Constant spacey feeling and dizzyness - Inner Ear Disorders Message Board

Buzzy bee · 04-12-2009, 11:29 AM

Hey Guys,

I have been suffering from panic attacks for a couple of weeks now and ever since my first one i have never seem to come down from this constant spacey feeling. I have been to my doctors twice and first time i got told it was probably just vertigo and to go back in a week if i dint feel any better. so i went back and he gave me some prochlorperazine and said its used for vertigo suffers and i should feel better after using it. I had a massive panick attack yesterday and its made me feel really un-steady and anxious now. My ears feel full and i somtimes get a really high rining pitch in my left ear (which feels the fullest).

The docs seem to think its likely that i have some kind of vertigo and its causing me to have panic attacks when it kicks in really badly. but im just not sure, i have all the symptoms for anxiety but also all the symptons for the inner ear infection aswell.....any of you guys have any idea what it could be? My kneck is really acheing aswell, but thats only just started over last few days. also the spacey feeling is like im walking on marshmellows and the floor starts to spin when i look at it, things seem better close up then far away too.

violet6 · 04-12-2009, 01:37 PM

Hi, Buzzy Bee--

Anxiety and dizziness are very often related. Each can cause the other. An anxiety disorder with full-blown panic attacks also often includes a sense of depersonalization/derealization--very uncomfortable not-in-your-body feeling..this feeling can be constant. You might be dealing with migraine associated vertigo, or anxiety attacks, or possibly something else, but I would guess it all stems from the same cause, which is brain chemicals that are out of whack.

SSRIs are a big help for many dealing with these issues...they reduce anxiety (after the initial 2 weeks, during which you often feel a bit more anxious...but this can be treated with something like valium or xanax), they reduce migraines in some, they wipe out the derealization over time, and they help with depression, too. They can also reduce dizziness, although sometimes dizziness increases at first (2 weeks, usually). The key is to start with a very low dose and work up slowly. Tricyclic antidepressants can also help some people very much with these issues.

You may also want to pursue the inner ear possibility with a neurotologist, but I think there's a good possibility that the above issues may well be causing your symptoms.

I hope you feel better very soon!
Violet

Buzzy bee · 04-13-2009, 03:56 AM

well i have realised that the spaceyness seems no where near as band when i have had a bit to drink....just the next day its all 2X worse. which leads me to thinking its all anxiety based, coz if it was somthing physical, surely i wud feel worse when drunk?

number 81 · 04-13-2009, 10:50 AM

Hi Buzzy Bee,

I would have to agree with you based on the alcohol thing. I can't drink. the spacey-brain-fog gets much worse and the vertigo starts.
However, if i get anxious (minus the booze) I get vertigo as well. I originally thought my condition was anxiety-based because i have a history of it as well.

You really should have it checked out just to be sure its not an inner ear problem. If inner ear disorders are discovered early they usually have no perminant effects. I'm an idiot and waited over 3 months to see a doctor and now i'm 6 years into this with perminant vestibular damage.

I'm fairly confident that its anxiety but please don't make the same mistake i did. look into it further to be sure.

sbenkalai1 · 04-14-2009, 06:23 AM

HEY guys, i am experiencing some of the same symptoms. it has been going on for a year and a half now. i started at university, i was very low emotionally at this point, and had a lot of stress, i had a sudden onset of vertigo where i couldnt stand up. i thought it was just because i hadnt eaten anything. but then i had recurrent unbalanced feelings and fullness in the ears. i have been back to the doctors a million times, they sent me to the ENt department and i had balance tests which came back clear. but my ears feel full and i have alot of head pressure, i am also getting momentairy vertigo where i feel like i am going to fall over for two seconds and then it returns back to normal. i also feel very weak and have no energy., this thing is ruining my life as i had to give up my job as i just felt so ill and dizzy all the time, any ideas??? i NEED SOME HELP!!! XXX