Panic/Anxiety/Fear and the Inner Ear

[Paul_H]

Hi All,

The following was previously posted for me by Bridgie. At the time I han't met the required number of messages to post with links. That is no longer the case. Also, I wanted my original title and I've added information so I would like to re-post it. If you've already seen it, I apologize. If not, enjoy. My only hope is that someone may be helped by this information.

I've been working on the panic/agor issue on you tube in the agoraphobia and panic attacks videos. Anyone who writes me on you tube regarding this issue gets this message. What I've found there on you tube was that so many of the people on there with panic videos have links to money-making sites hawking one cure or another, all for financial gain. After having panic attacks myself and knowing how dreadfully damaging they can be to one's psyche, I couldn't imagine any previous sufferer making money off other sufferers. The thought makes me ill. I'm not hawking anything here except help. If what I post here doesn't help you, or if you disagree with it, just ignore it. My goal here is to help. I HAVE to. The attacks (even though they stopped over 16 years ago due to focusing on the cause and taking a med related to that cause) have driven me to do so.

I am not a doctor but I have studied the panic attack/anxiety connection to vestibular (inner-ear) disturbances for 16 years. First off, this was discovered by Harold N. Levinson and he wrote a book on it called "Phobia Free." For an explanation on how all this is connected, this is the best source. You can get it for cheap if you buy used online or at most larger libraries. I have no financial interest in Levinson's work so get your hands on it any way you can if this interests you. The best way to show this connection between vestibular problems and panic/agor/anxiety is to send you the links that show this connection is real. Before that however, I'd like to say that I had panic attacks, anxiety and borderline agoraphobia before I found an answer. Officially diagnosed by one of the leading anxiety specialists in the SF bay area (Dr. Brauer in Palo Alto, Ca). I was also diagnosed with an inner ear condition called "endolymphatic hydrops", also by one of the best, F. Owen Black, here in Portland, OR. This is not a coincidence. One reason I know that, is because my attacks were stopped cold within 45 minutes by taking meclizine, a simple over the counter inner ear med. It strictly targets the vestibular system. Not one attack in 16 years and anxiety reduced 95%. Even though Meclizine is an OTC med, please don't self medicate based on what I've said. There may be drug interactions or allergic reactions to consider. Also, meclizine may not be what works for you. There are dozens of vestibular meds as well as vestibular re-hab that may work better. Here are the links:

http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-di ... mptoms.php (http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/symptoms.php)
(Look at all the symptoms at the above link, but please take special note of the Cognitive and psychological section which clearly lists panic and anxiety as possible symptoms of vestibular dysfunction)

Here are the professionals responsible for the above list:

http://www.vestibular.org/about-veda/bo ... visors.php (http://www.vestibular.org/about-veda/board-of-med.sci.-advisors.php)
(my ear doc is the first name on the above list)

And below are medical studies again showing links between inner ear dysfunction and panic/agoraphobia and anxiety. Copy and paste these links into your browser if they aren't clickable. Also, make sure the "reader" on pubmed is set to read "abstract plus" by clicking on the dropdown box near the top left:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17538210

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17045776

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16570379

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15814159

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11591430

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11388356

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9669539
(although I disapprove of the SSRI recommendation at the end of the above abstract. They are not the best and first line of treatment in my opinion if your anxiety disorder is vestibular based)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9416586

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8599398

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7755529
(60% with panic/agro in the above study had vestibular problems)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2240177
(71% in that study)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2928069
(and this study from Levinson himself)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2928066
(and another by Levinson showing a 94% correlation)

Here is one I found recently that had all 19 panic patients showing signs of vestibular problems. Right in the abstract at the following link, it states that the patients were not pre-selected for dizziness. The only criteria for inclusion was panic disorder. Here is the link.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8134136

I have several others studies as well and I'm sure there are more since my search was not exhaustive. I think I have included enough here though to convince any skeptic that there is a connection. I'm not going to say that everyone that has anxiety issues has an ear problem. I've been accused of that before and then viciously attacked in several forums even though I never said it. But I will say this, the connection is more prevalent than most may think. You can prove this to yourself by just scanning the messages here for symptoms of dizziness, ear noises and pain or even motion sickness symptoms like weak knees, jelly legs and nausea.

I guess the bottom line here is that if you feel this information may apply to you because you have a full feeling in the ears, ear ringing or noises, or dizziness or maybe you might not have any of these but what I've said here just makes plain old sense, you may want to get a thorough vestibular work-up from a specialist in the field which would be an ENT doctor. I would ask them to be treated on the basis of a vestibular/panic connection and that any vestibular meds, or vestibular re-hab should be aimed at greatly reducing or eliminating the symptoms of both the anxiety and the vestibular symptoms (dizziness). Most importantly though, get your hands on a copy of "Phobia Free." I got my first copy at the library which is generally free unless you don't return it on time. I have since bought 4 or 5 copies for cheap online and they are all on loan to friends. I'll have to get more I guess, at a $1.17 a copy used, no real pain.

If your doctor needs convincing to get a referral to an ENT, print out the abstracts at the above links and the symptoms page at the very first link above and highlight the vestibular symptoms on there that you have and take them with you. The ENT should "get it" when it comes to this connection since panic and anxiety are listed on their official website. In the face of 14 medical studies, the symptoms page from the veda website, Levinson's book and his work in this area, plus my own personal case history, if the connection is denied by your doctor, then he or she has another agenda and your health and well being isn't a part of that agenda, and it may be time to find a new health care professional. Also feel free to use my case history (the meclizine "cure") or anything I've written on the web (there's a bunch) to help you get the help you need.

Please write back with any further questions.

Sincerely,

Paul.

Just 1 more thing. If this information has touched or helped you in some way, Please make a small comment, positive or negative, to help keep it on the front page where it can help as many as possible. As I said earlier, my goal is to help, and you can further that goal with comments. Thank you so very much for your time in reading this.... Paul.

[Obelysk]

Ok, you have me interested now. My panic attacks started a 2 months ago on a Monday but after that they started to happen to me only on Saturday nights until this past week when they started on Saturday night and kept going for a few days. I was having a hard time figuring out why it only happened on that day and time specifically, I usually go out to clubs on Saturday nights with my friends but nothing there scares me. Than the other day I went to my barber shop and they were blasting music in there and my head felt like it was being smashed against a door and I started to get real anxious until I told them to lower the music. The ear would make a lot of sense because now that I remember the last time I was at a club I was feeling like the music was not helping my anxiety at all so I ended up leaving. The other day I was hearing weird noises in my hear, but it could be coincidence. hummm, I will ask my doctor.

[Paul_H]

Hi Obelysk,

If you were consuming any alcohol at the clubs, it could have an effect on the fluid levels in the inner ear. A profound effect. The inner ear is all about fluid, little hairs and crystals. The crystals pass over the hairs when there is movement. If the fluid levels are too high, the hairs become compressed against the walls of the canal and the crystals don't rub across them as much. But the audio could be a problem as well. There are about as many different and subtle problems that can occur in the inner ear as there are anxiety symptoms.. Not saying of course that all the anxiety symptoms experienced by everyone who's having them are related to the ear, but in some or even many, they are. The medical studies kinda speak for themselves. If there were only 1 or 2 studies, hey I'd be skeptical but I listed 14 and there are more. The studies sure stick out there like a sore thumb, huh?

Also, the explanation I gave above, especially if you consumed alcohol makes a lot of sense IMO. I also feel that fluid levels in the body are a big factor in this overall and explains why there are more women who have this than men. Their fluid levels in their bodies fluctuate much more than that of an otherwise healthy male. Fact of nature. Also, I've read many complaints from women that their anxiety and panic is worse on a cyclical basis. It's a theory I'm working on. I think I'm the only one working on it because I've seen nothing out there on it. Been looking at this ear connection to panic for 16 years. I was bound to come up with some kind of theory sooner or later...

Paul.

[northstar]

hi paul, your information is very interesting! and definitely something for people to look in to. almost a year ago now i got a virus called labyrinthitis that affects the inner ear and makes you loose your balance and have really bad vertigo. the very first thing that happened to me was i had a panic attack, i wasn't even dizzy at that stage, but because my body felt so weird my anxiety just shot through the roof and the month that i had it was full of panic attacks and worry, it was awful. the virus went away eventually and my balance returned but i can totally understand how an inner ear problem would result in horrible anxiety, and how confusing it must be to someone who is not aware of the problem.

fortunately i've managed to recover from anxiety after discovering about adrenal fatigue and hypoglycemia, and i share your outlook about just NEEDING to share the information with people who suffer the same problems. i really admire the fact that you've been investigating this for 16 years and that you help without asking for payment :) i really hope that your message continues to reach people!

[Obelysk]

Yeah i was drinking during that time but I have stopped drinking alcohol for like a month. 2 weeks ago I made the mistake of having 3 beers (I had also not slept well) and it gave me the most massive headache that I can remember and I f felt dizzy and like I was going to collapse so I am not drinking right now. Well over all I am very interested in this and I want to have my ears checked assuming this could be the root of all evil (at least in my case).

[Paul_H]

Hi Obelysk and Northstar,

First off, Thanks all for the encouraging posts. I just hope all this helps.

To answer Obelysk, Beer, and then only certain brands, but mostly beer in general has caused me more anxiety than other forms of alcohol, except for drinks mixed with coke (caffeine). That left out my favorite, Jim Beam and coke. Bummer. Anyway, a cleaner booze like grain or potato vodka doesn't seem to bother me much. Until you get the anxiety under control and find the true root of the cause (hint: it isn't a "neurotransmitter" imbalance as modern medicine seems to suggest), drinking any booze at all could cause you problems. Again, I think the main reason to avoid it in your case is due the the effect alcohol has on increased fluid retention, which, in turn, can effect the fluid levels of the inner ears. In the case of the clubs, it could be a combination of both the noise and the booze. I will do a short essay supporting my skepticism over the "neurotransmitter" theory a little later.

Paul.

[Obelysk]

OK I talked to my doctor today and told her exactly what you posted here and she said that she will definitely refer me to a specialist but it may take a while since he seems to be booked. Either way, it seems that I just became part of your research so whether they find something or not I will DEFINITELY let you know, you are doing a great service to all of us. Sadly enough I do hope they find something.....