I have been lightheaded and ears ringing for one year now

Hello, I am a 35 year old male. I recently suffered a panic attack that scared me so bad I went to the ER. I was hyperventilating and thought I was dying of a heart attack. I survived . 4 days later while I was at work my ears starting ringing and I became very disoriented with what I can only describe as bright, flashy vision. The first time this happened, it scared me again and caused me to have a mild panic attack but I was able to keep myself calm by breathing properly. 15 days have passed, and my ears have not stopped ringing. I am not scared when this happens now, but I do get pressure in various spots in my head (mostly my temples or sinus area in my face). These episodes are coming and going at random times. Sometimes, I wake up with my ears ringing. Sometimes, it starts after I exercise. My doctor had my wear a ECG monitor for 72 hours-nothing. I did a 24 hour urinalysis-nothing, bloodwork-OK. He prescribed me anti-depressents a week ago. I have not taken them yet. I trust my doctor very much, but I can't bring myself to take these. I am convinced that if I exercise and change my diet (I am overweight, but not obese) that this will go away. It almost feels like the blood vessels in my head are constricting and causing the pressure and ringing in my ears. I have reached out to my friend who is a naturopath and am waiting to hear back from her. I'm wondering if any of you experience the pressure in your head or face along the with ear ringing. I also found the information about B12 interesting as I had been taking a B12 complex up until this happened. I have not had any since. I am also very sensitive to caffeine. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated and I thank everybody for posting here as it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one suffering from these terrible symptoms. Thanks again. -atease

Hi Brenda...

wow.just reading all these responses has prompted me to wright down my short experience I'm having with what seems a similar experience.it is amazing how reading these post seem to make me feel a little easier.

i cut the story short anyway. I'm a male age 51. Reasonably fit and don't tend to look my age. That's what other people say. A few days ago I was driving and felt slight nausea and a sudden ringing in my ears followed by a dizzy spell. This scared me big time and I pulled over waited 10 minutes then carried on. I felt a bit shaky and had a dull headache. Two days later ( today 9/12/15) it happened again. Exactly the same.ive had constant ringing in my ears now for two days and feel lightheaded.at this moment now I'm lay down with a very mild headache but ringing in my ears. I feel this could be the start of what you guys have been going through.

Tbh I'm not as worried as I was after reading these posts but concerned on how it's gonna affect me. As from now I'm gonna cut the salt out of my diet but am a bit confused about the b12 situation. I recently started taking multivitamins everyday but not too sure if this is part of the problem. I did have ear infections that came and went and come back and recently have had a horrible cough that seems to be nearly gone.most symptoms described in the posts I have had in the past few days....the headaches the nausea the shaky unbalanced feeling the dizziness and lightheadednes.

   Hope someone could give me a little advice maybe and would like to know how people are coping..

thanks. Steve

Hi Brenda and others,

Without boring you all, I have suffered in one way or another going back to childhood with most of these symptoms, I am now 46. I have joined this site to specifically reply to this post - because if anything I say can help any of you it's worth it.

I have had a skull fracture, neck injuries, a few back injuries etc... I suffer with pain, constant dizziness and true vertigo, headaches, visual disturbances, smell, taste anomalies, tinnitus, pressure in the ear and many other problems. I have had many tests - still see many specialists (but only once a year) and continue to suffer. With all the diagnoses I have had including BPPV, spinal stenosis, migraine - the list is exhaustive, I continue to be dizzy and they (med proff) are unable to explain why. I have even had the psych tests - is it all in his mind? Not one of them has concluded that I am overly anxious or stressed and, therefore, have no psych problems. I often wake with the room spinning sometimes 50+ times in the night - compounding the problems and exacerbating the balance problems. Your body (CNS) gets so messed up that even stomach cramps, gerd, diorreaha, etc., translate into feelings of increased dizziness.

I think many of you probably have overlapping disorders like me - some BPPV, some migraine, menieres, etc and a few possibly anxiety or depression, but I believe these are usually as a result of your problems - not causing them.

What I would say is, migraine (vertigious) can be constant, or so overlapping that each episode can run into the next and the next. This took me many, many years to discover. This, in itself, does not help you with what's causing them, but it can help with getting some treatment for the symptoms, the acceptance by a patient (with a proper diagnosis) understanding that it is a real disorder, and also knowing that there are other people who suffer like you.

I know it's hard, and I DO NOT SAY THIS LIGHTLY, as your GP or specialist might - having no idea what you are going through. But the best advice I have ever received came from an Argentinean Gaucho who didn't really understand the concept of feeling totally drunk and nauseous all the time and it being a problem... "then find something to do." Sounds impossible - I know - but really, when you think about it, what choice do any of us have but to get on with our lives, regardless of the problems?

If you can be helped, I hope you find it and receive it. If you can't - yet, then I hope you find the fortitude to get on with your lives, with two fingers firmly raised to the things that are causing your suffering and pain.

Hi...I just joined and I am right there with you all. I read a book recently that astoinished me.."Heal your Headache" by David Buchholz, M.D.

​I will try to keep this sjort since I plan on starting my own thread

​I started having balance/dizzy issues back when I was in my teens right about the same time I started having "classic migraines" (w/aura)

​through out the years (I am now 57 this week) I have had BBPV several times. along with the earth just shifted times.

​The last several months it now has become relentless. I have seen all the same Drs you have and actually am still waiting on results of 48 hr EEG

​after reading this book I am convinced its migraine!!!  and Yes it can be daily

so I hope people will respond to my post too

 

Hi Brenda, I'm new to this site and I see it's over a year since u posted this, in 2010 I went through a traumatic experience at work plus while waiting for shoulder surgery the pain made me pass out and ever since that day I've felt lightheaded, I was referred to ENT and neurosurgeon and was told it was migraine related vertigo, which I find hard to believe, I still get it, I went through a spell when driving when I came to stop I felt like I was still moving, it was horrendous, I think it's stress related but I am not in favour of taking meds, I was assured it was not a brain tumour cos if it had been I Wudnt be here so that kind of eased my worry, but it's not pleasant and I hope ure symptoms have eased now.

Sounds like BPPV. It's inner ear calcium crystals also that break off at any time causing vertigo.there are mess and even some experimental surgeries to help alleviate this issue. My father has people drive him and he takes medications to help with the dizziness.

Wow- I am reading all of these going way back.  I have similar, but to add to the symptoms, I experienced a sudden sensoneural hearing loss in my left ear last year as well.  I was completely deaf in that ear except for the loudest, most horrible screeching.  The hearing came back completely in 3 days with prednisone.

Before that, going back 3yrs, I had started getting ringing in my left ear only.  I also felt like I was having allergies on that side only.  Watery eye, clogged nose, facial pain.  Allergist actual pegged it as vestibular migraine and TMJ.  Went to neurologist who told me all my symptoms were migraine- also had MRIs to rule out more serious causes.  I would get various forms of dizziness:  feeling like walking on a boat, actual vertigo, and rocking feelings.  Sometimes no facial pressure or headache, just a stuffy nose and ear ringing.  I was put on a migraine preventative and told to follow a Migraine diet.  Believe me, I hate meds.  I get every side effect in the book, as most with migraine do as we have very sensitive nervous systems.  It was not fun starting Propranolol.  i felt like a zombie, but managed to work my way up and power through.  It took about a month to work, so don't quite the meds too  fast.  I tried nortryptaline first, but made me so imbalanced, I couldn't function.  Zombie was better.  Anyway, I was "cured" for about a year, except for the sudden hearing loss.  The hearing loss was NOT associated with vertigo.  I was then in the realm of possibe meniere's, but my neuro said it didn't behave like meniere's, and the migraine med had helped.  Well, about two months ago, the propranolol stopped working for some reason.  I still adhere to the migraine diet, which is very hard.  I am due  to start a new med at my next visit.

As I read these, i think most of you have migraine associated vertigo, vestibular migraine, otic migraine, basilar migraine, whatever you want to call it (many names for similar condition).  I had a history of migraine, but was very sporadic.  Once i hit perimenopause at 46, BAM! Change in pattern, they call it.  The only thing that helps this is strict adherence to the migraine diet, and if that alone doesn't work, a preventative medicine.  Type in MAV (migraine vertigo).  Some neuros even think that Meniere's is a migraine variant.  My temporary hearing loss could even be migraine variant.  Crazy.  My first dizziness attack I was slightly nauseous, and had diarrhea (sorry tmi).  I thought I was having an allergic reaction or stroke.  I almost went to emergency room, but typed in my symptoms and found it to be yet another manifestation of migraine.

I will say the only med that has helped keep me working and functional is Klonopin.  It is like valium, but longer lasting.  It can make you tired and out of it at first, which is why my dr. had me cut the smallest dose into quarters and work up.  I take only 0.5mg a day, as it can be addictive.  It gets a bad rap, but it is what they give some people for MAV and Menieres.   FWIW, all of my symptoms are on the left side.  I still have a light, baseline tinnitus in that ear, but when the "event" starts up, it goes louder and high pitched.  I did have one attack on the other side, where my hearing reduced for abt. 20min, had tingling on my face, sensitive to noise, floaty feeling.  A headache then followed in ~30min.  It was a classic basilar migraine.  Oh, and with these events, I get neck muscle pain into shoulder at times.  Since the propranolol has stopped working, I am getting these attacks every other day, sometimes every day.  Klonopin stops or reduces them.  I think the next drug I am to start is Verapamil... it's one that supposed to be very good for MAV and is even used for Meniere's by drs. that suspect that meniere's might be migraine....   I will let you know how the verapamil goes if I get on it.  I have also just started physical therapy for my jaw (which is misaligned on the left) and my neck.

I have had the exact same thing now for 4 years that you have. The best advice I can give is dont let it take over your life, it is scary at times and makes me feel down but i wont let it ruin me. I do take Betahistine and they do make a difference