Multiple head sensations from anxiety - reaching out for help

[Mitch_Master_Mike]

Hi friends,

The last 3 years I've been getting a series of strange head sensations, They generally stay for 6-9 months then stop for a few months only to return after being triggered by organic sensations similar (a head cold or over tired).
It makes me feel like i'm going to faint or 'check out' when i'm speaking to people face to face and makes driving difficult and unsafe plus generally feeling not ‘with it’ 24/7.
Caffeine brings on the sensation 10x harder, even little doses like in painkillers affect me.
After the first belt of this and after many inconclusive doctors visits and MRI scans i spoke to a friend who also suffers from anxiety and said it is probably adrenaline being produced in excess which is causing the problem due to anxiety. It actually helped, went from a 8/10 to a 3/10 after a few days of trying to process this theory.
Problem is I can't shake it..Everytime i get a trigger (cold or over tired) it comes back.

I'm reaching out to anybody who has had anything similar to this or may be able to help.

I can't find anything that ticks all the boxes online. After speaking to health professionals nothing has been resolved, nobody knows what it is exactly which makes me feel increasingly anxious and depression is starting to set in. It's starting to drive me crazy not to know what is wrong with me.
Symptoms:
Heavy eyes
Eyes sensitive to light
Ears ringing
‘Gassy’ feeling in head
Slight off balance
20 frames per second behind (based on a study saying 110 fps is standard) normal life speed
Constantly tired
Spaced out feeling (almost like being stoned)
Hard to focus long distances

If anyone has any input big or small it would be appreciated.

Thanks!

MMM

[roogirl]

Hi MMM,

You certainly seem to have a wide range of symptoms here. I can relate to some of them especially when I'm deep in my anxiety phase. I get the heavy eyes, slighty off balance, spaced out feeling and my head feels thick and heavy. I suffer mainly from health anxiety, so when I get these symptoms, I tend to freak out a bit. I have them at the moment due to a sinus problem. It's like a catch 22, one follows the other. Dog chasing it's tail. Maybe talk to your GP about getting the Mental Health Plan and seeing a psychologist to help you manage these problems as you seem to have had a lot of tests etc to clear you medically. I see a psychologist on a regular basis and have done for about 4 years now. I'm one of those people who can't take medication to treat my anxiety. I feel really bad and out of it when I do, so I have to learnt to cope with it using other strategies. A psychologist will be able to help you do this.

MMM, don't know how much I've assisted you here, but try not to panic about this too much. Easier said than done I know. I wish you the best of luck on your road to recovery. It will get better.

Regards

Glenda

[44Max44]

I suffered from health anxiety for a long time, and head sensations were the ones that got to me the most.
I've experienced every single symptom you described and more. If you look back on some of the posts I've made, you'll probably see that I've made posts on all of these symptoms at some point or another.

One of the symptoms that stuck with me the longest and effected me the most was the same 'gassy' feeling in the head. I described it as a 'slightly lightheaded, sort of dizzy sensation' that caused me to feel slightly unbalanced as you described. It stuck around with me for months and months, I went to the doctors for it 2 or 3 times and each time they said it was probably an inner-ear infection causing a sense of imbalance, but in hindsight, it was probably almost certainly just caused by excess adrenaline due to my anxiety/stress.

All of the symptoms you described and more can in-fact be caused by excess adrenaline due to anxiety/stress. Too much adrenaline can cause your vision to blur or make it hard to focus and it can make it hard to get a restful sleep which causes the constant tired feeling and heavy eyes.

I'm not a doctor, but as someone who has been in your situation and experienced every single one of the symptoms you describe, I can say that there is most likely nothing wrong with you and there's no reason to worry (and I know that is MUCH easier said than done).

Something that could help you is 'The Anxiety Guy' on YouTube, and in particular his 'Symptoms of Health Anxiety' videos. I think you'll quickly find that he describes every symptom you've listed above and that it was all caused by his health anxiety and nothing more. I'd also try to stay away from caffeine as much as possible because I've found that it only amplifies my symptoms and anxiety.

I'll find one of my old posts and post it here, have a read over it, I think you'll find that I describe what you're experiencing almost exactly and that it was all due to my anxiety and nothing more.

Good luck, and all the best.

[44Max44]

I can't find any of my old posts on this topic, but if you just search 'dizziness' in the search bar up the top, there are a lot of posts describing the same sensations you described in this post. It could probably help if you read over some of those posts to see that there have been many people who have experienced these same symptoms before. You aren't alone in feeling the way you do. Your friend is right, it is just excessive adrenaline on top of anxiety and stress that causes these symptoms.

All the best.