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1282565 tn?1271444844

Vertigo, Nausea, and Anxiety?

Okay so to start off about 2 years ago(i was 21, female) I began to have dizzy spells. They started with car rides, or when I would walk too much at work(i was a waitress) They got so bad I would throw up, or at the least experiance severe nausea. I began to have mild panic attacks after a few weeks of this as i saw 3 or 4 doctors and they told me it was acid reflux, or the flu. I went to the ER one night feeling very dizzy like i may faint. They did an EKG and said it was abnormal. I saw a Cardiologist he did a sonogram and a stress test(where u run on the treadmill) and said everything checked out. He did not do any further tests to find the abnormality on the EKG but said i could have WPW(Wolf Parkinson White) syndrome and put me on 25 mg of Toprol. The toprol did nothing and still really doesnt but 2 years later i still take it, but dont know if i should or not. The dizziness cont'd and the throwing up did as well. I began to rapidly lose weight going from 165 to about 100 in 6-7 weeks. More doctors. I was prescribed everything from Meclizine to Phenergan to Zofran. Nothing helped. Finally went to a GI dr. He said he thought it was Labrinthitus and put me on some Xanax which helped with the anxiety and i ate more but thats all. He also sent me to a Nuerologist. Nueroligist did MRI without contrast. There was a spot on the back of my brain that was about the size of a peanut he said it was nothing probably just a scar from a head injury. But ive never had a head injury in my life which i told him. He prescribed me more Xanax sent me back to the GI dr saying it probably was Labrinthitus but that it would go away on its own. Back to GI dr. GI dr says its all stress induced and prescribes me Effexor XR 150 mg and Xanax 1 mg. I take these but have run out of money at this point so i cant keep going from dr to dr. I had no insurance so as u can imagine all these tests and doctors were VERY EXPENSIVE and im still so far in debt its unREAL. So i just kept taking the Effexor becasue in reality i WAS very depressed and anxious although i knew it couldnt explain ALL my symptoms maybe half of them at best and because I didnt know what else to try. Well the dizziness and nausea never rlly went away i just got used to feeling like that day in and day out. I would sometimes experiance other symptoms such as heart palpitations, flashes of light, severe fatigue out of nowhere like when your dehydrated, shaking, dry mouth then mouth watering, insomnia, migranes, vertigo when laying down, and this strange thing where my gag reflex would just clench like when you throw up but not actually throwing up. I also had several fainting episodes that the ER couldnt explain. VERY FRUSTRATING AND SCARY.
I got pregnant in October and stopped the Effexor and Xanax. That was a fun ride. I felt okay for awhile after the withdrawl wore off just the usual nausea and dizziness but then about a month ago i began getting VERY bad migranes that made me vomit, and i almost always have a headache no matter what. I also have severe pain in one spot on the back of my neck that shoots up into my head and around my neck. I see spots all the time randomly, and the dizziness has gotten ridiculous. I also experiance severe vertigo when i am falling asleep at night, and jerk awake. Its not that "sense of falling" that ppl talk about i used to get that as a kid. This is every time i start to drift off.
Should i get another MRI done? Why do the doctors blame all my symptoms on Anxiety? Is that even possible it could just be anxiety? Im so confused and lost...I just want my normal life back. Its impossible to function like a normal human being when I feel like this and drs just wanna throw drugs at me, becasue as so many have told me "Your only 23 years old i doubt its serious" Who CARES how old you are?? Just bc your young doesnt mean anything. I need some advice. I am tired of feeling like this.
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Avatar universal
Just wondering if your issues were ever fully resolved. I am suffering these symptoms as well
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Avatar universal
Hi,
I am little surprised you haven't been referred to an ENT specialist(Otolaryngologist) for your vertigo, dizziness etc., symptoms.  They definitely do a bunch of tests which ofcourse may or may not prove something wrong.  It is not like MRI, it is more like balance tests, ECOG etc.,  If you get dizzy if you tilt your head on one side then it may be BPPV which may be fixed with some therapies.  Unfortunately if you don't have insurance ALL this can be expensive.

I have head pressure, dizziness, visual disturbance after a head injury.
Was prescribed bunch of anti-depressants and nothing worked.  Found Xanax a little helpful for my dizziness, head pressure, nausea etc.,  Again not to the point of functioning.  They called me as a complex case.

As other members mentioned a spot in the brain is not something to be ignored if it is not from a head injury.  Get a good neurologist and other specialists who can listen.  If they can't find the root problem they say it depression, anxiety, migraine.
good luck.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Unfortunately, your story is all too common; you are told it is stress, anxiety, blah, blah, blah and while you are suffering, miserable and sent home with a pocket full of Rxs for antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, etc. Yeah, who would not be depressed, stressed and anxious if you don't have answers for what the hell is wrong with you.  I think that is why Medhelp is so popular.  Most of the people are in the same situation you are in.

Secondly, I would get another MRI of the brain/head WITH CONTRAST and ANOTHER NEUROLOGIST.  See if you can obtain a copy of your last MRI report you had done and read it for yourself.  Makes you wonder what that "small spot in the back of your head" is/was.

Lastly, hang in there.  I think there are more and more physicians that want "quick and easy" to figure out nowadays.  It takes too much time and effort to deal with the cases that require that extra investigation, so they label you with something just so they can do their dictation and move on to the next patient.  However, I still believe there are some physicians that truly care about their patients and want to deliver the best care they can give.  

Keep us posted.

Helpful - 0
1042487 tn?1275279899
I know the frustration you are going thru and while your symptoms are representative of those of someone with GAD (general anxiety disorder) and panic attack, I would take another MRI and I would check the neck region just to make sure everything is okay and maybe at the same time dismiss your anxiety. I bet they already checked your for any abnormal neurological symptoms such as pupils reaction to light etc. which in case they were abnormal would indicate a probable brain tumor or neurological disorder. Your abnormal EKG could explain some symptoms tho.

My personal opinion is that anxiety is really a problem for you and being uncertain about your health is not helping you so better make sure exverything is ok then maybe see your anxiety go away.

Tests I suggest? MRI of the spine (neck region) or Ct-Scan (inexpansive but radiations compared to the safer expansive MRI).

Neck X-Ray is something quick that can be done too before you decide if you want that neck spine MRI.

M4
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