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Anxiety and unsteadiness

Posted , 26 users are following.

lisa215
lisa215

In December 2012 I was diagnosed with BPPV which shattered my world completely. I went from being a fit and healthy 42 year old woman to being a dizzy stress wreck over night. I saw my doctor who prescribed Betahistine and Stemitil but neither made a difference. I saw a locum who performed an Epley manouvre which stopped the rotational vertigo but left me with almost constant wooziness. I was refered to ENT in April and was told I had recovered from the BPPV and was ok and that the unsteadiness was due to anxiety. I will admit that I am truly terrified of this coming back and I do believe I have become over sensitive to my balance. But it is wrecking my life. Im very depressed, I keep crying and am constantly woozy when Im on my feet.. My doctor has given me anti depressants but im reluctant to take them as I was depressed for almost 15 years and took medication up until 4 years ago when I got myself off them and I dont really want to go back there. I guess Im asking for a bit of guidance from anyone who maybe has suffered from a health anxiety and who can relate to my symptoms. Thank you.

0 likes, 29 replies

29 Replies

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  • anisha65
    anisha65 lisa215

    Posted

    I had symptoms of dizziness, loss of balance, numbness in feet and hands. Finally realised that it was a Vitamin B12 deficiency. I'm now taking an iron syrup with Vitamin b12 and folic acid. Also taking a vitamin supplement containing methylcobalamin 1500mcg. Feeling much better in 1 day. Also I reduced the antacids I was taking as this hinders absorption of Vitamin B12
  • ryanjoon
    ryanjoon lisa215

    Posted

    Hi Lisa, I've been having unsteadiness for years due to taking Clonazapam for my anxiety, now I'm off of that med and still having severe unsteadiness like loss of balance, can someone help me with this if there is any medications for unsteadiness?

    Thanks

    Ryan

    • josie07658
      josie07658 ryanjoon

      Posted

      Hi did you  find anything to help as i  have just started taking prozac which i really don't like Thanks 
    • Lolasmom
      Lolasmom ryanjoon

      Posted

      Hi Ryan,

      I know your post was 3 years ago, but just wondered how you made out with the clonazepam problems.  Did you wean off or go cold turkey?

  • dominador1955
    dominador1955 lisa215

    Posted

    I have been suffering from dizziness and un steadiness long time ago. Since i have car accident last 1987. I have concussions. another accident from falling and have maxillary fracture year 1991 lastly a motorcycle accident last 1999. Then i work abroad for 12 years. Unsteadiness and dizziness became more frequently attacking me. I know this because of my 3 accidents. Im afraid to go to neurologist. Maybe if he ask me about MRI and the results could be a tumor in my brain. But some doctors diagnosed me that i have GAD general anxiety disorder. And im taking valium for relief just to calm me down or else i could colapse or having a heart attack. As of now i am 60 years old and this Unsteadiness became more worst. I know maybe from my accidents but sometimes if i have enough rest and taking valium for one day. I feel better. But after several days. 3 or 4 days it keeps on coming back.

    Then i have read your case about BPPV. I don't know if this is similar to your case. I hope so and im praying that i really don't have tumor on my brain. I really needs help. Because i can't go back to work. I still have young children to feed them and provide there financial problems. Please gave me some advice to do or else i could go insane. My family don't understand me. It's so hard for me to recover due to my age. I have no other family members to cling on. I was born without a parents. Since birth i was cared by my grandfather but died so soon. My mom left me whe I'm still one week old leaving in the care of my grandfather. Maybe living without a parents surely will anxiety disorder will be automatically acquired. Fears of everything since birth. This is the way my life goes on for 60 years. Living in fear and in pain! Hoping someone there who could read this will be so kind to gave me some beautiful advice what to do to get rid all those fears. Thanks and may you all have a beautiful life!

  • Guest
    Guest lisa215

    Posted

    I have the exact same experience with BPPV.  I had my first "episode" 3 years ago and was fine until this past September when I had another episode and then another 10 days ago.  After the first one (which I was hospitalized for to find out what was wrong) I moved on with life with no effect. These last 2 have left me very anxious and hyper focused on my balance and dizziness to the point it is making it worse than I think it actually is.  I am making myself do normal things but I’m finding no satisfaction in this. I think I’m just trying to make myself appear normal.  Will this ever pass???

    • lisa79712
      lisa79712 Guest

      Posted

      If you have been diagnosed with BPPV then I am sure the anxiety and wobbliness will pass. I have had it about 4 times with differing intensity but always leaving me feeling unsteady, vulnerable and anxious. However, this always passes and I continue doing everything I did before the episode. Sometimes it takes a while and every morning I wake up thinking is the room going to spin today but eventually I forget and don't even think about it. In between episodes I play golf, go on a motorbike, walk to work, all sorts of things, so that when I'm going through a dizzy phase and feel like I will be like it forever and that life is not worth living, I try to remind myself of all those things I used to do in between dizziness and that I will be doing them again before long and feel completely normal again. I know everyone is affected differently but my Doctor has always said this is a self limiting illness and will pass with or without head manoeuvring. So try to be positive, I know it is easier said than done but from my experience it does pass. Good luck. 

  • Guest
    Guest lisa215

    Posted

    Hi Lisa!  Thank you so much for writing back to me. I have also had 4 episodes now and I am trying to do as much as I can during them and to resume normal activity as soon as possible.  I’m going from the worried, frantic stage to being angry!!!  That motivates me to try even harder to work through this. It is scary tough at the start of each day after a recent episode.  I’m glad I joined this group!
  • Luz0409
    Luz0409 lisa215

    Posted

    Hello, Lisa. I hope you're doing much better these days, as your post is from one year ago. I came across the forum because it has been about 2 months of pretty much the same symptoms you have. I haven't have BPPV, as far as I know, I had swimmer's ear, though. (About 3 to 4 months ago) I had take antidepressants before, but not taken them anymore, I'm also 41 and healthy overall. These past two months have been a bit different because of the this vertigo or unsteadiness feeling I get. Exactly as you describe your symptoms and also as the other people in this forum. I have an appointment with an ENT next week because I still don't feel any better. I also think sometimes that maybe something else is going, something worse maybe. I hope my appointment with the specialist goes well, so I can get the proper tests done or diagnosis. This unsteadiness is very uncomfortable and I defenitly don't like. I'm also seeing a psychologist because I have been off the anxiety medication (Zoloft) for almost 8 months. Lately, because of the dizziness my anxiety is back and I've had a couple of panic attacks. I'm thinking maybe the dizziness or vertigo I get is bringing the anxiety back. I have seen the psychologist only once and she wants to thinking about going back to Zoloft, but I don't want to. I found that exercise and being active helped a lot to be able to be off the meds, but all of the sudden this dizziness started and it's bringing the anxiety back. Thanks for this forum and all the people that have posted their issues, I now know I'm not alone and not going crazy. I have a teenage boy and 6yr of girl, I'm a military wife, we currently moved to a new military base. I'm still consider myself young and with a future ahead, but now this symptoms are driving me insane and making me think that maybe there is something terrible wrong with me. Thanks for your time or to whoever reads this post.

  • eli75162
    eli75162 lisa215

    Posted

    It's really stressing to live with issue of faint feeling all the time. About 3years back I was sleeping on a seat and all over sudden I started feeling faint like. This came when I was sleeping facing up. The following day I was OK and I traveled. 6month after I woke up went to the toilet but when I came back I felt I was collapsing I was so frightened that I knew it could mean my end. 1 year later I was diagnised with high blood pressure I was put on medication and I worked on my weight and lost over 12kgs, I was back to normal life. However after 6 months (may 2016) it came back with its children and made a camp. I went from hospital to hospital, test after test and upto to today I still have it. Sometimes I notice when am in too much fear that's when it rocks me properly. If I get angry I think it also gets angry. Am also in search of solution because all the time I feel like am falling but I have never fallen

    • Luz0409
      Luz0409 eli75162

      Posted

      Hello eli75162 I really hope you find an answer to your symptoms. This is all new to me, I have an appt with and ENT this week, I hope I get the proper testing and results if any. The unsteadiness drives me crazy and some days I feel it takes over me. I am a very independent person and outgoing, but now the unsteadiness or vertigo like feeling is taking over my everyday life. It's really frustaing. I don't want to go back to the meds, I really would like to fight this on my own or maybe with alternative help. I hope you get better soon, I totally understand your feeling and frustation. Best wishes to you.

    • julie37508
      julie37508 Luz0409

      Posted

      Hi.  I am wondering what you found out.  I am 59, well past menopause, but it seems since Perimenopause, my anxiety has gotten worse.  Also, since I broke my ankle, lost my job, and ended up on SSI, I feel sometimes like going out anywhere is too hard some days.  Like today, I feel jittery, nervous, and went through the bank drive thru, and suddenly just felt like I was on the verge of dizziness, my heart jumped, I felt a panicky feeling, and literally had to grip the steering will and talk to myself.  I never did get dizzy, but this happens to me a lot, and I never know where or when, but the crazy thing is, if I can get off alone and just breathe, I feel better in seconds.  
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