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I have been dizzy for so long

Posted , 6 users are following.

becky03642
becky03642

I have been dizzy for around three weeks now, non stop. It began by only happening every now and then, but now it does not go away. I have been to see the GP and have been diagnosed with a folate deficiency anaemia and also a vitamin d deficiency. Because of this I now take 5mg of folic acid and vitamin d every single day. However, this has not improved my symptoms. 

I wouldn't necessarily call it dizziness, but I have a constant swaying feeling like I am moving back and fourth or side to side even though I am perfectly still. I get this feeling when I am sitting down, standing up, lying down or walking and it only goes away when I actually sleep. 

My face also feels tingly, but I assume that this is due to the fact that I have been wearing my glasses more frequently. My eyesight seems to have worsened, but I am going to go back to the opticians to find out if it has or not. 

I sometimes get headaches, and I also have pain in my ears. A doctor also prescribed prochlorperazine, but it doesn't seem to have any effect. 

Has anyone experienced anything similar? It is hard to carry on with my normal life, and I have exams coming very soon. 

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • lyn88241
    lyn88241 becky03642

    Posted

    How long did the gp say it would take for the iron and vitamins to help you? I was feeling faint lightheaded tired headaches blurred vision and getting worse for months. Vit d was low and i was alittle anaemic. Was treated for migraines with vertigo all last year ... then went to gp again because i was so lightheaded/dizzy and after more tests it turns out to be something called postural orthostatic tachycardia (pots) beginning to feel much better now. Can be really hard to diagnose and treat these things I think. x
    • becky03642
      becky03642 lyn88241

      Posted

      he didn't really say how long it would take for them to work, but he did tell me to get some more when I run out so I am guessing a long time? I just googled pots and it said that you can have purple feet, I often get this too so maybe I could have the same thing? It doesn't get better when I lie down though so I'm not sure.

      Thanks for replying x 

    • lyn88241
      lyn88241 becky03642

      Posted

      Mines still bad when i lie down too. Some pots is low blood pressure related and often its low then high heart rate making you exhausted and dizzy. Hope u feel better soon.
    • becky03642
      becky03642 lyn88241

      Posted

      i have had my blood pressure tested twice and it was normal both times, so i dont think it is to do with that? thank you for your help x 
  • brettp
    brettp becky03642

    Posted

    Hi Becky. I have a very similar story. I woke up almost three weeks ago w the world spinning. It started as a spinning sensation brought on by certain head positions. I went to the physiotherapist and he performed something called the epley maneuver. It seems to have helped diminish the spinning but now, like you, I'm dizzy and off balance 24/7. It's absolutely AWEFUL. It's still made stronger by certain head positions, specifically looking up or down, as well as changing from lying to upright and vice versa. I saw my GP and although anemic she doesn't think that's what has caused this. She and the physio both think I have something called Benign Positional Vertigo. From all the very wonderful help and advice I've gotten on this forum, and from what my GP has told me, this can take quite a while to go away. I'm still going to the physio and I'm doing this exercise at home where I basically sit in the middle of my bed and throw my body all the way to one side till my head hits the bed, then back the other way to the other side. It makes me feel super dizzy and nauseous and I'm not really certain it's helping but I have a friend who said she did it faithfully for a week and it did start to go away.

    My gp also put me in a decongestant medication known to help vertigo. In canada it's called circ (betahistine) but on this forum it sounds like it's called something diff in UK.

    Good luck!! I hope your dizzies go away soon! I feel like mine is affecting my eyes too, so I can imagine studying w this will not be fun!!!!

    • becky03642
      becky03642 brettp

      Posted

      Have you been checked for an inner ear infection? I have been told that it can cause vertigo as well. And it often gets worse when you move your head to the infected side?

      I hope it goes away soon too smile x

    • brettp
      brettp becky03642

      Posted

      It's not an inner ear infection but does have to do w the inner ear!!
    • pauline59158
      pauline59158 brettp

      Posted

      I went to the Dr this week after nearly a week of the same symptoms. He prescribed betahistine, in the UK they do call it betahistine. The tingling sensation you mention started before the dizziness. Last night I was getting it everywhere. I've had very little sleep for the last week. I have tried using Lidocaine patches which were prescribed when I had shingles last year. I thought, with the sensation being similar to the shingles, that the patches would work for this. 

      I too have the catarrh, seems to be getting worse. I have used Sinex decongestant stick to help. I find that works pretty well. 

      Do you suffer with tinnitus as well?

  • aveline
    aveline becky03642

    Posted

    Have you had your b12 levels checked?  With your other deficiencies I wonder if that's affecting you, too???

    I have BPPV, the same vertigo Brettp spoke of, and it's awful! sad  I can manage it now, but many years ago when it started, I was a mess. Decongestants helped (and still do). What helped the very most, though, was accupuncture. It took a few months but I was living well again by then - still feeling it but it improved on its own from there.  

    I hope there are better treatments out there now...take it easy as much as you can. Try not to move your head too much (like typing a written paper where you look back and forth repeatedly) and do see an eye dr. if your vision doesn't get better soon...heaven forbid you have something wrong optically...or see a neurologist since you have nerve symptoms along your face plus headaches.  Just rule out anything worse, then you'll know it's something you can work through on your own.

    Please keep us posted and good luck !!

    • becky03642
      becky03642 aveline

      Posted

      I think my b12 levels were fine, I think they checked them I'm not too sure really. I am going to get my eyes retested soon, so I will find out if they have got worse or not.

      Thank you x

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