I’m new here and could use some help. In Mid-December I suddenly began experiencing anxiety and vertigo. Never had this before, thought I was dying. Didn’t know what it was, urgent care doc gave me larezepam and a another pill for the vertigo.
I’ve been off work since. I am just about out of sick time and looks like I need to file for disability. Primary doc started me on Prozac 20 mg and I think this is day 17. I’m having side effects (shakiness, no appetite, can’t sleep, racing thoughts) I basically feel like crap. I’m scared this is going to be my life. My daughter is trying but she doesn’t understand and is losing patience with me.
I know results might take awhile, but I feel crazy - bored out of my mind. I get crazy anxiety doing anything.
Oh Tracey. That was/is still me. First time. Started in November. I’m now on my 6th week
Hopefully Don will post his awesome post with timelines that I found helpful.
Time and patience is what we are working with. Just get through the moments. Harder said than done when you feel like this. We all know JUST what you are going through and you, are definitely not alone
We are very supportive on here. I have found it a life saver.
Keep posting. We will support you how we have been each other.
Hugs xx
Tracey!
Your singing my song. Girl I am right there with you. I have struggled with vertigo before but when my anxious episode started end of November I’ve been put on medical leave and I’m running out of vacation now I have to apply for disability too! It’d freaking me out! But I keep telling myself how is me freaking out Gonna make me better? I have no means of supporting myself without my works disability but I have to believe it’ll workout.
All your side effects are perfectly normal especially on Prozac! Your NOT crazy! It’s all very normal. I’ve been on it 6 weeks and still struggling (especially since I went from 20 to 30 mg last week!) they kinda started all over again! I too am struggling with vertigo through this whole thing among all the other side effects. It’s so hard. Let’s be in it together. It takes a VERY long time to work.
How old are you if you don’t mind me asking? Did doc give you anti anxiety meds? What vertigo med did they give you?
Hi Tina - thank you. I’m 58. The vertigo is better, occasionally now when anxiety is bad. I was given mescaline. The vertigo is like being motion sick. I move my eyes and my stomach goes whoa! It helped but made me feel drugged. I haven’t taken now in over a week.
I have a question if that is okay. I’ve been trying to avoid the larazepam - doc says to take only if I have to. Frankly I feel weak willed when I need to. But is this making it all worse?
Thank you! I know it will take time and I want so much for my life to go back to normal. I’m not very good at this and feel like I am all alone
Hello lovely! Day 38 and this evening from about 4 ish Iv had glimpse of me again! You’ll have rubbish days and ok days and soon the ok days out say the rubbish ones. I’m possibly going to feel awful tomorrow however right now I’m just going to be ok with being ok!
Lean on these people on me on us we will get you through this. Xx
Larazapam is that Ativan or Xanax? Are you hesitant to take it? If you are feeling so anxious that you can’t seem to calm down I would take it. There’s no harm. But if you think you can be ok without it then that’s fine to. Don’t be afraid -you’ll be so happy you took it. It might even help the process. But I wouldn’t take the vertigo meds if you take your anti anxiety. Your anti anxiety will cover all that.
My vertigo is constant everyday. I hope it goes away.
Good luck Tracey! We’re here for each other.
Tracey,
Yes it sounds like side effects and it takes awhile for them to go away. I’m in week 8, and I am a little better, but still have side effects. People say it takes about 12 weeks to level out. I started out like that 20 years ago, it did get better over time. Now I’m 45, and going through it again with perimenopause, but I made it through last time, so hoping it will be like that again. Hang in there, it takes a long time for these meds to work.
I only take my Olanzapine if I really can’t cope with the symptoms I’m getting, in saying that I always have them on me because it helps me feel safe. I take my Fluoxetine daily and Olanzapine just when needed.
Hi Tina - curious, do you have crystals in your ears, or have you seen a neurologist? I will be seeing a neurologist next week. My vertigo is much better (don’t know if the Epley Maneuver and the half somersault exercises actually helped or even if I did them right) but it’s better. Doc still wants me to keep the neurologist appt because the vertigo lasted so long.
So yours has gotten better? That’s awesome! What did you say you did? I’m be too afraid to do a somersault lol. I had my regular doctor check my ears and he said he didn’t see anything so I don’t understand. But no I haven’t seen a neurologist. But I’d like to.
Google the Epley Manuver or look on YouTube. If your vertigo is ‘positonal’ then these exercises can help.
You can develop crystals in your ears and if they move to where they aren’t supposed to be then they can cause vertigo. These ‘exercises’ help move the crystals back to where they came from. My doc said they wouldn’t hurt me - I don’t know if that is what helped me or if my vertigo was related to the anxiety. But it couldn’t hurt.
Vertigo is the worst!
Did the doc check your ears and see your crystals off? Did he say it was your vertigo? I’m only afraid to do that cuz I had the doc check my ears and he said I nothing was wrong. So I figured it was true vertigo but more anxiety induced vertigo. Think it would help? I guess I could try.
Both the urgent care and my primary doc looked in my ears. I really don’t know if the crystals are visible or not. They both asked me if the vertigo worsened when my head was in certain positions which would suggest that I did. I don’t know if I have/had crystals or not. Primary doc suggested the exercises and said it might make me feel more in control and couldn’t hurt.
Hi Tracey,
My vertigo is getting worse. I wonder...were you able to take prozac and anti anxiety meds and vertigo meds?
Hi Tina,
Yes I did. I took:
Meclizine (vertigo) 25 MG, 3 times a day. No more than 100 MG/day - I’ve learned that this is the same as over the counter Bonine for motion sickness and same dosage.
Lorazepam .5 MG (anxiety) could take twice a day.
Prozac 20MG. Once each morning
I took them together initially. I also take Ambien for chronic insomnia and so have to be real careful with the lorazepam a they can’t be taken within 4 hours together.
What does your doctor say?
I found them very sedating and felt drugged (which I was). I don’t like this feeling and it seemed to make the anxiety worse.
Also I found that ginger pills help both my anxiety and vertigo
Hi Tracey,
Thanks that’s what i was wondering . So then “bonine” didn’t really help cuz you were taking the other stuff to?
What helped the most? The maneuver? And ginger?
Also Tracey did you try taking them far apart from each other? Did that work better or no?
HI Tina.
I haven’t tried Bonine for this. 2nd week I asked doc if there was an alternative to the mescaline as it made me feel drugged. She suggested Dramamine or an antihistamine. I had some left over Bonine and read the package - one pill is the same dosage as the mescaline subscription I had. I tried Claritin because I had some and it was a complete failure - set off bad anxiety.
Ginger helps me