I have that all of the time. I just try not to do anything that I can't. It's something that I find quite disturbing. I also am on blood pressure medication.
Yes, I am in the midst of an episode right now. I just live with it. My doctor prescribed medication for it which I use if symptoms interfere with driving.
Often. I used to have fainting spells as well. I use a cane to assist with balance as well as mobility and that seems to help. Unfortunately, the best answer is to ease off high level activities. The downside to that is the weight gain, the loss of muscle, and the increased pain from lower activity levels. It’s a toss up.
Does it happen all the time? Have you had the tilt test done? There is a vagus nerve test and that may be helpful.
Good luck and gentle hugs!
Costco has a blood pressure cuff that is pretty inexpensive and comparable to the equipment found in the doctors office. Target has the same brand, but it’s slightly higher in price and with fewer bells and whistles.
Hi Jess. I'm so sorry to hear this. It's pretty awful, isn't it?
I'm not sure if this is the same or not but I often get dizzy while reading and the words start swimming in front of my face. I have to sleep at that point as it takes a lot out of me for some reason.
I suspect that it's one of my medicines doing this but can't be sure as I can't get off them. You might want to read read the side effects of whatever meds you are taking to see if your vertigo might be related to them.
I'm sorry to not be of much help for you
My health insurance covered my bp cuff so it pays to ask.
msmsuse said:
Costco has a blood pressure cuff that is pretty inexpensive and comparable to the equipment found in the doctors office. Target has the same brand, but it's slightly higher in price and with fewer bells and whistles.
Thank you, I will look forward to your update. Hope all goes well.
Mikayla said:
Hey Jess,
I recently went for a consultation at Mayo clinic in Jacksonville, FL and the nurse for my fibro consultation told me that fibro triggers autonomic responses. I get vertigo quite often, as well as rapid heartbeats, and other fun stuff. I’m not positive that’s what is going on with you but that could be what it is. I’m supposed to go to a 2-day clinic to learn all about fibro, I’ll post everything I find out including how to cope with various symptoms like vertigo.
Thank you all for such great feedback, and sharin personal experiences. I did went to the doctor and she sent me another MRI just to make sure all is good in the brain. Sometime next week I will get to it, once all this spinning feeling fades off!! It is always comforting to know, one is not alone, as I am still beginning to learn how to live with this condition!!
I forgot to add that when I first got on Lyrica, I was extremely dizzy for about a month. Maybe your meds are doing this to you, maybe you should ask your doctor. Good luck!!
I have had several dizzy episodes-not as bad as what you are describing. I don't have these if I don't eat wheat!
Hey Jess, I like many of us afflicted with FM have a litany of medical issues. I get both high and low blood pressure. Either way, if I get up too quickly or if I flip my hair when I'm styling it in the morning, I see stars and get very dizzy. But blood pressure is not the only thing that can cause the vertigo. It can be brought on by low potassium, dehydration, and anemia. I can't take vitamins as they are too hard on my stomach, so I drink the Boost shakes which really helps in giving me the vitamins I need. I also drink a ton of water to keep my blood level's up. I don't eat a lot of red meat, but I eat enough lean red meat to help with the anemia. I don't really get dizzy spells anymore and if I do, it's because I have a migraine. I hope this helps, and good luck.
I too deal with this and went for the MRIs, tests and labwork. I was diagnosed with migraine associated vertigo (see here http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/central/migraine/mav.html).
Another thing i recalled that has caused it for me in the past and now is if i am not hydrated enough...this can make you feel sick in general period.
I have lupus with some kidney involvement so i must keep drinking all day and when i wake up at night remind myself to drink a good cup if it has been a while.
I often will feel nausea with this as well which is normal according to doctors.. it is kind of one of those things that it can be caused by many little things or even combination of things that together created it. They have checked your ears out ...just by chance as one person pointed out it often is ear problem. So you might as to see Ear throat and Nose doctor to just rule out that possibility but if your doctor is going so far as to do MRI, i am sure most likely they sent you already. So just in case they have not.
I am glad a person brought up about driving...i think it is common sense not to drive if you are having these severe Vertigo episodes, especially if you cannot tell when they will happen. I do not think there are any laws about it such as there are for seizures but might be...something to check with your doctor or local DMV. Last thing we all hate is to hurt someone or a critter! It is huge pain ( at least here in CA in small towns) because our public transit is very limited. In larger cities like Sacramento and SF there are great services.
Dramamine also might help...i am not sure if said this but once many years ago a doctor told me to take it for when i was feeling dizzy and nauseated...it is anti nausea drug but did help also with dizziness.
You might stop one of your drugs at time with your doctors help and see if one of them is the cause as well. I know with me how bad i got while taking Lyrica and Savella it was so bad that i could not function...just walking to bathroom was trying..where you keep your hands on walls so you do not fall and i did fall more than few times.
I hope you do find the cause...often it is just takes time which i know you do not want to hear...and slowly eliminate and then enter drugs slowly one by one back into your life. I really try to keep fluid intake up ... you might need more than water now due to pills you are on.
I hope you find the answer soon!! wish non dizzy days
I experience something like vertigo--and I hate it! I take duloxetene (cymbalta), which seems to help Also--here I am on my one note again--exercise, the right kind of exercise, obviously nothing that makes your vertigo worse, truly can help.
I have suffered with vertigo for 15 years. I read a book that talks about various fibro symptoms. Vertigo is among them. Of course other causes must be ruled out. The vertigo was bad. I took antivert for years. Last summer I had it for weeks. I saw ENT and they performed a various head positions which resolved the vertigo.
I have Meniere's Disease and Migraine Associated Vertigo. Meniere's disease is fluid and inflammation of the inner ear, it usually affects one side. Migraine associated vertigo developed at the same time and largely was triggered by head movement, and movement in my visual field.
I had true rotary vertigo, where my vision was spinning, along with the sensation of my body spinning. My Meniere's was treated by injections of steroids through my ear drum though I am on a low sodium diet for life, have a 50% vestibular loss in my right ear, and am going deaf (though slowly) in my right ear.
The MAV is treated though Amitriptyline and Botox injections. The Amytriptyline also helps with my other chronic nerve pain and depression, which is a plus.
With Vertigo it is really important to see an ENT who specializes in inner ear disorders, even if the cause is neurological. My ENT knows more about MAV than most of the neurologists I've seen.
Thanks to vertigo I couldn't work for 8 months last year. I could not drive, fell 2-3 times a week, and was dependent on a cane to walk. Usually outside I was also dependent on having someone with me to help guide me as I could not tell what direction I was going in.
Edited to add: Benzodiazapines and Meclizine did not help the visual turning of my vertigo, but did help quite a bit with the motion sickness. Thankfully now the worse I get is the feeling that I'm moving, but my vision for the most part remains stable.
All the feedback has been great. I am having a brain MRI next week and seeing the ENT on the 27th, hopefully will get some answers by then. I am anow on Antivert and Augmentin and I am feeling a little better, at least the world is no longer spinning around me. Yhank you all!!!
I have struggled with vertigo for many years, my ENT dr keeps a scriot ready fot me when it gets too bad! It is not a pleasant feeling, gentle hugs
Hi, I can soooooo relate to what you're experiencing and would like to comment on a couple of things. I have experienced both vertigo and Positional Hypotension.
The vertigo is a new addition to my life and one that I would be extremely grateful to do without. I've had 2 episodes, the first one happened about 4 months ago when I rolled over in bed. It felt as if the whole world jerked and caused my brain to spin inside my skull. When I opened my eyes the room was also spinning in a blur. The spinning was so fast it felt as if I was going to fly off the bed, this was accompanied by sudden and intense nausea. The doctor said it was because of calcium crystals that had come loose and were sloshing around in the semi- circular canals of my ear. Another member has given a great medical description and others have added some good links and possible solutions so I will not repeat them here. The vertigo went away on its own in about 2 weeks. The second bout (a couple months later), not as severe, lasted about a week.
The other kind of dizziness that has been talked about, when people stand up, is called Positional Hypotension and is caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure because a person has changed the level of their head (ie. standing up quickly). I used to get this alllll the time when I was a teenager and young adult. I was an athlete and ultra fit with a resting heart rate of about 50 beats per minute and BP on the low side. The solution from my doctor was "don't stand up so fast". Too much BP medication can have the same outcome. However, the sensation of "dizziness" is NOT the same as vertigo. In both situations, vertigo and Positional Hypotension, there is help and hope. Hang in there!
Yes I get this. I heard it might be because my medication levels are are to high. However that dosage take my pain away. So I guess I am not suer what to do about it either.