# Feel super dizzy! Can this be from DP?



## Rogue Bullies

Yesterday I went to the hospital to visit my mom and we used the elevator. When we reached the top floor I walked out just fine, then all of a sudden it felt like I was still on it and the ground was moving under me again. I seriously almost fell on my ass I had to grab on to something and stand for a minute and then sit when we got to her room. I still felt a little more dizzy, but it was getting better.

Now just today about an hour ago I started feeling super dizzy again at work for no reason. It feels like I am wasted drunk or something stubbing around and I feel really light headed. I tried to eat something and I think it helped a little, but I am still hella dizzy. Since I have had DP and anxiety I notice my balance, reaction time, and vision have been off. I have felt more dizzy and light headed, but nothing like this. Is this normal?


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## Guest

Rogue,

This is very common. Before my severe DP onset say 11/12, I had out of nowhere, the first major dizzy spell I've had in my life. THAT scared me. There has been connections made with the dizziness, feeling off balance, feeling the floor go up and down and vertigo. I've had all of that, but over time it passed.

Also, nowadays I can get out of nowhere vertigo, the spinning stuff. Can't even stand up.

There have been discussions of a connection with vestibular disorders and DP, and in one of the older DSMs -- maybe the 3rd? in the 1980s ... dizziness was mentioned, but they removed it. Don't quote me, but I felt releif that it was part of the picture. My sense is they were associating dizziness with anxiety causing hyperventilation and then dizziness. I don't buy it, because nowadays with the chronic DP and not necessarily having anxiety at all at the same time, then getting DIZZY. Well, I think it's part of it.

I've heard this before. What it means ... no clue. But it's been posted on this and other forums on and off.


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## EverDream

Yeah, I have it too. Mine got worse lately too. Not sure if this DP, meds, etc...


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## PositiveThinking!

Not sure if DP can cause dizziness, but I must say that I suffered from extreme dizziness/head pressure and a few more symptoms a few weeks ago, going to do some exams to check it out


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## Guest

PositiveThinking! said:


> Not sure if DP can cause dizziness, but I must say that I suffered from extreme dizziness/head pressure and a few more symptoms a few weeks ago, going to do some exams to check it out


These symptoms sound like DP, or it may be true, it is anxiety/hyperventilating.

But in my case, when I was a young girl, dizziness was the beginning of the bad symptoms. Like weeks of feeling the floor was moving up and down and other weird balance problems. This was before I had any medication -- my first med at the time Imipramine (1975) did not help the symptom.

It seemed to pass with time, and even on Klonopin, Lamictal and Celexa now, I have some minor bouts of dizziness infrequently, and maybe once every 2 months vertigo that can last a few hours to a few days. No clear connection with anything else.

As noted, the only thing you might look into is an ear/nose/throat doctor, they can test vestibular disorders but I changed my mind on one test where they pour a fluid in your ear to MAKE you dizzy and I said the Hell with it.

It has become less bothersome with time. Very bad as a teen mainly. 12-19 or so.


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## Rogue Bullies

Dizziness is very common with anxiety and it seems DP causes you to feel off balance for some reason. Bad news I ended up going into a panic attack and had to leave work.


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## pancake

Dreamer* said:


> There have been discussions of a connection with vestibular disorders and DP, and in one of the older DSMs -- maybe the 3rd? in the 1980s ... dizziness was mentioned, but they removed it.


Sierra also touched on it in A Neglected Syndrome I think. Something about DP being more frequent in ppl with vestibular issues than controls.

I get dizzy spells frequently. Not sure of the cause.


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## Surfingisfun001

I use to get super dizzy all the time too. I've been told that it can be related to adrenal fatigue.


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## Rogue Bullies

Is there anything I can do to try and help from feeling dizzy? It causes me to panic at times which makes everything worse :/


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## Guest

pancake said:


> Sierra also touched on it in A Neglected Syndrome I think. Something about DP being more frequent in ppl with vestibular issues than controls.
> 
> I get dizzy spells frequently. Not sure of the cause.


YES! I just looked in the book, and I can't summarize it all, and can't type it all, but on pages 94 and 95 of "Depersonalization: A New Look At a Neglected Syndrome" 2009 ... what I sort of consider a "must read" that medical MUST read, and my therapist took it to a meeting, and recommended it be added to the U. of M. Medical Library ... yes ...

"A more physiologically based hypothesis posits that depersonalization is related to vestibular symptoms which frequently occur following mild head trauma, such as vertigo, dizziness or lightheadedness [footnote] .....yada ... supporting this view, *it was found that, in ten patients who developed vertigo, 80% reported depersonalization."*

Then in the following section which is far too long, "*An association between depersonalizatoin and vestibular symptoms such as vertigo or "light headedness" has long been observed." *Describes a doctor *Kirshaber (1873) *in patients suffering from "unreality feelings" had ... vertigo -- "the term depersonalization had not yet been coined." Later another doctor *Paul Schilder (1935) * went into this in great detail.

Sierra then remarks that again, no one followed through in the research at the time on this association. GAH!

I would still swear ... and I don't have the DSM-III anymore to verify this, I keep saying I'll go to the Med library to check -- it was mentioned in a description of DP (even in "diagnostic criteria"), and I felt great relief finding that out, unfortunately _*years *_after the fact. But fortunately when it got less and less for me.

*@Rogue,* difficult answer. It's difficult to control vertigo, that's for certain. Dizziness and feeling the floor move up and down and feeling I was "not balanced" when I was walking ... I have no idea how I could have controlled that. However at the time, had someone told me, "Oh, that's part of what comes with this in some people" ... even the word SOME ... would have lessened my anxiety ... as we all already know you feel something like that, and it is anxiety provoking, and then you get more afraid and it's the cycle ... that is like DP too. For me if something happens like that and no one just tells you, "Oh that happens" for ME, I feel worse.

I want to know I am not alone with some strange symptom.

I guess the theory is up in the air though, but it crops up and disappears in studies, then crops up again.
Go figure.
Thanks pancake
The book is really required reading, very clear, detailed, concise, etc.
D


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## Guest

@Kenny, I can also buy adrenal fatigue. I am so anxious sometimes, and was more anxious in those years, and I swear I don't think anyone could find my adrenal glands. They dried up by the time I was 15, LOL


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