Anxiety attacks and chronic/constant dizziness

[Pebbles0104]

:? Hello

I have always been an anxious person since I was a child. I am 30 now and about 2 to 3 years ago I had my first panic attack- I didn't know that's what it was at the time. I have since been suffering from constant dizziness. Been to several physicians who all say it is from anxiety and stress. I have a hard time believing this. I feel like these panic attacks come from the dizziness. I feel like I can't even leave the house anymore because I may have to turn around and come home in fear I am going to die. I do take Ativan 0.5 for panic attacks. A neurologist gave me the script for the dizziness and panic. It does help with my dizziness but I don't want to take it everyday and rely on it. I have been starting with meditation to see if it helps. I also am going to a psychologist for CBT. Anyone been through anything like this or have any suggestions? Thanks!!

[zer00]

I also used to have panic attacks , 'till some weeks ago...they would creep on me once every 2-3 days..at the time, I didn't know what they were and I couldn't explain them.Later on, browsing the internet and asking my GP about it, it all came clear to me.It's been 3 weeks w/o panic attacks for me now.My secret is simple, but I don't know if this will work for u, too.When I feel it creeping on me, I just remain calm, as if nothing bad is about to happen, I don't let my breathing accelerate and keep it as slow as possible, even if it's hard.Long story short, I'm not loosing myself to it.I act normal and in about 15-20 minutes it goes away. Until 3 weeks ago, panic attacks were ordinary for me too, but the moment I found out what they were and that it was ME who was letting them into my life,I managed to ban them with success.And I hope it stays that way.Good luck with it! :)

[Pebbles0104]

Hi. Thanks for your reply! I have also started reading about mindfullness meditation. It is similar to how you have handled your attacks. I haven't started practicing it yet but plan to try it this evening and see if I get calmer. Then I can use it in the event of panic. I am glad you have found your way of dealing with this horrible thing. I hope to find mine soon. Thanks again! :-)

[pronto11]

you sound just like my situation, i to have pretty much had anxiety my whole life..(but never thought of it as anxiety, if that makes sense)...until about 3 years ago, I was driving to work one morning after a few cocktails the night before (little hungover) grabbed a cup of coffee (2 major major no-no's for anxiety)...anyways on my way to work i started to feel light-headed and very dizzy, almost like i was gonna faint...well being behind the wheel made it that much worse.."if i blackout and faint behind the wheel, i will crash!"...were my thoughts...anyways, i immediately drove home in fear that something "bad" was gonna happen...every stop light felt like an eternity and i was convinced the second i got out of the car when i got home i was just gonna faint in my driveway...(but i didnt)....

the next few days i felt a little "off" but i had written it off as too much caffeine/hungover/blood sugar low and pretty much forgotten about it till a few months later when i started to feel this way almost daily...not to the point of where it was 1st time, but still "off"...(almost a hungover feeling, without drinking the night before)..i have lost all ability to sit still in fear that i will fall over if i dont 'keep moving'..(haircuts are the worst!!)...and till this day i have been coping with it (after seeing doctors, getting blood tests,...etc...etc)

it gets especially bad in big department stores where i feel like im gonna fall over (for no apparent reason) and dont have anything to grab or make a scene and people asking me whats wrong, and i really dont have an answer for them...and when im hungover..they are the absolute worst!...they seem to make all the things that bother me (dizzyness, light-headedness) a million times worse!...alcohol+anxiety=hell!!

anyways, i was prescribed every drug under the sun (paxil, xanax, etc...etc) but after doing alot of research they all seem to do more harm than good...yes they will help you short term, but then your addicted to the drug and have ANOTHER issue to deal with when coming off the medication..and i have a few friends that are taking them and they just arent the same person...yes it helps with their anxiety, but i really didnt want to change my entire personality...anyways, to make a long story longer...i know EXACTLY how you feel, and im sure a million other people feel the same...its a struggle, but know that there is light at the end of the tunnel!...hang in there buddy!

[pronto11]

i thought the same thing forever!!..."im getting anxiety from the dizzyness"...not..."anxiety is causing the dizzyness"...the only way i know that this isnt the case was when im put into certain situations that the dizzyness was 'almost' all gone, but as soon as i was in a place where ive had anxiety before, there came the extreme dizzyness!...so that got me thinking, if it was the dizzyness causing all this anxiety, why do i only get the extreme dizzyness in only certain situations?...id be willing to bet when your distracted by doing something else and not thinking about the dizzyness, you feel perfectly balanced until you stop and think about it again...(i do it all the time)

dont get me wrong, i have dizzyness almost 24/7, but when put into anxious (probably not anxious for all people , but myself) situations i get the light-headed/get me the hell outta here dizzyness!

[Pebbles0104]

Thanks for your reply Pronto. It is true that when I am really involved in something else and my mind is off of the dizziness it does go away. I do also get the " get me the heck out of here" dizziness too. It is still hard to tell myself that when I don't feel anxiuos and still have the heavy headed dizziness. I have been to so many doctors trying to figure it all out and so far they all say anxiety and stress... Oh and caffeine too. So I am trying to cut all those things out of my life and see if I get any better. It takes time. I sure love my sodas!!;). I have also been in a department store and felt like the floor was moving and had to get OUT of there! Thanks so much for the comment! It helps to know you aren't the only one!

[pronto11]

trust me it took me along time to come to grips with my situation, but after a couple years of dealing with it...and NEVER passing out, falling over and numerous doctor visits i just came to the conclusion that if it hasnt killed me or put me into the ER by now it HAS to be stress and anxiety...

just for your own peace of mind, i do highly recommend getting your thyroid checked out..(one of the 1st things i did, recommended by my doctor)...i guess alot of the same symptoms can be caused by your thyroid being "off"...my guess is yours will be fine, but its a simple blood test and its always nice to eliminate all possibilities!

[Pebbles0104]

You are right! I think about it sometimes.... If nothing has happened yet, it probably never will! I think it will take me some time. It is easy to say that now when I'm feeling okay:). I have had my thyroid checked several times because it runs in my family. Thanks for your suggestions!

[olivia224]

i too think the same thing...whch came first....

but have u guys ever had dizziness when ur laying down with ur eyes closed?? like it doenst happen right away but after a few mins...then it seems to spin and then when I open my eyes it stops and its fine....could this be anxiety????

[Pebbles0104]

I do get the same thing when I am lying down with my eyes closed I do sometimes feel like I'm spinning but my head has to be in a certain position. When I openy eyes or move my head it goes away. I'm not sure if this is related to my anxiety as it is a different feeling.

[Marcus]

:? Hello

I have always been an anxious person since I was a child. I am 30 now and about 2 to 3 years ago I had my first panic attack- I didn't know that's what it was at the time. I have since been suffering from constant dizziness. Been to several physicians who all say it is from anxiety and stress. I have a hard time believing this. I feel like these panic attacks come from the dizziness. I feel like I can't even leave the house anymore because I may have to turn around and come home in fear I am going to die. I do take Ativan 0.5 for panic attacks. A neurologist gave me the script for the dizziness and panic. It does help with my dizziness but I don't want to take it everyday and rely on it. I have been starting with meditation to see if it helps. I also am going to a psychologist for CBT. Anyone been through anything like this or have any suggestions? Thanks!!

Hi Pebbles,

It seems to me as though your anxiety is a symptom from your dizzy spells, not the other way around. I get panic when I fear I'm going to mess up around people and don't like not being in control of my life. A couple of suggestions, have you ever tried fighting fire with fire? Have you tried going to actually have a panic attack and then try to overcome it - i.e going out of the house, having a panic attack and then getting your breathing in order? I got my first panic when I was around 25 and I eventually overcame my fear of being on the underground, where I had my first attack. I am somewhat claustrophobic at times there's no doubt about that. Also, how's your breathing? Have you (not just when having a panic attack) tried to breathe slowly and deeply in normal life? I read somewhere that as we get older we forget how to breathe properly and instead of the deep breaths, they're shallower. This helps me and when I have panic the first thing I automatically do is breathe deep.
I managed to overcome my panic when I was around 30 after battling it for about 5 years. It has unfortunately come back, or should I say I don't think you're ever free from anxiety once you get it. I'm having it again because of more life changing situations and tend now to look at it simply as the body's defense mechanism for telling you that things aren't right in your life.

Hope this helps, but really, breathing deeply has always been the solver of all my problems when I get anxiety. Even better, if you breathe so deep that you start to yawn, I find that the panic attack disappears like butter in a hot pan.

[olivia224]

yea thats what I get...and its only like sometimes...like this morning I woke up early b/c I felt weird again and its like dizziness that like pulls to one side..idk im soo worried i have an ear problem?? can anyone relate???




I do get the same thing when I am lying down with my eyes closed I do sometimes feel like I'm spinning but my head has to be in a certain position. When I openy eyes or move my head it goes away. I'm not sure if this is related to my anxiety as it is a different feeling.

[girlgoddess64]

I saw your post about the dizziness, feeling like you were going to die, etc. I started having panic attacks out of nowhere when I turned 28. I have tried everything to get rid of the dizziness. I was wondering if you are still having trouble and if not, what treatment worked for you? I would appreciate any input you have. Thanks :)