Feeling faint and woozy

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Hi guys,Recently I've been feeling really faint and woozy, and finding it really hard to concentrate. Driving at night is a nightmare, with the lights coming towards me being really distracting.I also feel a little un coordinated and 'awkward'.I'm a bit worried, I'm not sure if this is physchological or physiological.I feel quite detached from reality, almost as if everything is a dream - what I see is almost like i'm watching someone else do it, almost inside someone elses head!Very strange, andwhat with having a new job, this isn't what I need. Any advice welcome guys

I'm wondering if you have vertigo?

Definition of Vertigo
Vertigo is a type of dizziness felt as a shift in a person's relationship to the normal environment (a feeling that the room is spinning is common) or a sense of movement in space.

Although dizziness and vertigo are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. While all vertigo is dizziness, not all dizziness is vertigo.

True vertigo, from the Latin "vertere," to turn, is a distinct, often severe form of dizziness that is a movement hallucination.

Description of Vertigo
There are four major types of dizziness - vertigo, presyncope, disequilibrium, and lightheadedness.

Most patients with true vertigo have a peripheral vestibular disorder, such as benign positional vertigo. This is usually associated with tinnitus and hearing loss.

Central disorders, such as brain stem or cerebellar lesions, tend to be more chronic but less intense than peripheral disorders and are not associated with hearing loss. Central disorders account for only 15 percent of patients with vertigo.

Vertigo is the illusion that you - or your surroundings - are moving. You may feel that you are spinning, tilting, rocking, or falling through space. You may vomit or have ringing in the ears (tinnitus). Also, your eyes may uncontrollably jerk back and forth (a condition called nystagmus).

Causes and Risk Factors of Vertigo
There are several causes of vertigo:

Benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV) is a disorder of the inner ear. The cause usually is unknown, but an upper respiratory tract infection or a minor blow to the head may be responsible. This type of vertigo occurs abruptly when you move your head up and down, or when you turn over in bed. Symptoms can be distressing but they fade in a few seconds. Avoiding positions that bring this on may reduce its occurrence.

BPPV is the commonest form of vertigo, with attacks lasting 30 to 60 seconds, typically set off when rolling over in bed, moving the head to one side or reaching for something ("top-shelf vertigo"). Sufferers can usually describe specific head movements that trigger it.

Although BPPV often occurs for no apparent reason, it can follow an ear infection, head or ear injury, and is thought to result from the dislodgement of normal crystalline structures in the ear's balance detectors. People with BPPV are often relieved to hear that it is due to an inner ear condition and does not signify some serious disorder such as a stroke or tumor.

Labyrinthitis refers to a variety of conditions within the inner ear. It may be associated with inflammation, an upper respiratory infection or nerve deterioration, but often occurs independently of other problems.

Central nervous system disorders that can cause vertigo as a symptom include multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, neck injuries, certain forms of migraine, acoustic neuroma, cerebellar and brain stem tumors, and TIAS (transient ischemic attacks).

Symptoms of Vertigo
A patient may experience severe vertigo for days or weeks. Nausea, vomiting, and involuntary eye movements are common. The condition gradually improves, but symptoms can persist for weeks or months.

Treatment of Vertigo
Treatment depends on the diagnosis. A complete medical evaluation is recommended for anyone with vertigo. This can reveal the true cause and suggest one or more solutions based upon treating the underlying disorder.

Vertigo is a false sensation of movement of one’s self or of one's surroundings.1 Medical care for patients with balance, or vestibular, disorders has been estimated to cost the U.S. economy more than $1 billion annually. Such disorders are among the 25 most common reasons for doctor visits with U.S. physicians reporting more than five million related visits per year.2 Vertigo sufferers commonly experience other related symptoms such as diaphoresis (excessive perspiration), blurred vision or oscillopsia (a false visual perception that one’s surroundings are moving), nausea and/or vomiting, anxiety, and fear. These symptoms may be experienced separately or in combination, can strike at any age, and can affect people from all walks of life.2,4 Vertigo symptoms are often linked to problems of the peripheral vestibular apparatus within the inner ear, such as ear infections and structural deformities, or central nervous system (CNS) conditions such as head trauma, migraine, whiplash or brain tumors. In addition, stress/fatigue, high doses or long-term use of certain antibiotics, and advanced age are believed to contribute to the development of vertigo.2,3 Vertigo symptoms are often associated with four conditions: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease, perilymph fistula, and vestibular neuritis/labyrinthitis; other causes include injuries to the head and neck and psychiatric conditions. BPPV causes vertigo due to displaced debris within the inner ear. Vertigo in Meniere’s disease is caused by the endolymph mixing with the perilymph of the inner ear. Perilymph fistula causes vertigo due to a tear or defect in the membranes that separate the inner ear from the middle ear. The vertigo associated with vestibular neuritis/labyrinthitis is caused by infections of the peripheral vestibular system. Diagnosis of these diseases is based on the patient's medical history, a complete physical examination, and the results of vestibular and auditory tests. Once diagnosed, a patient may be placed on a special diet and prescribed a series of physical rehabilitation techniques, drug therapies or, if such treatments are unsuccessful, surgical procedures.5 Although several medications in the U. S. are used to treat vertigo, no conventional drug has been proven effective for its treatment. In Europe, the most commonly prescribed anti-vertigo medication is the histamine analogue, betahistine (Sercâ , Sanofi Winthrop), which relieves vertigo symptoms by improving circulation in the microvasculature of the inner ear.

I also suggested this to someone posting about feeling dizzy: how is your diet? I have low blood sugar and when it gets low I get very faint, dizzy, warm and nauseated.

Well I do have tinnitus...I think. I can't hear silence. There's just a high pitched noise or even just a sensation.I've had it as long as I can remember. Used to scare me when I was little. And I have a cracking sound in my ear whenever music is too loud so I think it must be ear related.It was what seemed like detachment from reality that scared me the most...I'm not even sure if that's the best way of describing it but I just didn't feel like me.I've been feeling down recently and have suffered from anxiety for about 1 and a half years (Was on beta blockers but have come off them now ) I'm not sure if this could have anything to do with it.Talk about going way off topic...sorry.The mind and body should come with an instruction manual...

how long have you been off the beta blockers, and what was it? i was on effexor, and i was taken off of it because it caused me to faint from dizziness. when i came off of it, it got worse, and i couldnt stand for a couple weeks. maybe you should talk to your doctor about this too.

I've been off them for a while now, over 6 months.I think this is partly a mental thing - I feel very dissociated at the moment, when I reach out my arm to get something it's like watching it on TV almost. I don't know how normal this is. I just feel a total wreck right now, my mind has been doing somersaults. I have spent the last 3 hours feeling suicidal almost and yet now feel better. Maybe I've lost the plot? Feels just like being on a rollercoaster, blindfolded, metaphorically speaking (Although the way my stomach felt earlier this could be taken literally)The best relief I used to get was the comforting embrace of dreams and even they have been horrible recently. If I'm not mad now, I'll probably send myself mad by thinking that I am And you thought I was just some dude with a dody foreskin

What you describe just sounds like the classic symptons of depression. I don't think there is anything wrong with you physically. I think the problem with your ears might be just growing pains, your body still going through changes so I don't thinks that's anything to worry about. But I am not a doctor so make sure you see your doctor about any problems you have questions about (remember he's seen it all before).Do you or have you ever thought of seeing a counsellor? Your doctor could find you some contacts. Talking may help

PM sent - thankyou animal. I am seeing someone, but it's slow going. He seemed to think the feeling of disosicaition or "Am I really here" was more to do with being tired from my new job, worried about doing things right, the pressure etc. But I think I have felt like this for a long time. It's so very hard to explain, but I just don't feel me. I know it sounds cliched, but I'm not even sure if I know who I am sometimes.

good idea to always get more than one medical opinion as people can get things wrong. Don't know who you are seeing but try a counsellor as another option, they cannot diagnose any medical problems but they good at getting you to talk and understand your feelings and stuff.

You almost have same thing as me, mrmole. I'm trying to figure out what mine is too. I think it might be physchological.

I made another thread, before reading this thread - which is there for you to see, if you feel it relates to anything you feel.

I suffer from anxiety so for me it MIGHT be that, I'm not sure. However like you I was also on beta-blockers, and I haven't touched them for like 6 months either, so there's another thing we have in common. A lot of the time, certain head movements definitely do provoke dizziness and I can get it now just moving my head. I also get the bed thing, where I have to sleep in a certain position to stop the sensation, I too definitely feel I'm inside of someone else not in control. This is freakishly weird stuff.

In reply to:And you thought I was just some dude with a dody foreskinIs that true or did someone think you were somebody else? I think whoever it was might have been thinking it was me - I'm the one with the dodgy foreskin - phimosis. And I will admit, that our problems are very identical. PM me if you want.

Just been doing some research on vertigo and anxiety and there are definite links. See:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9035672&dopt=Abstracthttp://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Dizziness_and_vertigo?OpenDocumentI'm going to go with it being anxiety, for the cause. Actually come to think of it, a very long time ago when I was really little, I collapsed because of this vertigo sensation and cracked my chin. So I'll say be careful.I'm going to see a doctor about it, I was feeling terrible with it yesterday. I suggest you do the same. I hope we can both find a solution or SOMETHING than can help.

Hi notsogood,Thankyou for posting.By "And you thought I was just some dude with a dody foreskin" I meant that's all I've posted about so far! Nothing you've said don't worry.