Anyone who suffers from vertigo, can I have your advice please?

[WellWhatsHappening]

Hi,

A few months ago I was having a really tough time in my personal life and mentally wasn't very well. Everything was just falling apart and I wasn't coping very well with things .

At around this time I started to have panic attacks and dizziness. Sometimes it was so bad I felt like I was going to pass out and got myself into an awful state.

Since then things have started to calm down and I haven't had a panic attack in over a month. The dizziness has mostly went but I still don't feel quite right. I don't feel like myself anymore and have had these symptoms:

• feeling like I'm swaying, rocking or very slowly turning around

• my head feels like it's filled with cotton wool, very hazy, "fuzzy" or "foggy"

-lying down makes it feel worse

-feeling nauseous

• Bright lights can trigger it or make it feel worse (especially supermarkets)

-feeling like things aren't "real"

• tiredness when these "attacks happen"

I should say that these symptoms can appear when I'm at home resting or shopping etc, so I don't think they're triggered by stress. Blood test came back satisfactory so it's not caused by any deficiencies.

"Attacks" can last hours, sometimes overnight, then go away for a day or two and come back.

Vertigo was one of the possibilities that came up when I searched so I just wanted to ask if anyone who suffers from it has these symptoms and if it sounds like Vertigo is what it could be? I will go back to the gp obviously but just looking for personal opinions. Thank you

Sounds awful, poor you.

Have you looked up vestibular migraines?

My ds suffers from vertigo and has mentioned some of these symptoms especially the first one. It's very debilitating for him when attacks occur. He takes travel sickness tablets and they seem to help. But definitely keep asking your GP.

I went through a really stressful period a few years ago and started to experience dizziness but no panic attacks. My GP prescribed an anti nausea/anxiety medication which really helped. I don't think the dizziness would have gone away on its own without the meds, as the stressful situation persisted for quite a while.

Vertigo, possibly due to labyrinthitis.

My partner suffers from it periodically. Tends to flare up hand-in-hand with her anxiety.

Stemetil deals with the worst of it, but even doped there's still an underlying dizziness, difficulty with balance, and reduced cognitive ability.

I use Stematil (prochloperazine) as well, and start taking as soon as I feel an attack is coming on. It onky available on prescription so you will need to see a gp.

I had vertigo for a week once. Otex ear drops helped me.

Is it dizziness or vertigo? They are completely different things. One is the perception of the ‘world/environment’ moving around you and the other is the perception of you moving around uncontrolled. The symptoms of dizziness or vertigo are associated with different pathologies so you need to be clear when explaining it when seeking medical assistance (not what you are doing on this thread I understand, but a tip).

I take Stugeron travel tablets for mine, it works well.
Horrible condition isn’t it?

Hi OP. This sounds exactly like me this time last year. Research PPPD - this is my diagnosis. It’s a condition that can be triggered by a stressful event (in my case I had dizziness as a side effect from my vaccine & it made me incredibly anxious & basically my anxious little brain never recovered from it). Took a while to get there with having to go private for balance tests to rule out any vestibular conditions, and basically requires you to have had the symptoms for a few months for diagnosis. One of the main symptoms (told by the consultant) is the ’supermarket vertigo’. If you need to talk please message me - I know how awful it is and totally feel for you. You can get better (I am 90% better) and only feel mild symptoms when I’m anxious / stressed.

www.menieres.org.uk/information-and-support/symptoms-and-conditions/pppd

Good link above.

Prochlorperazine especially the bucal one wonders. I suffer from migraine related vertigo after a head injury and at times can barely walk. I'm also pretty good at predicting thunderstorms too cos I suffer horrendously with the changes in air pressure

For me all my dizziness was sorted when I started hrt, gone within a week. This was following 6 months of neurology and audiology referrals, including a neurologist claiming that dizziness was never hormone related an diagnosed bppv without even doing the diagnostic test (which the gp jad done an ruled it out).
I use the word dizzy, because that's how it felt, my gp used the term balance issues.
Vestibular migraine is a possibility.

Hi OP,
i had severe vertigo in 2020 and then again a couple of months ago. No panic attacks though.
it was so bad I couldn’t move my head at all to either side because the room just spun uncontrollably, that was for 2 days.
it took at least 4 weeks for me to feel normal again.
I was on the waiting list on the NHs to see a specialist but Gp told me it was unlikely to happen for a couple of years, so I went private through my work insurance.
diagnosed with vestibular neuritis. Had an mri scan to made sure there was no growth in the inner ear (consultant did say 99% of cases are fine), had vestibular balance check to see if it was permanent damage (wasn’t).
it is due to a virus like chickenpox one that sits in your system and flairs up when your immune system is weak.
it is so horrible! Very difficult debilitating si I really feel for you.

I have a couple of different types of vertigo. Vestibular Migraines and Visual vertigo, both initially triggered by an unfortunate combination of labyrinthitis, a head injury and bbpv.
You have my sympathies, vertigo is horrible and I am left with some symptoms everyday now although I have learnt to a degree to 'tune them out' although not possible when VM gets bad.
It sounds like it could be PPPD, as other people have mentioned. A combination of vestibular rehab-physio and CBT can really help, I'm not sure whether you are already taking anti anxiety medication but that might also help.

Vertigo can be a sign of MS. Maybe look up the other symptoms of that.

I had BPPV, vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis due to COVID and now experience vestibular migraines. The dizziness and spinning sounds like vertigo, mine is worse when I have a migraine. I had prochlorperazine prescribed for the vertigo by the GP along with occular vestibular exercises by the audio-vestibular specialist at the hospital (you can find these on YouTube, they help if done several times a day). Keep a diary of when you get the light sensitivity with vertigo symptoms as it may help you identify triggers, mine are very linked to my menstrual cycle and also screen use. Speak to the GP about trialling migraine medications.

I’ve always had a bit and then it was one of my bad Covid symptoms. I found eating toast and marmalade really helped.

Thank you for the replies everyone. These attacks sort of follow the same pattern- I wake up feeling good and relieved that I don't feel like shit, then slowly feel the swaying sensation and fuzzy head come on over the course of the day.

I have it again today and it seems to be happening every day now, where as before I got a few days or even a weeks reprieve 😣😣

To the PP asking if it's dizziness or vertigo, it's definitely vertigo now. At the start when I was having panic attacks I did have dizzy spells, but I think this was a separate issue, being caused by my anxiety. Hope that makes sense!

Meant to say in the OP as well, blood pressure was checked by gp and found to be slightly raised but nothing too concerning.

This is quite honestly hell.

Honestly these were my exact symptoms and I agree, absolute hell. If you want to chat please feel free to PM me, I felt so lonely when I was experiencing it all as it felt like nobody understood!

Oh that's interesting. I have had vertigo on and off for some 5 years. First I thought it was stress related but latterly think now. Yet i am very chronically and long term unwell (currently under investigation) so might ask my consultant about MS.

OP- my vertigo manifests in throwing me off balance (I once fell sideways into the wall at work) and feeling seriously unwell when rolling over in bed. It's like being really drunk when the room is spinning and you are about to be sick.

It comes and goes and lasts for several weeks or months then susbides. Sturgeoron helps me.

I can't fucking bear it anymore. I'm sitting here in tears because it just won't go away. I feel so ill and I can't stand it.

Sorry I'm the OP, I namechanged on the website but forgot to log in and out again on the app so it's my old name.

To the PP asking if it's dizziness or vertigo, it's definitely vertigo now. At the start when I was having panic attacks I did have dizzy spells, but I think this was a separate issue, being caused by my anxiety. Hope that makes sense!

Makes perfect sense. There are a few meds you can take for symptom management which will assist while they work out what this is associated with. Push your GP for this and a referral. While waiting on specialist, if there is any way you can see a physio specialising in vestibular rehab as manoeuvres may help or if not would be useful for the specialist in ruling some stuff out if it doesn’t assist.

OP have you tried a travel sickness tablet for some short term relief?
I sympathise, it's the worst feeling. I find taking a Kwell really helps. Can someone go out and buy a pack for you? I usually take just half a tablet to take the edge off as taking a whole one makes me sleepy, but to be honest a nice sleep might do you good anyway.