I have a hard time placing the blame for the constant dizziness I've had for the past three months on anxiety alone.

Does anyone think its possible for anxiety to provoke an inner ear disorder?

Responses are much appreciated.

No. I think dizziness CAUSES anxiety. I am sure there are certain kinds of dizziness that could be caused by anxiety, but I am sure that those would be short lived and not constant 24/7 dizziness that most of us experience.

I suffered a severe case of vertigo - May of 2005. I have since then had surgery for dehiscence of the superior canal. But before I had the surgery, I was experiencing anxiety. I didn't know what it was and am typically a person who is pretty self assured. This was very new. If I had the least amount of imbalance, it would trigger the anxiety. After the surgery, I had even more. I have been dealing with both imbalance and anxiety issues. I had asked my physician about anxiety, but she only told me that it is usually caused from an episode in your life. I am still recovering and working through the anxiety. I never had anxiety until I had the vertigo attack. It seems like they go hand in hand. Not that this is any reassurance, but I am glad to know someone else has experienced something similar as myself.

I have a hard time placing the blame for the constant dizziness I've had for the past three months on anxiety alone.

Does anyone think its possible for anxiety to provoke an inner ear disorder?

Responses are much appreciated.

No----current research would not support anxiety provoking an "inner ear" disorder/injury

however there are---Psychological Syndromes that/can cause dizziness (PSYCHOGENIC VERTIGO)

If u go to this web page---from the first post on the board---"Sticky" Northwestern Univ(Prof/Dr Hain's web site)---it covers the subject

---the web page was last updated in Jul 10 2005---with/from the latest research/studies

http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/psych/psych.htm

:cool:

I agree that dizziness/vertigo causes simultaneous anxiety/panic. The parts of the brain that receive dizzy messages is closely connected (or the same? i forget) as the part that controls anxiety symptoms, so they truly do go hand in hand. This is why so many of the anti-vertigo drugs are also anti-anxiety drugs. One triggers the other, and vice versa.

I have been reading lately about a kind of vertigo/dizziness that is caused by the autonomic nervous system either hyper or hypo-functioning. I don't have too much to add in the way of specifics, but this seems really interesting... It seems like some kind of vicious cycle of panic-response, dizziness, fatigue, etc.

I, too, am suffering from dizziness and anxiety. I agree with the above; Generally, the dizziness causes the anxiety. I have stated here before that I have an autoimmune vestibulopothy. Because it is a blood disorder, I start low dose Chemo ( Methothextrate ? ) in two weeks. I have hearing loss, tinnitus and an inner ear fluid imbalance. There are times when I think I am losing it but try to be rational and to relax. Relaxation helps if you are able. Just try to temember that you have a problem that is non life threatening and may or may not improve. YOU WILL ADAPT.

Best of luck!

Koney321...My doc thinks i may have SCD. Could you give me some info about your symptoms and also how your surgery went...Thanks

Hi,

Dizziness *causes* anxiety. When this anxiety stays day after day, then disrupts your sleep, you begin to be anxious about being anxious. In this scenario, your own fear of what is happening is like throwing petrol on the already hot fire. I've been through the whole deal and know how horrid it is. The first thing I would suggest you do is know that it is not you and only you that has created this anxious state. When your brain can't work out what's up or down, the sympathetic nervous system goes into over-drive and you feel anxious. For me the initial anxiety that came with VN was just more than I could bare. Even worse, it was such a new thing, that I had no idea how to deal with it and so I freaked out amd made things 1000X worse.

Here's some summarised info from the science literature:

Chronic anxiety is a common side effect of labyrinthitis which can produce tremors, heart palpitations, panic attacks and depression. Often a panic attack is one of the first symptoms to occur as labyrinthitis begins. While dizziness can occur from extreme anxiety, labyrinthitis itself can precipitate a panic disorder. Three models have been proposed to explain the relationship between vestibular dysfunction and panic disorder (Simon et al., 1998):

Psychosomatic model: vestibular dysfunction which occurs as a result of anxiety.

Somatopsychic model: panic disorder triggered by misinterpreted internal stimuli (e.g., stimuli from vestibular dysfunction), that are interpreted as signifying imminent physical danger. Heightened sensitivity to vestibular sensations leads to increased anxiety and, through conditioning, drives the development of panic disorder.

Network alarm theory: panic which involves noradrenergic, serotonergic, and other connected neuronal systems. According to this theory, panic can be triggered by stimuli that set off a false alarm via afferents to the locus ceruleus, which then triggers the neuronal network. This network is thought to mediate anxiety and includes limbic, midbrain and prefrontal areas. Vestibular dysfunction in the setting of increased locus ceruleus sensitivity may be a potential trigger.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have had an arsenal of valium on hand. While I used it here and there it was not nearly enough to kill the massive attacks. If used in a smart fashion and directed at attacks when they feel far too much to handle I think valium is extremely effective at getting through the worst of this for those that get the anxiety component. One thing's for sure: if you don't kill the anxiety, compensation will only grind to a halt. I saw this first hand. Seeing a therapist and learning some anxiety coping skills - namely cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - cannot be overstated. At the end of the day, this thing forces us to learn about the workings of the mind and how NOT to listen to most of the garbage it generates. CBT will help you get there more quickly.

Hang in there.....Scott :cool:

I have a hard time placing the blame for the constant dizziness I've had for the past three months on anxiety alone.

Does anyone think its possible for anxiety to provoke an inner ear disorder?

Responses are much appreciated.


You know thats a heck of a good question. I'm beginning to wonder if my anxiety isn't making me dizzy & causing me inner ear trouble. I saw a NP just this morning & she told me that i had fluid in my right ear & i have been suffering w/ nighttime dizziness & lightheadness for almost 3 weeks now. I've noticed i have been having weird heart flutters, too. Not daily but maybe once or twice a week & they occur in the evening as well. The last about 5 seconds & end but they still scare the hell out of me. So, yeah i think that the 2 could go hand in hand.
I never realized how POWERFUL that stress is & what it can do to your body. The things it can make your body do are just... mindboggling. Since i have been an Army wife though, i have learned that anxiety & stress are a huge factor in soooooo many problems.