Dizziness, headaches, foggy, pressure in head & plugged ears

Hello everyone just thought I'd share my story.. I've had all of these symptoms of migraines, head pressure, dizziness, tiredness, ear pain, fatigue and more. The dizziness is the most difficult of all to live with for me and I have it 24/7 to varying degrees but through a lot of struggle I've continued to work as I refuse to give up and let the illness take control of my life. Just to point out that it is NOT vertigo but more like lightheaded and drunk feeling.

I've had it for 2 years now and I'm only 23 and there have been times when all I can do is cry and feel like giving up. The doctors believe it is a form of migraine causing my problems and I'm sure as you all know, they are very stubborn to treat.

I thought it might be useful for us to talk about what medications, supplements or remedies we've all tried, because in my opinion the doctors and specialists don't seem to have a clue how to treat this and the only way to find some releif is through trial and error. I have tried numerous anti vertigo drugs like betahistine, cinnarizine, prochlorperizine and cyclizine. None of which made much difference. I've also tried gabapentin which is an anti epileptic drug and gave me EXTREME tiredness so much that I could barely function. I tried it for 4 months and although it helped with the headaches, the side effects were much harder to live with. So be very careful with strong medication like this as it will knock you for 6. I have also tried sumatriptan which does ease a migraine attack especially when used with migraleve. Although these are not to be taken too often and should only be used for an extremely painful attack when nothing else works.

What I HAVE found very useful is vitamin and herbal supplements, especially for the migraines and head pressure. And in turn they reduce the dizziness once the headaches are more under control. I take 100mg Riboflavin twice daily, 120mg co enzyme q10, 75mg butterbur, 380mg feverfew and 500mg vitamin C per day. This has helped me so much to ease off the migraines. Please research these supplements if you are going to give them a try as they are not for everyone.

I also take 425mg of passionflower tablets which are AMAZING for my anxiety. I only take one per day and also drink chamomile tea which helps keep me calm as I previously suffered extreme anxiety and panic attacks. Thankfully I have that much more under control but I still have my neurotic moments occasionally lol

If you wake up and can tell its going to be a bad head day then what I have found is to take painkillers as early as possible (with food). The later you take them, the less effective they will be. As regards the supplements I take, it took about 2 months to notice a difference. I occasionaly take sudafed (pseudoephedrine) when the head pressure is getting really annoying and I do find releif with this. 

I'm not a doctor but I have tried a lot over these 2 years and once you find whats right for you it can give you alot more quality of life back. I am very soon to be starting on propanolol to see if I can help my dizziness so fingers crossed!

Please share any tips of what you've tried and have found is good or not so good. Thanks for reading!

Hey, I am having the EXACT same symptoms as you. I just had bloodwork done, still waiting for the results. And I also had a heart monitor on for 24 hours to see if I'm having any heart palpitations. That can cause dizziness too so maybe that's part of it. Also, I don't know if you take any vitamins, or maybe a multivitamin, but I know different deficiencies can mess you up pretty bad. You should talk to your doctor about vitamin deficiencies too. Let me know if you find any answers because I know exactly how scary these symptoms are. I'm still looking for answers too.

Dears,

I'm another Indian with English as third language, so please bare with my grammar. have been living with such symptoms since last three years. Great hope here if somebody able to share his treatment experience. Initially physician asked me see ENT specialist, i took medicines for a year but no improvement so i had fight with that doctor, but he suggested me to see neurologist, again i lost thousands of ruppees and time, did everything including MRI for brain. In the final meeting with neurologist he asked me do pranayama a kind of yoga. But people are not crazy about yoga here. In Bombay people are so busy with their daily routine so I. I almost gave up on this, i feel Indian doctors can't cure me because according to them its not desease. While reading some blogs on this topic i myself concluded that this could be because of my root canal did in municipality Hospital. I became so confident on this to get extracted my that root canaled tooth. Immediately i feel very very normal but my happiness last for few weeks. Symptoms again continues till date. I must have try pranayam but really difficult to find time and a yoga teacher. Indid I get some relief while playing Table Tennis or some fast movements, so i believe its upto some exercise for nerves, and not to take any modern pills. I would be doing yoga in all the way when i shift to some new town after six month.

Keep you posted. 22/12/2016 12noon India

I have been feeling some of the very same symptoms. I'm 24yrs old and (no offense to anyone older) but I feel like I'm 70. Heck some of that age may feel better than I do. I'm just hoping I make it to that age. But mine started when I had the nexplanon birth control implant in but had it taken out quickly after about 6-7 months BC of severe headaches and numbness in the arm it was in. But every since then my body has really been in its worst state yet. When I bend down I get dizzy, I feel lightheaded through out the day, I also feel a Lil dazed like out of body almost, I can barely drive to work that's the worst part of my day, I feel pressure in my head , my ears feel pressured, my whole body gets a ttjngling sensation, my heart races, I feel like I'm a danger to myself and those on the road with me while I'm having these episodes. Also sometimes my legs feel like they weigh A ton! I have too been seeing my doctor whose been running many labs and test and still nothing! So he's sending me to a neurologist and like many of you I'm hoping they find something! And praying healing for us all and it's nothing life threatening in Jesus name!

I started dealing with these symptoms a few months ago.  It all started with having trouble breathing, then panick attacks from not being able to breathe well. Then, I got super dizzy and panicky at work, thought I was having a heart attack, etc. I was able to come out of it that night, by myself without telling a soul (horrible) by walking around and drinking tons of water for about 2 hours. I even stumbed to my coworkers office and asked for asprin because I thought I was having a heart attack. I figured it had to have something to do with my issue breathing once in a while and feared the worst.  It happend again after Thanksgiving on my 3 hour drive home with my wife.  She knew something was wrong with me and then the panic set in.  She drove the rest of the way, called my friend (Nurse PRN). She had enough and of course we went to the doctor the next day, missed 2 days of work.  Very similar to what everyone has been discussing on here. After talking with a doctor, xrays, breathing treatment ($394 effin dollars for a 5 minute breathing treatment), she suggested I was dealing with acid reflux. I realized it was happening soon after eating which would make sense.  I was prescribed Pantoprazole to help with acid reflux/breathing issues and haven't had any issues at all since taking the meds. I tried to wein myself off the meds last week thinking I couldn't possible need the meds forever (doc said to do it for a solid month and I had reached that point and felt well).  Then, symptoms of bad vertigo, dizziness, feeling like I'm cloudy and in a daze/dream started last week, prompting me to get back on my Pantoprazole thinking it was related. My wife and I thought maybe stopping the pills affected me negatively, which would surprise me. They didn't for the month I took them before the past week of stopping. I am starting to think, these same syptoms you're describing and that I'm feeling, have nothing to do with my pills/acid reflux. I see inner ear infections can last for months and the symptoms described and that you've described are exactly what I'm dealing with. Full ears, pressure behind my eyes, dizzy, cloudy, like I'm drunk all day, out of balance, but no so bad as I can't walk or function.  I can still function at work, just uneasy because I know I'm not myself. I walk outside (I sell cars) and look around and feel like I'm in a dream.  I've been able to calm myself down after about an hour or two of dealing with the panic when it happens.  Drinking tons of water helps. I drank 64oz of water in a matter of 60 minutes after having a panic attack on Monday.  I also bought a fitbit to watch my heartrate.  It also does some other cool stuff I didn't know about . I started making a log noting what I eat, feel, heart rate, etc.  I think I'm dealing with two separate issues, which actually makes me feel a little more at ease and would make sense. Wondering what came out of your tests with the neuro? Thanks for starting this discussion.

Hi salsagirl20,

Have you found any answers to ur problem with lightheadedness?

I have the very same thing!  Have been having theses episodes for a couple of years now.  Have had a few other health issues...parathyroid surgery for high calcium and rapid heart that has landed me in hospital a couple of times.  Was hoping that the lightheadedness was from one of these issues but doctors do not seem to think so...

I eat well and exercise regularly so I'm in pretty good health..although under  a great deal of stress most the time.

So frustrating ... starting to feel like friends and family think I'm making a big deal out of nothing.

Please let me know how your doing!  

Thanks, 

CheriAlli

I am having similar symptoms to you and also thought i was having a heart attack.

Please let me know what your ENT doctor and neurologist told you.

Thanks

Tasneem

Hello, I know this post is over a year old but wanted to chime in just in case you are still suffering!  Please look up POTS and dysautonomia, and possibly ask your doctor about it.  I have this and your symptoms are very similar to mine, along with the fact that no medical tests are showing you what is wrong.  It is horrible and I'm currently trying to manage it myself.  Best of luck!!