Balance issues just from anxiety?

T26 · ‎07-12-2016

Hi,

This is my first time posting on here so I'm not sure if I'm in the right spot but hopefully I am!

I have suffered from anxiety for years, as a teen I had depression and anxiety and really bad OCD. So I'm pretty use to all the things that come with it and I know how powerful the mind can be over the body and the symptoms you feel but over the past 2 years I have developed a symptom that is hard to believe is all from my anxiety. I developed a panic disorder around 2 years ago and at the same time I was incredibly dizzy and off balance. It's hard to say if the panic came as a result of the dizziness or the other way around but it has been pretty constant over the past 2 years and today I just saw my 2nd ENT who told me that my inner ear ect is fine so there's nothing they can do to help me. That's great obviously but it doesn't help that I constantly feel like I have just gotten off a boat or like I'm falling over when I'm standing still!

i have a young child and I can't even play with him which breaks my heart. When I feel dizzy I do panic more which I know is a vicious cycle but I just find it hard to see how all day constant off balance feelings can be from that. I know when I have a panic attack or when I breathe too fast I either feel light headed or like I will faint but this is different.

I guess I'm just looking for personal experience from others who might have felt this horrible symptom of anxiety. My panic is related a lot around health so of course when my body feels terrible it's not a fun time for me! So if anyone has any tips to overcome it that would also be amazing!

Thanks 🙂

Maddir · ‎27-09-2019

Oh my god..
I'm so unbelievably happy I found this post.
I'm a healthy 24 year old female. I've suffered with anxiety since around 8 years old. I had it under control until about 3 months ago.... I woke up one day and got out of bed, walked to the kitchen and the whole time felt like I was walking on a boat. I was so off balance!! I freaked out, I have the biggest fear about health issues and getting sick so obviously I had the biggest panic attack.. I went to the doctors and she put it down to a middle ear infection after a cold I was recovering from.. I didn't go to work for 3 weeks until I forced myself to go back I was stuck on the lounge feeling sorry for myself. It then went away for about 2 weeks and then I had a massive panic attack at work for no reason and now it's back. Now I don't know if the dizziness came first or my anxiety but it's just a vicious cycle of both. I've been back and fourth from doctors and everything is fine.. Now my back is spasming from constant panic about it and my vision has gone blurry and I have that constant (surreal) vision. It's like I'm stuck in a panic attack.
The logical part of me knows it's anxiety but the anxiety keeps trying to convince me I'm basically dying.
This thread has literally put my mind at ease knowing I'm not the only one going crazy! I know these replies are quite old so I hope by now everyone is feeling better because I don't wish this feeling on anyone at all.

Anxiouschick101 · ‎08-10-2019

Hi everyone. Me again about 3 months on from my recent post. I’m still suffering from this off balance issue and am still going through tests with doctors to rectify it. Got told today that my B12 is low so perhaps that could be a contributing factor. It’s good not to feel alone. In contrast to how I said I dropped uni, I am now studying for my final exam and about to graduate! What an achievement while having off balance symptoms everyday! Not going to let this defeat me!!! Although not going to say it’s been easy. I had a melt down today over study and everytime my anxiety gets too high I panic and get very off balance so if had to put the books away tonight 😔. But one step at a time!

Also just wondering, not that I have but has anyone gotten very nauseas from this? I don’t get sea sick so maybe that’s why I haven’t been nauseated but I can imagine if you are prone to motion sickness it would be difficult! Let’s keep chatting and keep this chat alive!

Guest5643 · ‎08-10-2019

Hi Anxiouschick101

Your absolutey spot on with vitamin b12 deficiency. I just check my last reply and realised i completely forgot to mention it! I dont know how i forgot to but i did my apologies. I was getting intense dizziness, blurry vision and fatigue, different to my nystagmus and bpv balance issues and found out i was b12 deficient. I hope your gettig b12 injections and not supplementing with pill cause there a massive difference in results. Within 3 weeks i was physicaly a very different person. I now have b12 injections 3 monthly. You mentioned anxiety and balance issues. I frequently hold my breath without realising and i get off balance when that happens. As for nauseas no thats never happened with me.

Cheers lynne

Anxiouschick101 · ‎31-10-2019

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to check back in to see how everyone was doing! I watched an incredible episode of Insight the other night talking about workplace burnout and one or two of the “victims” mentioned they had to take almost 6 months off work and go on a retreat because they kept getting dizziness, off balance and nausea symptoms just to make a few! In myself since having a week or two off uni have noticed a remarkable difference in my off balance symptoms! I’m beginning to believe that I too am quite burnt out and perhaps this off balance is gods way of letting me know I have lost touch with myself

just some food for thought

AnotherOne12 · ‎12-11-2019

As you know ive been suffering from dizziness, off balance, elevator drop feeling since march this year and finally after 6 months all of those symptoms are gone. I went to see a good experienced psychiatrist, he put me on some anxiety meds and within 6 weeks they all gradually decreased and eventually went away. I know this forum doesnt allow naming meds but he did put me on an SNRI and a good moderate dose and within a matter of weeks i saw results. Good luck. You can get back to feeling yourself again. Im back to myself and feel great.

Malaalsieh · ‎14-11-2019

I can’t believe I’m not the only one feeling like this!!!!! That elevator drop feeling I get all the time. I always cry because I think it’s me about to pass out. I’m so relieved that I found this post!!!!!!! I’m getting my MRI results tomorrow. I’m scared but now I know I’m not alone you have reassured me. Has anyone Else used meds to stop the dizziness? I don’t want to use meds but I’m desperate for this balance issue to go away! I can’t work either

Maddir · ‎07-12-2019

Ok, I am so unbelievably happy to write this post right now. For months I have been dealing with this exact problem, I had labyrinthitis from an ear infection months ago which gave me vertigo for about a week and after that I just have this strange off balance feeling like I was being pulled to one side or it felt like I had butter on the bottom of my feet and they would slide out. Anyway I have major panic disorder and severe anxiety mainly based around health and medical stuff so this really impacted me. I've been back and fourth from doctors and I've been given the all clear on everything, I'm a very healthy and fit 24. I eat a really well balanced diet and I'm an athlete. I've been on this forum quite a bit waiting for someone to provide me with the magical diagnosis. But after talking to my therapist I believe I have found it!!!
So it's something called PPPD (persistent postural perceptual dizziness) basically it starts with normal vertigo but then your brain basically over stimulates due to the anxiety and you find yourself in a mode of derealisation etc. I won't go on to much but please google PPPD there's even YouTube diaries of people going through the same thing. I don't feel like I'm going crazy anymore!