Question:
I have dizziness associated with anxiety.
Take Ginger powder, 1 teaspoon a day divided in your cups of coffee or thea.The results wil be immediatly. J.P.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi Anne, Wow…..my dizziness started three years ago too, although I have had PD for 18 years.Your rocking boat sensation is how I have described my sensations too. I also did the lurching thing, and that would come out of now where. And it seemed to hapen when I was talking to a group of people, I would lurch and I had to find something to lean on. How did you feel when sitting or laying down? Sometimes I had the sensation 24 hours a day. I went the ear route too, not to the extremes you did. I do get true vertigo when my tinnitus acts up. I don`t know what I hate most, the vertigo or the dizziness I have when I am anxious. In the 18 years of my disorder, this has been the most devastating symptom for me. Thank god for the Paxil. Take care!! Jackie When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
Hi you lot, I’m right along with Jackie on this one. Dizziness is my single most distressing symptom (praps that makes me lucky!). Had it for two or three years now on or off, often for days at a time. Even when I’m feeling sociable, it just creeps on in there and sends me scurrying on home. It’s wierd how I don’t get it on the move, or seated, or lying down, but when I stop and stand, or even sit upright on a bar-type stool it just swings in. I also get vertigos when you get those sweeping images on the telly (roller coasters/panning out to heights etc) to add to the fun. I often think "if it weren’t for te dizziness I’d be fine now…" but I dare say my body would cook up something new. (c: After nearly five years I’m still debating with myself over getting medication, so I don’t know if paxil or other things would help. I did try anti-vertigo meds that were no help. Half.
Response:
I am new to this website and am really relieved to find out that I am not the only person out there experiencing this type of dizziness. I,too, feel like I am on a boat on the water. It has plagued me for 10 years on and off. I have been taking Klonopin for about 4 years and have been trying to wean myself off it for the past several months because I have read that Klonopin interferes with R.E.M. sleep. I am currently taking .25mg/day and am feeling pretty uncomfortable and dizzy. I’m not sure what to do. I was going to just grin and bear it, but after reading about all the success with Paxil, I’m having second thoughts. I am wondering what you would recommend. Besides Klonopin, Xanax, etc., Is Paxil the only drug that has helped people with dizziness? Thanks, Jill
Response:
I am new to this website and am really relieved to find out that I am not the
only person out there experiencing this type of dizziness. I,too, feel like I am on a boat on the water. It has plagued me for 10 years on and off. I have been taking Klonopin for about 4 years and have been trying to wean myself off it for the past several months because I have read that Klonopin interferes with R.E.M. sleep. I am currently taking .25mg/day and am feeling pretty uncomfortable and dizzy. I’m not sure what to do. I was going to just grin and bear it, but after reading about all the success with Paxil, I’m having second thoughts. I am wondering what you would recommend. Besides Klonopin, Xanax, etc., Is Paxil the only drug that has helped people with dizziness? Thanks, Jill
Hi Jill, Welcome to ASAP!! I can`t imgaine suffering with dizziness for ten years, makes me shudder. If you don`t want to go the benzo route, there are many different kinds of anti-depressants that would help you, not just Paxil. I would recommend if you are going to go on a anti-depressant, you use the Klonopin for the weaning process. Anti-depressants have helped many here. I have been on Paxil for 15 months and rarely have a dizzy spell any more. The anti-depressants lower your anxiety level, and as your anxiety starts diminishing, so do your physical symptoms of anxiety, like your dizziness. Talk to your doctor about this if you are really interested, and he can choose the best AD for you. Just remember if you go on a AD, to start at a very low dose, and wean on the AD slowly, you will have easier time if you do it this way. Take care!! jackie "Strange as it may seem, my life is based on a true story
Response:
I am new to this website and am really relieved to find out that I am not the only person out there experiencing this type of dizziness… Jill
Jill, Have you been tested for inner ear problems? I didn’t think that diziness (if alone) was an anxiety problem. Steve
Response:
Jill, Have you been tested for inner ear problems? I didn’t think that diziness (if alone) was an anxiety problem. Steve
Yes, I have been tested. It appears that my problem is anxiety. Perhaps it makes the nerve endings in the ear more sensitive, so that every head movement feels more exaggerated to me.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -If you don`t want to go the benzo route, there are many different kinds of anti-depressants that would help you, not just Paxil. I would recommend if you are going to go on a anti-depressant, you use the Klonopin for the weaning process. Anti-depressants have helped many here. I have been on Paxil for 15 months and rarely have a dizzy spell any more. The anti-depressants lower your anxiety level, and as your anxiety starts diminishing, so do your physical symptoms of anxiety, like your dizziness. Talk to your doctor about this if you are really interested, and he can choose the best AD for you. Just remember if you go on a AD, to start at a very low dose, and wean on the AD slowly, you will have easier time if you do it this way. Take care!! jackie
Thanks Jackie. Do any of the antidepressants have fewer side effects than the others? By the way, the dizziness wasn’t constant for 10 years, so you don’t have to feel so sorry for me! Also, Xanax and Klonopin were really helpful. I just don’t want to be on them for the rest of my life. Jill
Response:
Thanks Jackie. Do any of the antidepressants have fewer side effects than the others?
:::snipped::: Hi Jill, Although some of the newer anti-depressants claim they have less side-effects, it doesn`t seem true. The truth is all anti-depressants have side-effects. Some people do well on the SSRI anti-depressants, and some on TCA`s. Unfortunately there is no predicting which one will be the anti-depressant for you unless you go on one. If you go on a anti-depressant, make sure to start at a low dose, wean slowly and it helps to take a benzo during the weaning process too. Doing these three things gives you a better chance of being able to tolerate the side-effects. Good luck. Jackie "All that is gold does not glitter, not all of those who wander are lost…"
Response:
Also, Xanax and Klonopin were really helpful. I just don’t want to be on them for the rest of my life.
Hi, Jill: I couldn’t resist replying: You *DON’T*?? I do! 
Having had P.D. (and yes, episodes of dizziness, worse in the last 5 years) for the past 22 years, and been variously in and out of therapy, and on and off meds (Xanax off and on for the past 12 years; currently Paxil and low-dosage Xanax), I can only paraphrase the old chestnut about being rich or poor: "I’ve been on meds, and I’ve tried to cope med-free … and believe me, meds are better!" But I applaud you for wanting to get off the meds. It’s just that I don’t think anyone should feel terrible if they come to the conclusion that their mental and/or emotional disorder is more effectively managed with the assistance of low-risk medication. One’s quality of life *is* important… and mine is immeasurably better when I take the medication I need to stay relatively free of panic/anxiety/dizziness, not to mention less depressed. Good luck! – Anne —
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have dizziness associated with anxiety. My dizziness seems to last for hours, sometimes all day. It is more of an unsteady type feeling, with no vertigo. For example, if I have to walk through a large grocery store, I feel like I am walking on a ship at sea (I have been to sea, and know what it feels like). I have had this for approximately 8 years and it seems to come and go. Initially I thought it was something serious ie TUMOR, but after multiple reasurring investigations there is no explanation. I am left with ANXIETY. I think the cause is hyperventilation. Although, I have tried all the breathing exercises and I remain dizzy. I seem to have good times and forget all about it, but when it returns it takes the fun out of life. Has anyone had longstanding dizziness like this? If so, what has helped? -**** Posted from RemarQ, http://www.remarq.com/?a ****- Search and Read Usenet Discussions in your Browser – FREE –
Hi, This is just what happens to me when I am having a panic attack. I hyperventilate. Breathing into a paper bag can help control the hyperventilation. Also breathing in slowly through the nose, holding the breath for a few seconds then slowly breathing out (twice) also helps me. I take medication (Xanax) to assist me. Take care, Meryl
Response:
Thank you for the feedback. It is reassuring to hear that others share this "affliction". The dizziness I get is more of an unsteadiness or a "wooziness" (to make up a word). I think that there may be a social phobia component because it is often worse in social situations such as talking to people of authority or while attending cocktail parties. I often feel like I have to hold on to something. The irony is I am percieved as being extremely high functioning, working in an administrative role with approximately 60 people under me. I am told that my co-workers appreciate my calm manner in dealing with stressful situations. Little do they realize that I have periods where I am thinking "OK, don’t fall down and embarrass yourself". Like others, I can remember exactly
when this started – in my case approximately 8 years ago. It was like a wire snapped in my mind and I am now a totally different person. I used to be fearless. I would fly down the freeway in my car with a smile on my face. I looked forward to travel and to change. Now, I am afraid of the freeway, and sometimes I am afraid to go shopping. All I would like is my "sparkle" back. I have periods where I feel like my "old self" and it is great. But when the fear returns it is devastating. In terms of the dizziness and hyperventilation, I think my problem is breath holding and lack of diaphragmatic breathing. I have read how this creates a respiratory alkalosis by breathing off the CO2, with a net decrease in O2 availability in the brain. This also explains the depersonalization feelings that people get, how they feel "weird". I have read Bert Anderson’s hyperventilation page and tried the exercises but I guess I am a slow learner. I am considering a trial of Paxil, but like most medications I have a fear of this as well. All I would like is my sparkle back! -**** Posted from RemarQ, http://www.remarq.com/?a ****- Search and Read Usenet Discussions in your Browser – FREE –
Response:
::::snipped:::: Like some others who have posted, I have had PA and anxiety for several decades. But it was only 3 years ago that I had my first severe attack of constant dizziness. I called it "vertigo," but clinically speaking it was not, since I didn’t have a whirling sensation. It was like being in a rowboat rocking on irregular waves. It was worst when I was stationary — sitting or standing. Sometimes I would lurch and have to grab something. My doc sent me to an ear-nose-throat guy, who watched me try to walk a straight line — I couldn’t! He did all sorts of tests, some unpleasant, and in the end concluded I did have some problem with my inner ear, but could find no obvious cause. I went on diuretics for a while (bleah) to drain any unwanted fluid from my inner ear. Finally the dizziness just evaporated — *after* I took a 3 month leave from work to recover from a family tragedy the year before, which was probably the trigger for my dizziness.
Hi Anne, Wow…..my dizziness started three years ago too, although I have had PD for 18 years.Your rocking boat sensation is how I have described my sensations too. I also did the lurching thing, and that would come out of now where. And it seemed to hapen when I was talking to a group of people, I would lurch and I had to find something to lean on. How did you feel when sitting or laying down? Sometimes I had the sensation 24 hours a day. I went the ear route too, not to the extremes you did. I do get true vertigo when my tinnitus acts up. I don`t know what I hate most, the vertigo or the dizziness I have when I am anxious. In the 18 years of my disorder, this has been the most devastating symptom for me. Thank god for the Paxil. Take care!! Jackie When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
Response:
Jackie: I read your message to me a few weeks ago telling me about your experience with anxiety and it has helped me far more than you can know. I read a lot of what everyone has to say but don’t respond too often but thank you for helping me and hopefully your words will help others suffering with this dizziness/woosy feelings of anxiety too….Judie
Dear Judie, Thank you for telling me this. I am happy that my experience was able to help you in some way. It helps so much when you realize that you aren`t the only person suffering with a particular symptom. I hope you are doing well!! Take care!! Jackie Hope is a strange invention– A Patent of the Heart– In unremitting action Yet never wearing out.
Response:
Hi eureka, Jackie, thank you for your advice. I have started paxil at a very small dose of 5 mg, which I take approximately one hour prior to bed. I must be very sensitive, because I find myself very tired the next day. I am hoping that I can adapt to this symptom and wean myself up.
Paxil is a sedating anti-depressant, so the fatigue is to be expected. It "should" diminish with time, of course YMMV. I understand that I have to reach approximately 40mg per day.
Therapeutic dose with Paxil is 20mgs to 50mgs ( sometimes 60mgs is needed for OCD ). No one can tell you what dose will work for you. Many people have done well on 20mgs, myself included. If you like the way you feel at 20mgs, then there is no reason to increase. Some people have done well on 10mgs, it is definitly a YMMV. Do you think it is better in the AM or PM?
I couldn`t tolerate it in the PM, it caused insomnia for me. But as long as your sleeping good, taking it in the PM should be fine. Everybody is differnent, some take their AD`s at night, others in them morning. When I am like this I feel totally pathetic. Then I have a good day and it is all worth it. My mantra has been "every day in every way I am getting better and better"
Weaning on a anti-depressant can be a up and down process at the beginning, but when you realize that it is working, it is such a good feeling. I wish you much luck, and don`t hesitate to ask questions. Take care!! jackie ~~Ah, Hope! what would life be, stripped of thy encouraging smiles, that teach us to look behind the dark clouds of to-day, for the golden beams that are to gild the morrow~~
Response:
I know this is coming in late on a thread (I’ve been working at home and don’t have newsgroup access there), but I just wanted to chime in on the dizziness theme. Like some others who have posted, I have had PA and anxiety for several decades. But it was only 3 years ago that I had my first severe attack of constant dizziness. I called it "vertigo," but clinically speaking it was not, since I didn’t have a whirling sensation. It was like being in a rowboat rocking on irregular waves. It was worst when I was stationary — sitting or standing. Sometimes I would lurch and have to grab something. My doc sent me to an ear-nose-throat guy, who watched me try to walk a straight line — I couldn’t! He did all sorts of tests, some unpleasant, and in the end concluded I did have some problem with my inner ear, but could find no obvious cause. I went on diuretics for a while (bleah) to drain any unwanted fluid from my inner ear. Finally the dizziness just evaporated — *after* I took a 3 month leave from work to recover from a family tragedy the year before, which was probably the trigger for my dizziness. The second big dizziness episode I had was last fall right after my mom died of cancer. I was OK during her illness (well, "OK" is a relative term here!), just holding everything together and helping my parents & being with mom as she died at home; managing the cremation and funeral arrangements; writing and delivering her eulogy. Then a few weeks later: the dizziness came. Oh no. But it went away after I started seeing a therapist/pdoc combo and they upped my Xanax dosage, which they said was at a near-placebo dosage and not helping me. Doubling the dose made the vertigo cease immediately. And now, like Jacquie, I’m also on Paxil, and the meds have helped me a lot. Bottom line: Yes, dizziness/vertigo is often a manifestation of anxiety, particularly during stressful times. Isn’t it weird how our bodies react differently to anxiety at different times of our lives? I guess we’re just meant to be "off balance" most of the time! :-( Good luck, Anne —
Response:
Jackie: I read your message to me a few weeks ago telling me about your experience with anxiety and it has helped me far more than you can know. I read a lot of what everyone has to say but don’t respond too often but thank you for helping me and hopefully your words will help others suffering with this dizziness/woosy feelings of anxiety too….Judie
Response:
Jackie, thank you for your advice. I have started paxil at a very small dose of 5 mg, which I take approximately one hour prior to bed. I must be very sensitive, because I find myself very tired the next day. I am hoping that I can adapt to this symptom and wean myself up. I understand that I have to reach approximately 40mg per day. Do you think it is better in the AM or PM? When I am like this I feel totally pathetic. Then I have a good day and it is all worth it. My mantra has been "every day in every way I am getting better and better"
Thank you for the advice. -**** Posted from RemarQ, http://www.remarq.com/?a ****- Search and Read Usenet Discussions in your Browser – FREE –
Response:
This would not be directly applicable to your situation but since this is a thread on dizziness I’d like to add a little bit that may help someone else. Quite simply, recently I started having more trouble with the anxiety caused dizziness (or vertigo). Long story made short: allergies affecting my sinus was producing some dizziness (a pressure in my forehead) which I interpreted as the onset of an anxiety trip which in turn produced more vertigo/anxiety. This happened several days in a row and each time the symptoms were eliminated by treating the trigger – the sinus problem – with medication for my sinus. Within an hour everything was gone. Seldom will this be the answer for anyone but if you’re hit with a stray vertigo shot and the pollen count is up high, give it a try. Can’t hurt and may help. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have dizziness associated with anxiety. My dizziness seems to last for hours, sometimes all day. It is more of an …
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thank you for the feedback. It is reassuring to hear that others share this "affliction". The dizziness I get is more of an unsteadiness or a "wooziness" (to make up a word). I think that there may be a social phobia component because it is often worse in social situations such as talking to people of authority or while attending cocktail parties. I often feel like I have to hold on to something. The irony is I am percieved as being extremely high functioning, working in an administrative role with approximately 60 people under me. I am told that my co-workers appreciate my calm manner in dealing with stressful situations. Little do they realize that I have periods where I am thinking "OK, don’t fall down and embarrass yourself". Like others, I can remember exactly when this started – in my case approximately 8 years ago. It was like a wire snapped in my mind and I am now a totally different person. I used to be fearless. I would fly down the freeway in my car with a smile on my face. I looked forward to travel and to change. Now, I am afraid of the freeway, and sometimes I am afraid to go shopping. All I would like is my "sparkle" back. I have periods where I feel like my "old self" and it is great. But when the fear returns it is devastating. In terms of the dizziness and hyperventilation, I think my problem is breath holding and lack of diaphragmatic breathing. I have read how this creates a respiratory alkalosis by breathing off the CO2, with a net decrease in O2 availability in the brain. This also explains the depersonalization feelings that people get, how they feel "weird". I have read Bert Anderson’s hyperventilation page and tried the exercises but I guess I am a slow learner. I am considering a trial of Paxil, but like most medications I have a fear of this as well. All I would like is my sparkle back
Hi eureka, I have been battling PD since 1981, and my anxiety symptoms decided to change on me about three years ago. And one of those new symptoms was dizziness. For me, this has been the scariest and most devastating anxiety symptom I have ever had. Some times it was so bad I needed walls and counters to support me. The floor seemed like it was heaving. I could never get a break from it. If I sat on a chair, the chair felt like it was leaning back and would tip. Laying in bed or on a couch felt like I was on a boat on rough sea`s. This feeling had me convinced I was dying or very ill. And mine was even worst with people around, I had to stop having company over because of it. I did not cope well with this symptom. I found it very hard to believe that anxiety could cause sensations like this.I did CBT in 89, and knew how to deep breath, relax and challenge my negative thoughts, but it proved useless in my case against the dizziness. After dealing with this symptom for two years I knew I needed to get phobic big time, and I wasn`t too happy about taking Paxil. I had no quality of life at that point and had nothing to lose, and I weaned on Paxil very slowly. Paxil has done wonders for me, I very rarely have dizzy spells. And I never have those feelings on chairs, couches or in bed any more. When I do get the occassional dizzy spell, I do cope a bit better now, and it doesn`t devastate me, like it use too. If you feel brave, give Paxil a try. Just remember how well I did on Paxil, might not be your experience, it might be better or not as good. If you go on Paxil wean slowly and start at a low dose. Good Luck!! Jackie ~~At least I have a positive attitude about my destructive habits~~
Response:
Yep. I have dizziness on and off for years. And it is secondary to my anxiety. When I’m really anxious I actually ave to stabilize myself by leaning against the wall or holding on to the table. I know I’m not going to pass out, because I’ve had this problem, on and off, for years. This dizziness mostly goes away when I’m on the right treatment for my PD. Even on meds I can get it from time to tome, but not as bad as before, or as often. Chip chronic dizziness I have dizziness associated with anxiety. My dizziness seems to last for hours, sometimes all day. It is more of an unsteady type feeling, with no vertigo. For example, if I have to walk through a large grocery store, I feel like I am walking on a ship at sea (I have been to sea, and know what it feels like). I have had this for approximately 8 years and it seems to come and go. Initially I thought it was something serious ie TUMOR, but after multiple reasurring investigations there is no explanation. I am left with ANXIETY. I think the cause is hyperventilation. Although, I have tried all the breathing exercises and I remain dizzy. I seem to have good times and forget all about it, but when it returns it takes the fun out of life. Has anyone had longstanding dizziness like this? If so, what has helped?
If you like this post and would like to receive updates from this blog, please subscribe our feed.