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

[[La...]]

That’s great Becks that it went away without any treatment. Those loose crystals cause much trouble from what I’ve read and from what you shared. Any kind of dizziness or boatiness is not fun no matter what is the cause. I just hate that this takes sooooooo long to resolve. Just shows how ototoxic those pills were. No wonder ours is so damaged getting hit like that over and over. That’s what I remind myself of….it was hit over and over. It’s amazing how wonderfully our bodies are made especially the brain to take on such a heavy duty task of repairing itself.

 

Lapis of course I decided not to take anything. This isn’t motion sickness and for the most part I’m not nauseated. When I do get nauseous it’s very mild and only when I’m in a wave. No thanks, they can keep their medications! I’m improving slowly. I trust my brain knows what it’s doing. I’m not going to interrupt it by trying this or that when I know it won’t help and certainly might make me worse.

As far as PT I know it’s important to stay as mobile as possible each day. I do get up to walk or do a small chore several times a day now. I also sit on the side of my bed and exercise gently. I do need to do more of that no doubt. Thanks for your insight. Your family member is much better? Glad it wasn’t COVID. 

 

Bonty how are you doing? Are you reading success stories? They really helped me to not lose sight of what’s going on in this process. I just wish more people would come back to write them for us that are here now. I wish it was a requirement lol

[[Be...]]

I believe with the BPPV, everyone will get over it once the crystals dissolve or fall out or whatever.  I don't know why people need to have a doc do the Epley Maneuver?

[[La...]]

LadyDen, yes, my family member got better, thanks for asking. She had the Epley Maneuver done at the hospital, and then once more at the physiotherapist's office, and then it was gone. She was told it could come back, though, since that's not uncommon with older people. It's good that there's a well-trained physiotherapist at the clinic that she attends regularly.

 

I also remember that a much younger man here in our building had it, and he was vomiting a lot. He was actually a paramedic, so he was quite knowledgeable about it. I do believe he got the treatment as well.

 

One of the tell-tale signs of BPPV is nystagmus, which is a type of movement that the eyes do:

 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/nystagmus 

 

On the medication thing: Some people want to try medication to see if it will help any of their symptoms, so I never make assumptions about that. I was prescribed Betahistine (or Serc) near the beginning of my whole journey with this thing, and I did try it. It was way before I had any inkling why I was dizzy, and of course, it didn't address what I was suffering from.

[[La...]]

Lapis sounds like you’ve been through the ringer. Thanks for sharing your experience. It seems that this dizziness/ boatiness is very common in WD from benzo/ Zdrug and ADs. For some it’s short lived but not for others. I’ve never had problem with boatiness before this. Me and another BB was talking about how weird we’re going to feel to not be boaty anymore because we’ve gotten so used to being like this. I told her I don’t care how weird it feels, I’m so ready!

 

Becks some people do it because it’s so severe that they need relief. So it makes sense that they do the maneuver. Good thing yours went away.    Do you still get dizzy or boaty sometimes?

[[Be...]]

I have brain damage now and my brain is mostly dead so no more dizziness.

[[bo...]]

can Advil  interfere with the vestibular system?

 

[[La...]]

can Advil  interfere with the vestibular system?

 

Advil is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, also called ibuprofen, and according to this Cleveland Clinic info page on it, yes, it can cause dizziness and balance problems (see the section on side effects):

 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/11086-non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory-medicines-nsaids 

 

This article gives a really comprehensive look at medications that affect balance and hearing, and if you click on the supplementary tables link, you can have the full list of meds that can cause such problems:

 

https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/7946-7952.pdf

[[bo...]]

ok thank you

[[La...]]

ok thank you

 

You're welcome. BTW, I had to take some ibuprofen when I broke a bone in my foot a number of years ago (i.e. as a result of my benzo dizziness), and at the time, I would say that it helped me handle the pain without adding any more dizziness than I already had. I definitely needed some help with the pain at the time. It did, however, make my tinnitus worse, and that's another known side effect. At the time, I had to look at the pros and cons of taking it and figure out what I needed and what I could handle. The fracture pain was pretty brutal, so I took the meds for awhile.

[[La...]]

Wow you e been through a lot. Smart move taking ibuprofen instead of strong addicting pain killers. 

I’m really boaty today and the pulling sensation is back but it is less intense 

[[La...]]

Wow you e been through a lot. Smart move taking ibuprofen instead of strong addicting pain killers. 

I’m really boaty today and the pulling sensation is back but it is less intense 

 

Yes, that fracture was a pretty horrible experience. It took ages to heal and really sent me into a tailspin in terms of how it affected my ability to function. I didn't consider taking anything stronger than an NSAID at the time, and of course, few doctors are prescribing them, as far as I know. Those meds would be even worse for the vestibular system, I'm sure.

[[Ho...]]

Anybody ever feel like they’re going to pass out while doing nothing? Like you’re just sitting there and all the sudden your eyes won’t focus your head feels like it’s being compressed and you’re gonna lose consciousness? It’s a bit unsettling! This used to send me to a major panic episode but now I’ve just got a learn to roll with it. After three years of being off benzos I was really hoping I would be feeling better than this. Clearly some people do not heal from this and I’m going to be one of them!  :'(

 

Hope y’all are faring better today!

[[La...]]

Hey Hopper yes I’ve had those episodes. They’re pretty alarming. And just like you, I learned to not give them a stage to show out more. Lol I stay calm and just observe it. They’ve gotten much better and even occurring less. Oh and not as intense as before. It will get better soon. Hang in there. I know it’s been a long journey for you. No need in giving up now. I try to stay positive keeping in mind that it’s all temporary. I stay distracted all day. If my mind is busy then there’s no room for letting my symptoms take over.  It’s ok to be bummed about how long it’s taking. Everyone feels that way. We’re tired.

Big hugs 🤗

[[Ho...]]

Thanks for the reply LadyDen!  I appreciate the kind, encouraging words. It’s bad today!  The tinnitus is on full blast and my whole body is vibrating inside. Chest pain, heart palps, the whole package today!  I just wanna get on with my life before it’s too late. One year in tolerance WD, two year taper and three years off = 6 years lost to this affliction! 

 

Again, Thank you for the uplift…I’m feeling a bit defeated today! 🤗

[[La...]]

Thanks for the reply LadyDen!  I appreciate the kind, encouraging words. It’s bad today!  The tinnitus is on full blast and my whole body is vibrating inside. Chest pain, heart palps, the whole package today!  I just wanna get on with my life before it’s too late. One year in tolerance WD, two year taper and three years off = 6 years lost to this affliction! 

 

Again, Thank you for the uplift…I’m feeling a bit defeated today! 🤗

That’s ok my friend. We all have those defeated days. Mine was a few days ago. You’re very welcome. I’m sure you will be ok. On days like this I just give myself a little extra love. Wrap up in a nice soft blanket and binge watch a series.  Sometimes I laugh to keep from crying. I know how you feel. You will be ok. You can make it through today. Don’t lose hope. I’ve read many posts on here of others who’s been in my and your shoes that woke up one morning completely healed. I think it’s true that our bodies do deep last minute fine tuning. It’s why we feel like we’re worse or maybe even stuck. Just my opinion. But either way it HAS to break. This is a battle my friend, don’t put your armor off and sword down yet. 

[[Ho...]]

Having a rough day with vestibular symptoms. Have any of you noticed that the vestibular issues are raised when the tinnitus is off the charts like mine has been the past few days? Chest pain, heart palps and inner vibrations are also increased as of late. Ugh, it just never seems to end.

[[La...]]

Yes if my ears ring louder it is my signal of a wave starting. My symptoms increase at the same time. When my ears ring louder I’m more boaty and the pulling sensation returns. It’s much more milder than it used to be. So I’m making progress.  Try not to let it alarm you too much. It should get better as time passes. Although from what I’ve read, vestibular issues take the longest to resolve. I’m a living witness Lol

[[Ho...]]

Glad yours is subsiding right now LadyDen. I’m convinced I have permanent brain damage! It even affects the electricity that beats my heart.

[[bo...]]

Just to be clear is all are dizziness vestibular issues have to do with the inner ear?  Or it's just another bwd injury

 

[[La...]]

Hopper my friend….if I were you I wouldn’t claim defeat just yet. I know it’s been awhile for you but all is not loss. There’s still improvements coming your way. There’s so many that took a long time but are healed now. Keep your hope 

 

Bonty to answer your question…. The pills injured the vestibular system in our bodies. It’s very very very common to occur. The pills are well known to be ototoxic ( toxic to the ears). So I guess the answer is that it’s both. The ears are affected and it’s a WD symptom.  Lapis can post for you the articles about this. 

[[bo...]]

thank you thats would be great to get that a more info. so the epley maneuver could help us?

[[La...]]

Epley maneuver is pretty much for when chrystals in the ear get misplaced causing vertigo. The maneuver shifts them to stop the vertigo/ dizziness. Our dizziness is caused by medication. As far as I know and have read, the maneuver won’t help this.

[[Ho...]]

LadyDen, Thanks as always for the kind words of encouragement! 😊

 

Woke last night to what I thought for sure was a heart attack. It was a rough night but I’m still here.

 

🤗🤗🤗

[[La...]]

Hi All,

Just jumping in here with a bit of info....Benzodiazepines are known in the medical literature as "vestibular suppressants" (as are antihistamines and anticholinergics, by the way), and they can, if taken for too long, be detrimental to the normal function of the vestibular system. Most psychiatric medications can cause dizziness too, since they all affect various neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain), and those neurotransmitters are involved in balance as well. Benzos work on the same neurotransmitter -- gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) as alcohol -- and they slow down the central nervous system, including balance, muscles, memory, reflexes, etc. They make your brain sleepy, which is problematic for obvious reasons. If you take benzos for years, then it can be hard for the brain to work its way back to normality. And everyone seems to take a different course, based on individual factors. There's really no way to predict how long it might take to normalize.

 

And no, the Epley Maneuver doesn't seem to help with this type of dizziness. It can certainly help those with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, which is a very specific type of dizziness where the crystals in the semi-circular canals become dislodged. Certain exercises can help as well, but again, those exercises don't address the kind of medication-induced dizziness (disequilibrium) that BBs are suffering from.

 

I always think it's a good idea to have your symptoms assessed by an appropriate health professional -- your family doctor and and any other specialists s/he may suggest in order to rule out any other health issues. Dizziness and disequilibrium are really common symptoms, and they can be caused by so many different things.

 

As far as posting literature, I've already posted reams of it here on this thread, and I continue to do so if there are pertinent articles or studies that I think others might be interested in. But if you have the time, you can look through this rather long thread (!!!) and find articles that I've posted along the way.

[[Ho...]]

As always, Thanks for the detailed information Lapis! 😊