Brain Shakes and Dizziness

[mg409]

I have read multiple descriptions of "brain shakes" on this forum but none seem to describe my experience. I have gone to two different general practitioners and they tell me that I am suffering from vertigo but my symptoms do not seem to completely match vertigo either.

I am a 27-year-old, healthy and active woman. Several months ago, I began experiencing these random episodes of brain shakes that are followed by dizziness. The "brain shakes" feel like a jolt and vibration that last about a 1 second. These "brain shakes" are sometimes violent and because they are unexpected, I react by placing my hands to my head. But my head does not actually "shake", its is merely an internal sensation that I'm reacting to. The "brain shakes" are immediately followed by dizziness. I feel like the room is spinning and sometimes I become flushed and nauseous. The dizziness lasts less than a minute. The dizziness is initially severe and then it fades away and is completely gone in about a minute.

These episodes have occurred approximately 6 or so times. They appear to occur randomly and they are spaced out; sometimes a couple weeks and other times about a month apart. I am almost never moving when these occur. In other words, they don't seem to be caused by sudden movements or physical fatigue. Most times it has happens when I'm sitting at my desk working or in a car or at lunch with a friend. When they occur, I am immediately fine when the dizziness wears off as if nothing happened. They also occur one at a time; I've never had more than one per day. Also, these episodes to do not appear to be stress or mental health related. I am a mental health practitioner and was able to rule that out.

Although these episodes have not significantly impaired my life functioning, they are certainly scary and concerning. Any insight about what might be happening would be greatly appreciated!!

[MinecraftMom176]

I knew there was something I forgot on my initial reply... Vitamin D.  Was tested as extremely deficient around June or July (when the episodes were full tilt).  16.6 level.  Retested again in.. October?  September?  episodes far less frequent/severe.  28.8.  

I also believe Vitamin D deficiency is a factor.

And to the poster who said it was like the brain moved up and then clicked back into place?  THAT'S IT!!!  In my case I'd say it feels like it moves left to right but it's just that one positional movement.. not a shaking per se..

[MinecraftMom176]

You described it almost perfectly what I have been experiencing!  I know these are old posts but like someone else said did a google search and this thread came up :)  

I get the slight shake or I was calling it a slide.. like my brain shifted from left to right, then the slight dizziness (I don't spin, but it feels like I'm GOING to.. but it's like I catch it and stop it).  It started back in May of 2015 for me.  Bad to the point I was nearly afraid to leave the house for several months.. and didn't unless I absolutely HAD to.  I still am getting it...

I would say now it's cycle based for me.. which I find it interesting that many people are in their teens?  I'm 46 and pretty sure I am peri-menopausal.  The episodes seem to be daily in the days leading up to and the first day or so of my period.  When they first started turns out I was battling kidney stones.. the episodes seemed to dissipate considerably once I passed the last stone.

Dehydration has been mentioned.  I had a fainting episode on October 12, 2014 where I passed out and cracked my head on a concrete floor.. fell straight back and nailed it good.  The person who was with me said I had some kind of seizure right after.  Anyway, the cause of the faint was severe dehydration.  Whichhhh, I'm assuming also led to the kidney stones.  

And stress.. for the trifecta.  My life for the past 3-4 years in particular has been insanely stressful.  Toxic, emotionally abusive relationship.  My passing out episode was the day after I had moved out.. I ended up moving back in December of 2014.. but think the stress triggered, combined with the kidney stones, what happened starting in May.  

I've since moved out again.. and I feel much better.. trying to eat and drink better.  I do not sleep enough, I believe that is also a factor.  

Would like to know what it actually is though.. I did see an ENT last October.. Told me it was BPPV.  I don't think so..

[saturnstormx]

I had one of these today (it is why I googled this lol). I think it probably has something to do with how hard you're thinking. Because it happened to me in class when I was trying to focus very hard on a math lesson on logarithms. It just felt like something in my head shifted, it was very weird. Not painful at all but I still felt it.

[krish12345]

Finally all my friends, I got the solution of this consulting one of the best neurologist. 1st of all the good news is this is not a disease or at least big disease. It happens to a person who use to think about anything very deep i.e. dug into the matter or the person can have some problem (like financial prob etc.) about which he/she is thinking always. Actually when we think, neurotransmitter is emitted in our brain. When a person got the habit to think deep always, neurotransmitters gets accumulated over a long period of time and after that person feels this kind of syndrome.

Now the solution is simple. No medicine is required for this, but simply one hour brief walking is the simple cure for this. While walking try to take deep breath. Actually we have to burn our neurotransmitter accumulated like deleting junk files from computer. A good exercise, running or walking for a hour can do this. Doctor suggested me to do this for two months. After one month only, i am feeling somewhat relax. Although, I am not cured completely, but amount of dizziness and fear became low.

Few more things to be followed i.e. good amount of sleep at night (6 hour at least), no consumption of alcohol. I find that when I take tea or coffee, I find myself in frequent shaking and dizziness. So, stopped taking tea and coffee too. No smoking also is the need for cure. I don't know if someone is addicted, so how to manage all this. But one thing is sure , you can minimize alcohol and smoking as much as you can.

Further, the most important thing is never think too much. Solve the problem or Leave the problem, Never Live with the problem.

Best of luck!!    

[Qp001]

I’m pretty sure this is my problem. Did the symptoms ever go away completely?

[Sarah_831]

This has been happening to me forever, almost as long as I can remember. I can feel it a few seconds before it happens and it last about a second or two and then I'm fine. It starts in like my ears and then my whole body shakes for a second. No dizziness or headaches after or before. And I would say that it almost happens daily.

[brookie1234]

I have been having these for the past couple days. It started because I have been having anxiety attacks & then this starts. It really scares me cause everything just doesn't seem real too me anymore. I have an 11 month old daughter. I'm 17 years old and it scares me badly that imma die or something. I start prozac in thr morning & really hoping it works for me. & that this just goes away. I had seizures while I was pregnant but nome after that or never this brain shakiness so idk.