How does anxiety make one dizzy? Suffering every day!

Can someone PLEASE explain...HOW does anxiety make one dizzy? Suffering every day! Are there "anti dizzy pills" we can take?

What on earth causes the dizziness? xx

Hi

The dizziness is often caused by overbreathing, or not breathing the correct way.

Too much oxgen will make you dizzy, so you can counteract it a bit by breathing into a paper bag, or learning to breathe from your abdomen. Have a search for some breathing excersises and see if that helps.

There are many other things that cause dizziness also, so best that you get it checked out and rule out anything to do with your ears etc.

Vikki is it you who will be having a pacemaker? if so, are you sure the dizziness is not related to your heart? There is medication that they give to people with meniers disease etc, and one they can give you if the dizziness makes you nauseous, so have a chat to you dr about what they can do :) They make me sleepy though so i just try to get through the episodes.

I have had the dizzy think for months and was soooo scared I didnt believe the doctors when they told me nothing was wrong with me. For some reason anxiety can cause many symptoms and to make yourself think you are ill. I even went by ambulance to the hospital. I am on clonazapam now and seems to help. I dont think it fully has to do with your breathing either because I can be breathing fine and relaxed as can be but the dizziness/lightheaded is there all the time. I am scared to be alone now because of it. DOnt worry you arent alone with this one and it definitely is the worst thing to have and try and cope in the world. I have been housebound for months.

What is an RX pill?

Also, Isnt dramamine for sea sickness?  How does this help dizziness ??  xxxxxxxxxx

Vikki,
I take meclizine (RX) only when my vertigo gets really bad. I break my pills in fourths because they make me really drowsy. Meclizine (AKA Anti-Vert) is also called Dramamine II and is a stronger version of OTC Dramamine. It is an anti-histimine and does wonders for my dizziness caused by my vertigo. I'm not sure why it works but it does. Good Luck

Hi Vikki---Anxiety can do ANYTHING (Dizziness, palpitations, panic attacks. )  I suffer from vertigo--due to a problem w my middle ear---i take the 25 mg antivert (meclizine)  but--gosh--after i take the 2nd dose (4-5 hrs later)  I'm soo sleepy----they also have a 12.5 mg dose.      The antivert does knock the vertigo out---but the drowsiness lasts----as antivert has a long half life.  Try not to worry---the dizziness is caused by either your ear----or hyperventilation---that would cause more of a "light headed" feeling----the vertigo caused by the ear---causes a "positional vertigo"----ie: the dizziness gets real bad when you change positions---lie down or sitting up---or when you move your head quickly----if it's an ear problem antivert (meclizine) is the answer--just be prepared to sleep a bit---which isn't so bad.      Robert

bump

Dear Vicki,
I am so sorry to hear that you are suffering with this horrible sensation. It can be very scary and can be caused from a number of things.

When my husband was living in London, England he suffered from terrible dizziness that came on suddenly. One time the dizziness got so bad he actually lost his balance and fell right on to a busy road.

After that scare, I insisted he see a doctor immediately. After several appointments with various doctors and specialists, they determined he had a very unusual build up of inner ear wax. This was cleared out. However the dizziness remained.

He was working in a very high level stressful job at the time. He shared a telephone and computer with many fellow colleagues, depending on which shift he was on.

The doctors finally diagnosed him with Meniers disease and he was given medication and ordered off work for 3 months. One of the symptoms of Meniers is vertigo. He was given two prescriptions, “Betahistamine, and Hydrochloride.”

He continued to feel unwell. The medication he was given for the Menieres was making no difference, except for constant fatigue, achy feeling and sudden headaches which he had never had before. The doctors then added “Prochlorperazine” in a very low dosage to help stabilize brain chemical functioning. This drug in stronger dosages is used to treat schizophrenia.

Finally with further trips to the specialists it was determined that he had a virus of unknown origin, rather than Menieres. My guess it was from sharing phones and key boards with so many other people. They are a haven for all sorts of germs, bacteria and viruses etc.

It just seemed to take time and after about 3 months it went away gradually. No further medication was prescribed, just rest and stress reduction. Staying off work definitely reduced his stress.

When he moved to Canada, my friend who was a family doctor, decided to check him for diabetes. She ordered the fasting and 3 hour glucose tolerance test. It turned out he suffered from severe low blood sugar, hypoglycemia.

Now we know when he gets dizzy to check his blood sugar and to make sure he gets some juice or a glucose tablet (one or two) into him immediately. He also keeps a drinking box and glucose tablets in the car and on his nightstand at all times along with the glucometer.

So, there are many possible causes. I am not a medical doctor. I only share with you the experience my husband went through.

Anxiety can also cause dizziness. I did a Google search for you. I simply typed in anxiety dizziness and the first site that came up was filled with lots of interesting information.

Please continue to see your doctor. Make sure your blood sugar is tested. Perhaps they could also run a test on your oxygen levels and your breathing. I agree with Lilly, you can have breathing problems without hyperventilating.

Take Care. You know your body. Keep after the doctors to get to the bottom of this. This is seriously interfering with the quality of your life. Let the doctors know that. You deserve to live a full life.

Take care,
Judy/Effie
p.s. keep us posted
I will keep you in my prayers.

Dear Beffrey,
College and other studies can be very stressful. You could check in with the counselors at your college for some guidance. Also please make sure, you too, have a full medical check up. This should be a fun time of your life and I just hate to here of young people suffering with so much stress and possible stress related illness. It is crucial that you have a full check up. Living on a college student’s diet, you could be missing some crucial electrolytes to make you feel well.

I will keep all of you that are suffering with this in my prayers. I suffer from anxiety also. It has been more prevalent since I became ill with mobility problems. I find my heart races, have sleep problems, and am easily panicked about what others think of me. These are all signs of anxiety and depression; however I did have other things ruled out.

Hang in there. God Bless.

Post Edited (effie) : 7/25/2005 6:23:06 PM (GMT-6)

G'day Fellow Phob's..

I'm a bit worried about Wotan.

please come talk to me if u'r not ok mate.. something about the tone of ur reply suggests real sadness and lonliness.. and i'd love to be able to help you if you ever need to talk to someone or vent.. then again, spose that's what this site is all about.

anyway, good luck to all, Vikki and Wotan and all of us.. cos God darn we're good!!!!! haha

x Just Keep Swimming

hi! everyone,
dizziness was the first sign I had lupus, which targets my central nervous system. i was first tested for ms, and for years i thought being dizzy to the point i kept falling, was menopause! suetoo

Many pps suffer from agoraphobia (as well as many other phobias) I have bumped a thread up from awhile back for those of you that may not have seen it
Lyn

I went through a period of dizziness my senior year in college several years ago. I was under a lot of stress, but I didn't realize it was anxiety. I was diagnosed over that summer with hypogylcemia. It was definitely caused from the anxiety. It eventually went away but it was very disturbing and disrupting at the time. I still have some dizziness from time to time. Experience has helped me deal with it.