Could Dizziness Be A Panic Attack?

[SeaQuel]

I keep writing about my various symptoms, trying to make sense of them when there probably is not much sense to be made.

What I'm wondering is does anyone else experience dizziness as a standalone symptom (unrelated to a medication side effect)? I'm wondering if it's a form of panic attack? I've had those, too, but usually they manifest as breathing issues.

I've also had dizziness before in conjunction with the breathing issues, where I have trouble with balance/coordination (of course makes sense if I'm not breathing properly).

But I'm just referring to dizziness by itself. No other noticeable symptoms. It's like my head is all fuzzy or squishy or something. I wish I could think of the word. It gets worse if I'm moving, but sometimes it's just as bad sitting. It can last for hours. And I know it's not dehydration as I just had two liters of water during my trek and was just as dizzy going into the woods as coming out.

It feels kinda zombie-like.

My therapist thinks I could be experiencing flashbacks when I have problems breathing or feel dizzy, because my trauma does relate to these things. But I would like to know if other people with PTSD also experience hours of feeling dizzy.

 

[shimmerz]

I experienced dizziness right before a dissociative attack. Also I would get a sudden surge of heat inside of me. Keep in mind though that stuff that messes with your breathing may well leave you dizzy.

 

[SeaQuel]

@shimmerz did the dizziness subside after you dissociated? I'm dizzy for hours on end sometimes. Just sitting here right now and my only symptom is that I'm dizzy. It actually feels like 1) I went too fast on a ride at the amusement park or 2) I drank too much and the room is spinning. Neither of these is the case, however. Those are much better descriptors than what I gave above.

stuff that messes with your breathing may well leave you dizzy.

Yes, and I've experienced that type of dizziness, but that's not this. I'm not experiencing any issues with breathing when I experience this type of dizziness.

 

[shimmerz]

Yes, my dizziness lasted until I passed out. Do you feel 'affected' by something right now Dancing? Is it possible you have undiagnosed vertigo or very low blood pressure? Or do you feel like it is a trauma response?

 

[SeaQuel]

I do have low blood pressure, actually. But it's never been a cause for concern. I just have to remember to eat so that I don't feel faint. But I ate and hydrated plenty today. Nothing at all out of the ordinary. And I'm not currently triggered by anything (as far as I know). Medical mystery I guess.

 

[joeylittle]

undiagnosed vertigo

I'd go ahead and get this checked out, @DancingBull. Everything you are describing sounds quite a lot like it would be explained by vertigo. It can come on in adulthood, and there are some things you can do for it while waiting for it to get out of your life. But I don't know much more about it than that.

 

[Chava]

But I'm just referring to dizziness by itself. No other noticeable symptoms. It's like my head is all fuzzy or squishy or something

I've gotten this with some panic attacks before. Dizzy, fullness in my head, feeling like I could pass out. If I notice weird tingling in my nose, I can catch it before it becomes the whole dizziness. Slowing down, putting my head down, breathing into my hands, and water seems to help. I haven't had these for a while. But I did have lots of tests done for the dizziness. And since it was sometimes accompanied by other physiological factors and sometimes obvious triggers, it was determined to be panic.

 

[Friday]

It could be a panic attack... But I'd be more inclined to rule out ear infection, first.

Similarly, while ear infections, cavities, & sinus infections usually have pain associated, all 3 can be painless, and the swelling from any of them messing with the inner ear? :confused: Mad dizziness.

 

[shimmerz]

I have a girlfriend with PTSD. When highly stressed she gets vertigo for months.

 

[Chava]

Ooh...another thing I thought of was that I noticed panic patterns around increasing physical demands, even if mild or demands I had managed previously hundreds of times...like a lot going on in my environment at work, a lot I had to focus on suddently, or even walking from flat land to up a hill. Some whacked out chemical response...like I couldn't "shift" into a slightly higher gear without overshooting and probably flooding myself with adrenaline or extra "go" chemicals. I couldn't shift gracefully likes others seem to. Not sure if you relate to this at all...but this was a pattern for me.

For me the primary issue at the time was my doctor telling me not to overexert myself because I could have a heart attack. I wasn't thinking about it and had no idea what was triggering my panic at the time, but in hindsight I was hyper sensitive to shifts away from doing basically nothing. My body was misreading its own responses. I know this isn't totally a common example, but if it really is panic, you might not even know the triggers right now. I'm not sure why that form of panic left but it helps that I'm eating better, feel a little more confident in my body, and have done a lot of work on basic regulation stuff.

 

[SeaQuel]

Although I started this thread ruling out a medication side effect, perhaps it is one... I just read dizziness is considered a "common" symptom for trazadone, which is my magic sleeping pill and the only medication I'm on currently. But I think that it's probably mainly referring to the immediate SE after taking traz, like before you go to bed, not the whole day afterwards as in my case.

Interestingly, I also just read that vertigo can be caused by different types of meds, including anti-depressants (which traz falls under apparently, even though I take it for sleep).

But isn't vertigo for older people? I'm not that old, yet.

This has been happening on and off for the last few months. If I had an ear infection for this long, I'd be worried (or deaf).

I'm not inclined to go get anything checked by a doctor who's just gonna tell me it's the PTSD.

I was actually hoping this was a common PTSD symptom and something to add to the list.

 

[Chava]

But isn't vertigo for older people? I'm not that old, yet.

No but maybe more common.

I'm not inclined to go get anything checked by a doctor who's just gonna tell me it's the PTSD.

They'd likely just rule out ear infection or other possibilities. You don't want to be told it's the PTSD, and yet...

I was actually hoping this was a common PTSD symptom

?