The Dizziness Group: For those who are floating, boating, falling or flying

[[La...]]

I want to add my experience to this group.

 

13 years on Klonopin, 1 year taper, 20 months benzo free.

 

Lately, I have a new symptom.  Dizziness.  I have good days and bad days.  Once, it lasted for 4 days.  Usually, is it one or two days on and then stops for a while.  This only has been happening for a couple of weeks so no real pattern yet.

 

Anyone else have dizziness and did it ever stop?

 

Hi Bob

 

I have had many dizziness issues that have been consistent for 4 years, and the only relief (and it is still early days) is with neuroplasticity.

I have made so much progress in a reasonable amount of time by following a program by a young lady who is an audiologist and experienced this and tinnitus herself. She came up with a program and also explanations as to why we experience this.

Seeking balance international is her website her name is Joey Reminyi. She has a free starter kit on her web page. Plus lots of YouTube videos.

 

I started with that, I have been doing it for around 6 months now and it is making a huge difference.

This has given me so much hope, but like anything you have to do the work but it’s not difficult or that time consuming.

 

Hope this helps

 

Gypsy

 

Hi Gypsy,

Can you please share with us what kinds of things you are doing that you find helpful and how your symptoms have changed since you started doing those things? It's great to hear that you're getting better. I'm interested to know if it's similar to Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy, which I did a lot of in the early days. I'll also seek out some of the YouTube videos and see what I can learn, but if you have links to ones that you've found helpful, it would be great if you could share them.

[[Ho...]]

I want to add my experience to this group.

 

13 years on Klonopin, 1 year taper, 20 months benzo free.

 

Lately, I have a new symptom.  Dizziness.  I have good days and bad days.  Once, it lasted for 4 days.  Usually, is it one or two days on and then stops for a while.  This only has been happening for a couple of weeks so no real pattern yet.

 

Anyone else have dizziness and did it ever stop?

 

Hi Bob

 

I have had many dizziness issues that have been consistent for 4 years, and the only relief (and it is still early days) is with neuroplasticity.

I have made so much progress in a reasonable amount of time by following a program by a young lady who is an audiologist and experienced this and tinnitus herself. She came up with a program and also explanations as to why we experience this.

Seeking balance international is her website her name is Joey Reminyi. She has a free starter kit on her web page. Plus lots of YouTube videos.

 

I started with that, I have been doing it for around 6 months now and it is making a huge difference.

This has given me so much hope, but like anything you have to do the work but it’s not difficult or that time consuming.

 

Hope this helps

 

Gypsy

 

Hi Gypsy,

Can you please share with us what kinds of things you are doing that you find helpful and how your symptoms have changed since you started doing those things? It's great to hear that you're getting better. I'm interested to know if it's similar to Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy, which I did a lot of in the early days. I'll also seek out some of the YouTube videos and see what I can learn, but if you have links to ones that you've found helpful, it would be great if you could share them.

 

Following...

[[Gy...]]

I want to add my experience to this group.

 

13 years on Klonopin, 1 year taper, 20 months benzo free.

 

Lately, I have a new symptom.  Dizziness.  I have good days and bad days.  Once, it lasted for 4 days.  Usually, is it one or two days on and then stops for a while.  This only has been happening for a couple of weeks so no real pattern yet.

 

Anyone else have dizziness and did it ever stop?

 

Hi Bob

 

I have had many dizziness issues that have been consistent for 4 years, and the only relief (and it is still early days) is with neuroplasticity.

I have made so much progress in a reasonable amount of time by following a program by a young lady who is an audiologist and experienced this and tinnitus herself. She came up with a program and also explanations as to why we experience this.

Seeking balance international is her website her name is Joey Reminyi. She has a free starter kit on her web page. Plus lots of YouTube videos.

 

I started with that, I have been doing it for around 6 months now and it is making a huge difference.

This has given me so much hope, but like anything you have to do the work but it’s not difficult or that time consuming.

 

Hope this helps

 

Gypsy

 

Hi Gypsy,

Can you please share with us what kinds of things you are doing that you find helpful and how your symptoms have changed since you started doing those things? It's great to hear that you're getting better. I'm interested to know if it's similar to Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy, which I did a lot of in the early days. I'll also seek out some of the YouTube videos and see what I can learn, but if you have links to ones that you've found helpful, it would be great if you could share them.

 

Lapis & Bob

 

Sorry for the delay in replying I have been a little slammed over my last cut with of all things fear and depression, not very nice but trying to remain optimistic that this too shall pass.

 

I will try and copy a link here to one of Joey Reminyi YouTube videos which explains in layman’s terms how neuroplasticity works. I think this is a very important place to start. If this resonates with you then I would recommend looking at her website, she has a free starter kit that can give you some basics to know whether this is the right path for you.

 

 

My vertigo now comes and goes but I would say after diligently doing the program which I still continue to do (as it is easy to relapse) I am at about 70% better in the dizziness. Tinnitus is still there but it has not as roaring as it used to be. I used to feel like I was in a shipping channel with at least 20 ships blowing the foghorns at the same time, now it is more like a quiet hum and sometimes it’s not there at all.

 

The hardest part in all of this is:

 

Learning to understand how the body works which is difficult in withdrawal

 

Trusting that these simple processes can work if we do them (it’s not a quick fix)

 

And actually making the commitment to actually do the exercises etc

 

I have tried lots of things like CBT, tapping, hypnotherapy, tinnitus masking with frequencies etc and whilst some have helped a little nothing was lasting.

No matter how bad I feel I invest just 15 minutes per day literally retraining my neural,pathways which involves.

 

Talking to yourself differently ie 

what you put your focus on grows, so if we were to sit here and think ‘ this tinnitus is roaring and I hate it, then that thought literally makes a neural pathway that we then keep reinforcing every time we think that thought.

 

There are also different exercises to regain your balance, which only take a couple of minutes every day. That help change your pathways to reset your balance, because with us here in Benzo land our ears eyes all the vestibular systems have been knocked out of whack so they are not working together.

 

Hope this helps a little, any other questions feel free to ask away. I’ve been on this horrible journey since 2006 so I know how hard and also how sceptical we all get. It’s scary as not all things work for all people as we are all individuals.

 

Gypsy

 

 

 

[[La...]]

Hi Gypsy,

Thanks so much for your reply! I'll have a look at the link you shared. I actually started watching another of Joey's YouTube videos on the topic of neuroplasticity and tinnitus, but I got distracted by the other things that I needed to get done this past week. Kind of an overwhelming time here with everything that's going on.

 

It's great to hear that your symptoms have improved, and that's the most important thing. I'm curious....Why do you think this type of therapy helped you more than, say, CBT, which involves challenging negative thoughts and which could also be considered a method of using neuroplasticity?

[[Gy...]]

Hi Gypsy,

Thanks so much for your reply! I'll have a look at the link you shared. I actually started watching another of Joey's YouTube videos on the topic of neuroplasticity and tinnitus, but I got distracted by the other things that I needed to get done this past week. Kind of an overwhelming time here with everything that's going on.

 

It's great to hear that your symptoms have improved, and that's the most important thing. I'm curious....Why do you think this type of therapy helped you more than, say, CBT, which involves challenging negative thoughts and which could also be considered a method of using neuroplasticity?

 

Hey Lapis

Good point and I hadn’t actually given it much thought, but I think the difference is with CBT your taught to challenge your thoughts and beliefs and then basically to tell yourself a different story, which is fine if you can get your brain to truly believe the new thought, then yes that would change the neural pathways, but my understanding is do you really believe the new thought?

 

With the way Joey is teaching it, it is more like acknowledging your say tinnitus but to stop naming it, and to make friends with the noises in your head, that if you have been checked out by ent etc and had MRI and all is well then what has happened is the brain has noticed these bodily noises that it usually filters out and for whatever reason as in trauma, withdrawal of medication has now brought to the forefront, so by welcoming the noises instead the brain will eventually realise that it is not a threat to fear and we will train ourselves to not focus on it thus it hopefully will lessen or if not return to pre-noise days.

 

We are not trying to convince ourselves that it doesn’t exist when clearly it does so I guess we are changing our neural,pathways through acceptance and reframing, not negating.

 

Hope this makes some semblance of sense, so hard to explain in writing.

 

Gypsy

[[La...]]

Hi Gypsy,

Thanks so much for your reply! I'll have a look at the link you shared. I actually started watching another of Joey's YouTube videos on the topic of neuroplasticity and tinnitus, but I got distracted by the other things that I needed to get done this past week. Kind of an overwhelming time here with everything that's going on.

 

It's great to hear that your symptoms have improved, and that's the most important thing. I'm curious....Why do you think this type of therapy helped you more than, say, CBT, which involves challenging negative thoughts and which could also be considered a method of using neuroplasticity?

 

Hey Lapis

Good point and I hadn’t actually given it much thought, but I think the difference is with CBT your taught to challenge your thoughts and beliefs and then basically to tell yourself a different story, which is fine if you can get your brain to truly believe the new thought, then yes that would change the neural pathways, but my understanding is do you really believe the new thought?

 

With the way Joey is teaching it, it is more like acknowledging your say tinnitus but to stop naming it, and to make friends with the noises in your head, that if you have been checked out by ent etc and had MRI and all is well then what has happened is the brain has noticed these bodily noises that it usually filters out and for whatever reason as in trauma, withdrawal of medication has now brought to the forefront, so by welcoming the noises instead the brain will eventually realise that it is not a threat to fear and we will train ourselves to not focus on it thus it hopefully will lessen or if not return to pre-noise days.

 

We are not trying to convince ourselves that it doesn’t exist when clearly it does so I guess we are changing our neural,pathways through acceptance and reframing, not negating.

 

Hope this makes some semblance of sense, so hard to explain in writing.

 

Gypsy

 

Hi Gypsy,

Thanks so much for that! That does give me a sense of Joey's ideas and techniques. Have her techniques helped you with your dizziness as well? Did you try vestibular rehabilitation therapy as well?

 

For me, the tinnitus is much less of an issue than the dizziness/disequilibrium. I tend to just ignore the tinnitus and focus on the radio or whatever I'm reading or anything else. It waxes and wanes but doesn't pose a huge problem for me on a daily basis.

 

I'll take the time to watch the rest of the video you shared. I noticed a few other videos in the sidebar as well, so they might be worth checking out. With COVID-19, my attention is focused on other things, but I'll have a look later on.

 

Thanks again!

[[Gy...]]

Hi Gypsy,

Thanks so much for your reply! I'll have a look at the link you shared. I actually started watching another of Joey's YouTube videos on the topic of neuroplasticity and tinnitus, but I got distracted by the other things that I needed to get done this past week. Kind of an overwhelming time here with everything that's going on.

 

It's great to hear that your symptoms have improved, and that's the most important thing. I'm curious....Why do you think this type of therapy helped you more than, say, CBT, which involves challenging negative thoughts and which could also be considered a method of using neuroplasticity?

 

Hey Lapis

Good point and I hadn’t actually given it much thought, but I think the difference is with CBT your taught to challenge your thoughts and beliefs and then basically to tell yourself a different story, which is fine if you can get your brain to truly believe the new thought, then yes that would change the neural pathways, but my understanding is do you really believe the new thought?

 

With the way Joey is teaching it, it is more like acknowledging your say tinnitus but to stop naming it, and to make friends with the noises in your head, that if you have been checked out by ent etc and had MRI and all is well then what has happened is the brain has noticed these bodily noises that it usually filters out and for whatever reason as in trauma, withdrawal of medication has now brought to the forefront, so by welcoming the noises instead the brain will eventually realise that it is not a threat to fear and we will train ourselves to not focus on it thus it hopefully will lessen or if not return to pre-noise days.

 

We are not trying to convince ourselves that it doesn’t exist when clearly it does so I guess we are changing our neural,pathways through acceptance and reframing, not negating.

 

Hope this makes some semblance of sense, so hard to explain in writing.

 

Gypsy

 

Hi Gypsy,

Thanks so much for that! That does give me a sense of Joey's ideas and techniques. Have her techniques helped you with your dizziness as well? Did you try vestibular rehabilitation therapy as well?

 

For me, the tinnitus is much less of an issue than the dizziness/disequilibrium. I tend to just ignore the tinnitus and focus on the radio or whatever I'm reading or anything else. It waxes and wanes but doesn't pose a huge problem for me on a daily basis.

 

I'll take the time to watch the rest of the video you shared. I noticed a few other videos in the sidebar as well, so they might be worth checking out. With COVID-19, my attention is focused on other things, but I'll have a look later on.

 

Thanks again!

 

Hey Lapis

 

I was pretty much diagnosed then nothing was suggested so I have pretty much had to find my own way. Joey does incorporate the vestibular exercises into the program as well, so she has covered all aspects.

I have noticed a 90% improvement in my dizziness, and mainly get it now when I either make a cut or I am extremely stressed. Then I just try and return to the methods taught.

 

Gypsy

[[La...]]

Hi Gypsy,

I'm so glad it helped you! It is concerning, though, that you were diagnosed with something but nothing was suggested to try to help you. I tried a number of things, including months and months of vestibular rehabilitation therapy. I was very dedicated to it -- exercises five times a day for two three-month stints. In the end, it seemed that they just didn't address the kind of dizziness I was dealing with. I tried a medication called Betahistine for a short time too, but again, it didn't address my particular issues.

 

I read Dr. Norman Doidge's book on neuroplasticity called "The Brain That Changes Itself". The first chapter covered the story of a woman who had lost 98% of her vestibular function due to an antihistamine called Gentamicin. Someone created a gadget that seemed to help her, but when I tried to do follow-up on it, there were disappointing results. Here in Canada, I believe a couple of physiotherapy clinics are trying this thing with certain types of dizziness, but I really haven't heard much recently. Apparently, the costs for the therapy are astronomical, which makes it completely inaccessible for most people. 

 

In the meantime, I keep reading studies on PubMed and sharing whatever seems relevant to other BBs here. I'm waaaaay behind in this task right now, though, since the COVID-19 news coverage is engaging and all-encompassing.

[[Sp...]]

Hello dizzy members! 

 

I am still struggling with the "boater feeling" - since last October as you can see in my profile.  I feel almost normal in the morning after getting out of bed and before taking my librium dose.  Does anyone think it is because my legs muscles have recovered from spending all my previous awake hours trying to balance my body? I do feel much more unbalanced and dizzy before going to bed at night.

 

I know this "boater feeling" is a benzo withdraw symptom, but I pray it will go away!!  Has anyone recovered from this during benzo tapering?

[[La...]]

Hello dizzy members! 

 

I am still struggling with the "boater feeling" - since last October as you can see in my profile.  I feel almost normal in the morning after getting out of bed and before taking my librium dose.  Does anyone think it is because my legs muscles have recovered from spending all my previous awake hours trying to balance my body? I do feel much more unbalanced and dizzy before going to bed at night.

 

I know this "boater feeling" is a benzo withdraw symptom, but I pray it will go away!!  Has anyone recovered from this during benzo tapering?

 

Hi Spartan,

I think everyone has a different experience of this in terms of patterns, e.g. times of day that are worse or how often they feel symptoms. I seem to have a three-day pattern, but I used to have an every-other-day pattern (e.g. one day better, one day worse).

 

As far as your legs go, I think it's quite common for people to have leg and foot symptoms related to being dizziness. Your muscles have to keep you upright and enable you to walk, even though your head is telling you that you feel like you're on a boat. It's a lot of extra work for the muscles.

 

And yes, people get better from this all the time. But they don't necessarily come back and tell us about it all the time. Some do, some don't. I've given up on trying to follow other people because I have a lot of things to deal with personally. But I'm really pleased when people do come back and say, "Hey, I'm better! Here's what happened...." Some people mention it in their Success Stories, so you can have a look in that section. Again, I'm not keeping up with all of that these days. Dr. Ashton does mention this symptom in the Ashton Manual, so you might want to check that out.

 

Hang in there!

[[Sp...]]

Hi Lapis2,

 

Thanks for responding!  What you say makes alot of sense and pretty much validates what I believes is going on with my legs. 

 

I see you also suffer from tinnitus.  I've had that for seven or eight years and long before the benzo taper.  I was exposed to a lot of noise at work, rock concerts, playing drums, etc. etc.  So I have high frequency hearing loss and now have to wear hearing aids.  No fun getting old. 

 

All the best to you!

[[La...]]

Hi Lapis2,

 

Thanks for responding!  What you say makes alot of sense and pretty much validates what I believes is going on with my legs. 

 

I see you also suffer from tinnitus.  I've had that for seven or eight years and long before the benzo taper.  I was exposed to a lot of noise at work, rock concerts, playing drums, etc. etc.  So I have high frequency hearing loss and now have to wear hearing aids.  No fun getting old. 

 

All the best to you!

 

Hi Spartan,

I agree....it's no fun getting old! By the way, tinnitus is quite common, I believe. And it does seem that your past history played a role. Many medications can affect hearing and balance (the "ototoxic" medications), so that can be part of the picture. Benzos, SSRIs, ibuprofen and the other NSAIDs, antibiotics, and many others are "ototoxic".

 

As far as your leg symptoms go, I can say that it's really important to stay as strong and physical as you can despite the symptoms. If you need a cane or walker as an aid, that's fine. As long as you can stay mobile, then at least your muscles won't completely atrophy. That just brings other problems. Maybe you can consult a physiotherapist for some exercise suggestions in sitting or lying. These can help a lot.

 

Take good care!

 

 

[[Mi...]]

Hello dizzy members! 

 

I am still struggling with the "boater feeling" - since last October as you can see in my profile.  I feel almost normal in the morning after getting out of bed and before taking my librium dose.  Does anyone think it is because my legs muscles have recovered from spending all my previous awake hours trying to balance my body? I do feel much more unbalanced and dizzy before going to bed at night.

 

I know this "boater feeling" is a benzo withdraw symptom, but I pray it will go away!!  Has anyone recovered from this during benzo tapering?

 

Spartan - and to all of those dealing with Dizzyness & Vertigo & the "Boaty Feeling" -

 

I took Ativan VERY INFREQUENTLY. Like just 1 or 2 pills a month for 5 years or more. (It was the length of time that got me to tolerance, but I only learned this in hindsite). About a year before I stopped taking it, in the spring of 2018, I had my first BPPV (Benign Postural Positional Vertigo) attack. I rolled over in bed at 3am to the room spinning. It went away immediately, and I moved on with no issues.

 

Then the following fall of 2018 I had a huge BPPV attack. Same thing in bed. (I was still taking Ativan. Clueless to what tolerance or WD was). Unlike the first attack, this one brought on severe nausea, and a week of being very sick and in bed, then the "boaty feeling" started. I did the Epley Maneuver during the attack (about 3 times - it was horrible) - but it stopped the room from spinning. After this event, I dreaded going to bed worried I'd roll over and start down that same viscous path of being dizzy and very sick for weeks. After this point I had vertigo issues that would wax and wane, and 24/7 tinnitus started about this time also.

 

Over the course of about a year, I went to an ENT, an Audiologist, and a Neurologist. I had VNG, ENG and Caloric testing (I was still taking Ativan back then at the time of the test).. which pretty much came back normal. The Audiologist said: "Resolving BPPV". She also said my test results did not match my continuing symptoms of ongoing vertigo and "boaty feeling" because my test results showed there was nothing wrong with my vestibular system (well of course not. It was the Ativan! - hindsite) She had me do Brandt Daroff exercises. I also had an MRI of the brain - normal. By the way, none of these physicians ever questioned that I took Ativan. Not even my primary care. In fact they told me to increase my dose. Thank God I didn't.

 

Then, May 18th 2019 I got Reglan in the ER for a migraine which changed everything. I won't go much into that because it's long, but in a nutshell it gave me instant akathasia really bad and I had to stop the Ativan cold turkey. (I DO NOT recommend this. I had no choice. Taking the Ativan after having the Reglan reaction worsened my situation drastically.)

 

I was actually seeing the Audiologist during this part of my journey  (on TeleMed appoinment because I was too sick to go to an actual appointment.) I even signed onto Joey's Rock Steady program at this time too. I was off of the Ativan. Going through withdrawal from that AND healing from Reglan. I actually did not figure out I was in Ativan tolerance and withdrawal until about 7 months after I was off of it because the symptoms of the Reglan reaction are so similar. (I did not get Tardive Dyskinesia from Reglan. I got akathasia from it. )

 

Finally the "lightbulb went off in my head" and I figured out I was I Ativan tolerance when I got Reglan, which probably made me susceptible to the Reglan reaction to begin with. Then I also realized that all of my vertigo & BPPV issues happened while I was on Ativan.

 

I know the science behind BPPV with the crystals and such, but I truly believe that the Ativan caused all of my vertigo and BPPV issues. Maybe Benzos are a contributor to throwing that "crystal mechanism" off, idk. It's my own personal belief. But, seeing that there are pages upon pages of dizzyness & vertigo posts on a benzo WD forum is a huge sign of how Benzos mess with our vestibular systems.

 

I had the Boaty Feeling start from that big attack in the fall of 2018. I stopped Ativan in the spring of 2019. I had the boaty feeling most of the day, everyday. The boaty feeling finally stopped in March of this year 2020.

 

HERE'S MY TIMELINE:

Fall 2018 - Big BPPV attack. Boaty Feeling & 24/7 tinnitus started  (Ativan tolerance.)

Spring 2019 - I stopped Ativan

March of 2020 - Boaty feeling stopped

 

I still have tinnitus 24/7, but it is pretty faint. I'm just SO GLAD that I am off of that darn boat!

 

I think Ativan caused this entire mess. I think Ativan was the only cause of my vertigo and my BPPV. Once I got the Reglan reaction & stopped Ativan, I had the whole host of the usual WD symptoms to battle too. The suicidal thoughts, the doom, akathasia, the pacing, the inner tremors, feeling super weak, feeling faint the insomnia etc - all of it too.

 

Did VRT help? Well, I never got "REAL VRT" therapy from a therapist. I did the Brandt Daroff exercises. They did not help. I later found out those were really not the best VRT exercises to do for BPPV. I found my own VRT therapy on You Tube and did those. I guess it helped. I'm also pretty good at the Epley Manuever now. The Epley Maneuver did help stop the BPPV attack. It helped the attack, but I still had months of "the boaty feeling" post Epley Maneuver. Especially in restaurants and on highways. This is where it all ties into Ativan tolerance symptoms. I also followed Joey's exercises on Rock Steady. That seemed to help.

 

What helped most was getting through withdrawal and time.

 

Did Joey's Rock Steady program help? Yes it did. Since WD leaves you to deal with severe discomfort, and you can't take anything (pill or drug) to relieve it, then yeah Neuroplasticity helps because that's all ya got. Neuroplasticity, CBT, meditation, light exercise, eating well, talk therapy, avoiding stress, good self care etc. That's about all we have to get through this, and YES it helps greatly. There is no magic pill. In fact "magic pills" are what got us in this predicament to begin with.

 

I like Joey's "Live Calls". Being in a "community" with others with the same issues helped me feel supported and not alone. I just could not help but to think while listening in on the live calls, as people talked about their suffering with vertigo, just how many of them are on antidepressants, benzos, antipsychotics, Z drugs, or drugs like Neurontin and that is the REAL cause of their vestibular issue. I know there are many who endured an infection, trauma, have tumors, etc and that is the cause of their vertigo issue.... However I do suspect that most of these folks like ourselves, are in this mess due to psychotropic meds like benzos and ADs.

 

However, nothing helped as much as getting off of the Ativan. (Of course the slow taper is the safest way to go.)

 

Anyway, does the "boaty feeling" stop? Yes it does. For me, it took about 9 months after my last dose of Ativan.

- (I do not take any medication)

 

I hope this helps.

[[Sp...]]

Miss Fortitude,

 

Thanks for your response.  Your story is very interesting.  The dizziness you had may shed some light on what I'm dealing with.

 

 

About seven years ago, I too developed BPPV a few months after developing tinnitus.  At the time I was seeing an ENT for the tinnitus and a sinus infection.  I asked the doctor why the BPPV occurred so soon after the onset of the tinnitus.  He said that it was not connected to the tinnitus and that it was just a coincidence.  I always had doubts about that. 

 

Anyway I had an Epley Maneuver and struggled with dizziness for several weeks.  Eventually all the vertigo symptoms and general dizziness went away.

 

Last year, before my taper off the librium, I developed the BPPV again.  I saw my PCP about it and she said I most likely had BPPV.  She said a a physical therapist probably could help me.

 

 

I decided to look on the internet and found on YouTube an ENT that invented this maneuver.  She called it the "Reverse Somersault for BPPV".  This ENT came down with BPPV and wanted something simple, that she could do herself or have patients do themselves.

I thought I would try it and after doing it a couple times it worked.  The BPPV went away and was more effective then the Epley Maneuver.

 

However this "boater feeling" for me is completely different and undoubtedly caused by my rapid taper from the librium eight months ago.  Hopefully now after doing this slow water taper, my dizziness will go away like yours did.

 

All the best!

[[Mi...]]

Anyone here have vertigo before benzos?

 

Tidefan,

 

I did NOT have dizziness before benzos. My BPPV attack, boaty feeling, tinnitus and vertigo all started about 5 years into Ativan. I know the science of crystals otoliths & all with BPPV, but I believe benzos caused it all. I believe benzos mess with the vestibular mechanisms.

[[La...]]

Anyone here have vertigo before benzos?

 

Tidefan,

 

I did NOT have dizziness before benzos. My BPPV attack, boaty feeling, tinnitus and vertigo all started about 5 years into Ativan. I know the science of crystals otoliths & all with BPPV, but I believe benzos caused it all. I believe benzos mess with the vestibular mechanisms.

 

My dizziness started about four years into my medication use. I was taking clonzepam daily, plus lorazepam "as needed". Then Cymbalta was added in, and that's when the dizziness started in earnest. I'd had some dizziness here and there, but not this daily, debilitating floaty-boaty stuff. In my case, I believe there was a cumulative effect over time. Everything I was taking was bad for the vestibular system. They were all on the "ototoxic" medication list.

[[he...]]

I have this boaty dizzy feeling not from taking benzos but from taking trazodone an anti depressant.I was taking it for sleep had an horrendous attack of vertigo and quit cold turkey.8 weeks down the line I have developed this off balance sensation unfortunately I have been taking an antihistamine for sleep as well which reading the info on here is a no no

[[he...]]

Is there any good news.Have people overcome this?

[[bo...]]

    I m still tapering, since yesterday night had vertigo like never before..  had to sleep sitting up, was not able to lay on my side bc the room was spinning really fast and nauseous!!, 2 nights ago was still able to sleep on my right side yesterday it intensified ... it was scary and was  dry heaving  felt like passing out  somewhat ... and the severe nausea.. I made a small reduction last week  :'( as it is Im off balance and dizzy .... help,  it sounds like bppv, but I think its all wd... one step forward 2 steps back

 

[[Mi...]]

    I m still tapering, since yesterday night had vertigo like never before..  had to sleep sitting up, was not able to lay on my side bc the room was spinning really fast and nauseous!!, 2 nights ago was still able to sleep on my right side yesterday it intensified ... it was scary and was  dry heaving  felt like passing out  somewhat ... and the severe nausea.. I made a small reduction last week  :'( as it is Im off balance and dizzy .... help,  it sounds like bppv, but I think its all wd... one step forward 2 steps back

 

Bonty 

 

I'm sorry you're going through this but you're not alone. Even if it is WD you'll still want to get relief. Read up in great detail on the Dix Hallpike test to see which ear is affected, then do the Epley Manuever. Read in great detail and watch several You Tube videos before attempting this. It helps stop the room from spinning, but there maybe some lingering dizzyness, but the room will stop spinning and you can start to heal. You will still need to take it easy afterwards and may still feel woozy & queasy, and some folks are 100% relieved right away. Read in great detail before doing it. Watch several You Tube videos. It is very uncomfortable because you have to bring on the dizzyness to treat it with the manuever. Have someone assist you, or better yet go to a physical therapist trained in Vestibular Rehab, or a doctor who can do the Manuever with you.

[[La...]]

I have this boaty dizzy feeling not from taking benzos but from taking trazodone an anti depressant.I was taking it for sleep had an horrendous attack of vertigo and quit cold turkey.8 weeks down the line I have developed this off balance sensation unfortunately I have been taking an antihistamine for sleep as well which reading the info on here is a no no

 

Hi,

Yes, I would agree that antihistamines come with their own issues. They're considered to be "vestibular suppressants" in the medical literature, along with benzodiazepines and anticholinergics. The list of meds that can affect balance is really huge, so it's important to check everything out before taking it. Dizziness is a very common symptom of many different conditions, so oftentimes, things have to be eliminated in order to get to the root of what's going on.

 

And to answer your other question, yes, people do get better. People come and go around here, so it's impossible to have any sort of list of who got better when. That's just the nature of BB. Sometimes people come back and tell us, but more often than not, they just move on. The best place to look for positive stories is the Success Stories section, so you might want to check there.

[[La...]]

    I m still tapering, since yesterday night had vertigo like never before..  had to sleep sitting up, was not able to lay on my side bc the room was spinning really fast and nauseous!!, 2 nights ago was still able to sleep on my right side yesterday it intensified ... it was scary and was  dry heaving  felt like passing out  somewhat ... and the severe nausea.. I made a small reduction last week  :'( as it is Im off balance and dizzy .... help,  it sounds like bppv, but I think its all wd... one step forward 2 steps back

 

Bonty 

 

I'm sorry you're going through this but you're not alone. Even if it is WD you'll still want to get relief. Read up in great detail on the Dix Hallpike test to see which ear is affected, then do the Epley Manuever. Read in great detail and watch several You Tube videos before attempting this. It helps stop the room from spinning, but there maybe some lingering dizzyness, but the room will stop spinning and you can start to heal. You will still need to take it easy afterwards and may still feel woozy & queasy, and some folks are 100% relieved right away. Read in great detail before doing it. Watch several You Tube videos. It is very uncomfortable because you have to bring on the dizzyness to treat it with the manuever. Have someone assist you, or better yet go to a physical therapist trained in Vestibular Rehab, or a doctor who can do the Manuever with you.

 

I would agree that getting some professional medical help with BPPV is a good idea. It sounds like that's what you might be dealing with. Have you contacted your doctor? I do think people should get things checked out, because, as I mentioned above, there are many things that can cause dizziness.

[[bo...]]

    I m still tapering, since yesterday night had vertigo like never before..  had to sleep sitting up, was not able to lay on my side bc the room was spinning really fast and nauseous!!, 2 nights ago was still able to sleep on my right side yesterday it intensified ... it was scary and was  dry heaving  felt like passing out  somewhat ... and the severe nausea.. I made a small reduction last week  :'( as it is Im off balance and dizzy .... help,  it sounds like bppv, but I think its all wd... one step forward 2 steps back

 

Bonty 

 

I'm sorry you're going through this but you're not alone. Even if it is WD you'll still want to get relief. Read up in great detail on the Dix Hallpike test to see which ear is affected, then do the Epley Manuever. Read in great detail and watch several You Tube videos before attempting this. It helps stop the room from spinning, but there maybe some lingering dizzyness, but the room will stop spinning and you can start to heal. You will still need to take it easy afterwards and may still feel woozy & queasy, and some folks are 100% relieved right away. Read in great detail before doing it. Watch several You Tube videos. It is very uncomfortable because you have to bring on the dizzyness to treat it with the manuever. Have someone assist you, or better yet go to a physical therapist trained in Vestibular Rehab, or a doctor who can do the Manuever with you.

Thank you, do you do the exercises before  eating? scared of  the nausea... I get the spinning when laying down specially on my left side... So should do them before going to sleep ? didn't sleep much I have bad sleep as it is but was nervous of the spinning ,

[[bo...]]

    I m still tapering, since yesterday night had vertigo like never before..  had to sleep sitting up, was not able to lay on my side bc the room was spinning really fast and nauseous!!, 2 nights ago was still able to sleep on my right side yesterday it intensified ... it was scary and was  dry heaving  felt like passing out  somewhat ... and the severe nausea.. I made a small reduction last week  :'( as it is Im off balance and dizzy .... help,  it sounds like bppv, but I think its all wd... one step forward 2 steps back

 

Bonty 

 

I'm sorry you're going through this but you're not alone. Even if it is WD you'll still want to get relief. Read up in great detail on the Dix Hallpike test to see which ear is affected, then do the Epley Manuever. Read in great detail and watch several You Tube videos before attempting this. It helps stop the room from spinning, but there maybe some lingering dizzyness, but the room will stop spinning and you can start to heal. You will still need to take it easy afterwards and may still feel woozy & queasy, and some folks are 100% relieved right away. Read in great detail before doing it. Watch several You Tube videos. It is very uncomfortable because you have to bring on the dizzyness to treat it with the manuever. Have someone assist you, or better yet go to a physical therapist trained in Vestibular Rehab, or a doctor who can do the Manuever with you.

 

I would agree that getting some professional medical help with BPPV is a good idea. It sounds like that's what you might be dealing with. Have you contacted your doctor? I do think people should get things checked out, because, as I mentioned above, there are many things that can cause dizziness.

 

yes thank you ... scared of the maneuver ... will get checked , nightmare

[[La...]]

    I m still tapering, since yesterday night had vertigo like never before..  had to sleep sitting up, was not able to lay on my side bc the room was spinning really fast and nauseous!!, 2 nights ago was still able to sleep on my right side yesterday it intensified ... it was scary and was  dry heaving  felt like passing out  somewhat ... and the severe nausea.. I made a small reduction last week  :'( as it is Im off balance and dizzy .... help,  it sounds like bppv, but I think its all wd... one step forward 2 steps back

 

Bonty 

 

I'm sorry you're going through this but you're not alone. Even if it is WD you'll still want to get relief. Read up in great detail on the Dix Hallpike test to see which ear is affected, then do the Epley Manuever. Read in great detail and watch several You Tube videos before attempting this. It helps stop the room from spinning, but there maybe some lingering dizzyness, but the room will stop spinning and you can start to heal. You will still need to take it easy afterwards and may still feel woozy & queasy, and some folks are 100% relieved right away. Read in great detail before doing it. Watch several You Tube videos. It is very uncomfortable because you have to bring on the dizzyness to treat it with the manuever. Have someone assist you, or better yet go to a physical therapist trained in Vestibular Rehab, or a doctor who can do the Manuever with you.

 

I would agree that getting some professional medical help with BPPV is a good idea. It sounds like that's what you might be dealing with. Have you contacted your doctor? I do think people should get things checked out, because, as I mentioned above, there are many things that can cause dizziness.

 

yes thank you ... scared of the maneuver ... will get checked , nightmare

 

Please do get it checked out. BPPV has a very high rate of success with the treatment, according to all of the things I've read. I've never had those symptoms at all, but it does sound pretty intense. Take good care!