are not alone. Yes I wonder if your stressful events have started it up again for you.
Sorry to hear about the damage to your ear following your operations. As you say, that is no help is it.
Like you, I cannot bring myself to do those exercises either. I am terrified of dizziness, really I am. I sympathise with all you other sufferers too.
It makes me wonder if this dizziness/loss of balance is to do with hyperventilating Judy. Would it be worth practising breathing exercises because if you are hyperventilating with the anxiety, it can make you feel 10 times worse and dizziness comes into that too. I am not saying that you are hyperventilating, just that its a possibility and correcting your breathing so you are breathing slower and calmer may help.
Shirl
sugarplums
10-11-10, 14:39
hiya Basilcat , i had tried replying back to your post earlier on but i think i must've written too much because i got logged off and then lost all i wrote! ( this keeps happening to me alot )
Then i decided to have some lunch but now i feel really lightheaded and dizzy. So im sorry to take so long to get back to you , i will reply properly again when im less dizzy, i just wanted to say thanks for your post and i will reply again as soon as i feel less dizzy...xxxx
Hi Sugarplums. I have had that happen before today too. Its so maddening isn't it. I am sorry it happened to you today.
Sorry you are lightheaded and dizzy again - I hope it soon gets less for you.
I look forward to hearing from you when you are feeling a bit better.
Shirl
sugarplums
11-11-10, 11:11
Hi Sugarplums, Well at least I did not have much dizziness or lightheadedness in bed last night. Thats the strange thing. It doesn't always happen. Sometimes I am just laying there and my balance starts going or I feel giddy. At least I have not been as bad as that first time when I actually woke up extremely dizzy! It was the scariest thing ever. The problem with lying down in bed and waking up dizzy was, what do I do now, because when you feel dizzy, if you are in a place to do so, you automatically want to lay down. And given that I already was, I didn't know what on earth to do next. Anyway I wasn't as bad last night so thats a relief.
How are you this morning?
BasilCat
hi Shirl , yes it is so frustrating when you have written so much in reply then you realise it wasn't sent because you have been logged out for taking so long to write it :doh:
Thanks for your understanding and patience, I had woken up feeling so dizzy and lightheaded yesterday but I somehow managed to get the kids to school and back home again.
This morning I felt much better and i managed the school run this morning alot easier without feeling dizzy or lightheaded...:yesyes:
How are you feeling today? that's great you felt better the other night.
I'm not surprised you dont want to try out those exercises to reposition the crystals in the ear , if it makes you feel even more dizzy at first !!
I agree with what you say when you mentioned that you wouldn't wish dizziness on your worst enemy !! I have said that many times too !!
I think some of the dizziness is inner ear and some of the dizziness and the feeling of being off balance or feeling faint, is due to anxiety as you said.
Sometimes it's like there's no rhyme or reason for the dizziness, it just comes and goes , or it can feel constantly there somewhere.
Yes , i have had the same thing as you Shirl , where I've woken up feeling dizzy in bed and think ....great what now ? 'cos as you said when we usually feel dizzy, we tend to sit down or lay down , but when you're already laying down in bed waking up in morning.. you think 'crap, what do I do now?'
The dizziness is so scary, and i wonder how we lose fear of it?
There is a video on you tube where a hypnotist very briefly describes what causes the fear of dizziness and how to lose the fear of it.
I've never really liked the idea of hypnotisim, but it was intresting points of what mentioned. i will look it up again as i had saved the link on my phone and i will try to send the link on here.
I've had times where I've randomly felt dizzy in shops, cafes, just standing talking to people, at home , in bed, waking up to it, dreaming of it :doh: ,
some days are better and dizzy free so I just really try and make the most of these days.
My family arent supportive or understanding at all, the anxiety and dizziness is too messy for them, and because they cant put it all into neat tidy boxes with a label for a diagnoses , they have just left me to it.
Im trying to realise not to take it personally because they are this way to each other and everyone, except their dog who gets V.I.P treatment and when their last dog had vertigo, they wouldn't leave it alone in the house for even 5 mins, but they were quite happy to leave me alone with the vertigo !
My doctor refered me to ENT a couple of years ago and they sent me for an MRI scan and my mum said she hoped they found something and that
it wasnt all due to anxiety!!
The result of the mri scan came back normal and i was told from a doctor i had viral labyrinthitus as i had to be treated for a really bad ear infection.
I've always had alot of ear infections, but the dizziness started in my teens, im 31 now.
I do sympathise with all of you who suffer from dizziness, lightheadedness, feeling faint etc, it really makes you feel so scared and bewildered.
:hugs:
xxx
Hi Sugarplums, I will make this a short one for now. I have a lot to do as I am going to see my mum in Yorkshire tomorrow - that is a 60 mile drive. I will be back on Sunday tea time - hopefully. Mum has not got a computer so I will not be on line till Sunday evening or Monday late afternoon but I will definitely get back to you.
Many thanks for your long and interesting message. No wonder you were mad you lost it. I have done it myself a lot over the years. Thanks for starting again with it.
I had the vertigo in bed again last night. I just get comfortable and then I can feel my self getting all giddy! Or I feel like I am moving to the side, or like I am falling "Through" the bed! I can just about handle it so long as it doesn't get any worse, and of course that is what I am scared of.
I also dread it starting when I am away from home too, like at my mums for the next couple of nights. At least here, if it keeps me awake I can come downstairs and set up bed on the sofa and watch TV. Cant do that at my mums. So its a bit awkward really.
I dont know how you got up and got your kids to school yesterday when you were feeling dizzy and lightheaded. I think you are very brave.
Will stop here as I am busy sorting out for the weekend.
Take Care
Will get back to you Sunday or Monday.
Shirl
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