Question:
Dizziness is a very common symptom of anxiety/panic. When I was first
diagnosed, this was one of my worst symptoms. I could not do anything,
because I thought I would pass out every time I stood up. This did pass for
me eventually, but only with the help of meds (Paxil and Buspar) and
therapy. If your friend has not gotten anything to help her through it, you
may want to suggest it. They have given me my life back.
Answer:
Is anyone out there familiar with panic/anxiety attacks precipitated by
severe vertigo? I have a friend who is suffering from occasional very bad
vertigo. Sometimes she is very dizzy to the point of nausea, being unable to
drive, etc. She has been to several specialists, and the cause is unknown.
The diagnosis is that she will "probably" spontaneously recover in six
months. Well, this has led to severe anxiety (panic attacks), with an
understandable fear of whether she can function with these unpredictable
attacks.
Sometimes that can be caused by an inner ear type problem that's hard to
diagnose but it can be very frightening to the person experiencing it. A lot of
people have started out with that and because of the fear moved right into
anxiety attacks. It's because the fear produces adrenaline that feeds into the
attacks. It's a shame that they can't pinpoint it. I can tell her what to do for
the attacks but the best thing she can do is find a specialist who can set her
mind at ease about the inner ear thing. I have a free anxiety helpline for the
panic attacks but I think it really would be best if she found another ear
doctor and checked out the physical aspect. It would set her mind at rest. It
must be nerve wracking for her not to know when it will hit. It may be a fluid
imbalance. Well, if she needs to talk, I'm out here and will be glad to listen.
You can check me out on my website for Anxiety Busters, my organization. There
are so many things that can be done for inner ear problems now though.
This may seem a bit unconventional but......when my dizziness was at it's worst,
I used Dramamime (OTC motion sickness med). I took 1/4 tablet and it really
helped with the dizziness. But...YMMV.
I am all too familiar with vertigo as one symptom of panic attacks. It sounds
like your friend has Panic Disorder. The thing to do is find a good pdoc,
specialized in anxiety disorders (maybe there's a university clinic in your area
which is often your best bet) and not benzophobic (afraid to prescribe
benzodiazepines, tranquillizers which are first choice meds for PD but which
some docs don't want to prescribe because of the alleged risk of addiction).
Your friend should first get properly diagnosed, possible other somatic cause
should be ruled out and she should IMO be prescribed meds. I found a benzo
especially helpful with the vertigo thingy but there are many more meds out
there and PD *is* a treatable condition these days, especially if you get
treatment soon after the development of symptoms.
when people get unexplained attacks of vertigo, anticipatory anxiety is
so common as to be expected. I tend to use psychotherapy for the
anxiety and to allow the person to deal with their problem. When the
vertigo disappears so does the anxiety.
There is another type of panic disorder which includes vertigo as a
part of a constellation of symptoms. This is primary panic with
vertigo. What you have describes sounds like primary vertigo with
secondary anxiety.
