Tinnitus, anxiety and dizziness.

[Lizbeth54]

Good morning, Please could I ask if anyone gets dizziness with the Tinnitus. Have had brain scans, ENT appointments, all came back clear. My hearing is good, although I do have hyperacusis and wear white noise generators. For a long time I've tried to find out if the dizziness is part of the anxiety or connected to the T. Is anyone able to give any advise on this. Thank you very much.

[NicTinnitus]

Hello and welcome to the British Tinnitus Association forum. Do feel free to ask any questions, I hope that you find this a helpful and supportive place to help you manage your tinnitus.

Dizziness is a separate condition to tinnitus - it may be triggering the tinnitus because of the stress it puts on your body, but it isn't caused by tinnitus. The good news is that dizziness is often able to be controlled by medication, so have a chat with your GP about it.

We have some resources that you might like to check out in addition to our home here:

tinnitus.org.uk

takeontinnitus.co.uk

Helpline 0800 018 0527 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm) (outside the UK you can call [phone])

Warmest wishes

Nic (BTA Communications Manager and Forum Administrator)

[Lizbeth54 in reply to NicTinnitus]

Thank you for this NicBTA, that is interesting. I'll take a look at the resources.

Kindest regards, Marian

[elbarto]

Hi Lizbeth54

I had episodes of dizziness and anxiety. My Tinnitus is constant and started with the dizziness episodes, I am used to it now (only on left ear) though I have to recognize I hate it. MRI scans ENT appointments came clear as well. I did a balance test, all was fine. My balance was slightly off on my left side (the side with tinnitus) but still within the nominal values.

I was referred to a balance centre and had a very good experience with one of the specialists. Basically after some tests I was told my balance was slightly off in some situations. E.g. when walking straight back and forth shacking my head left and right. I was given 2 exercises to do every night.

Other than that he recommended me the book Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world.

He also recommended me doing Yoga which I am not doing at the moment.

I was really skeptic but both things helped me.

I am not saying all that will help you as I am not a specialist myself. I just hope it gives you the right direction to sort these things.

Good luck!

[Lizbeth54 in reply to elbarto]

Hi elbarto,

Thank you for your reply. My dizziness started a long time ago, around the same time the anxiety started, work related I'm afraid. I had to retire early because of the anxiety. Tinnitus came later, I really think that was connected to the anxiety. When I am anxious or stressed the tinnitus and dizziness gets worse. I have been meditating for over a year and this definitely helps. Have not tried Yoga.

I to have had a problem with balance, but that's fine now.

Hope you're feeling well now.

[Hidden]

4 years ago I started having dizziness with my tinnitus . It made feel quite ill. My ENT diagnosed me with Menieres but I wasn't typical with attacks of vertigo. I had dizziness all the time and my balance wasn't good. They have since told me that I could have had Labyrinthitis . I was put on Betahistine for the dizziness which took a while to improve . I still have T but the dizziness is better most of the time. I do get headaches every day and pressure in my head which I am sure is part of the T . I also had MRI scans and my hearing is still good. All came back clear. I hope this has helped you, I know it is not pleasant. My T seems to be a lot calmer these days. Anxiety can make it all worse so try to look after yourself with some practical ideas that have already been suggested

[Lizbeth54 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Gezzy

I was on Betahistine a while back but didn't help with the dizziness. I don't have Menieres or Labyrinthitis but do have frequent headaches. Just take soluble paracetamol which helps. I am learning to live with the T and am hoping the dizziness will ease. You are completely right about the anxiety!

Thank you very much and hope you keep well.

[Hidden in reply to Lizbeth54]

Hi Lizbeth

I was dizzy for about a year and it very slowly got better. Not sure if it was the Betahistine or just time . It's horrible whatever causes it . I do hope you feel better soon.

[Jojo313]

My ent doctors ( spectacularly useless in my case) said at first I had Labyrinthitis, then Ménière’s, then Vestibular migraine now MdDS! I get the bouncy castle walk and screeching tinnitus 24/7 , life is not the same as it used to be, I no longer waste my time with ent, I’ve gone from almost bedridden to being able to get out on my bicycle every day weather permitting, not brilliant at walking but through sheer determination I can now get about

[Lizbeth54 in reply to Jojo313]

Hi Jojo313

I feel I could cope a lot better if I didn't have the dizziness. I know the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis are here to stay and am trying to cope with that. The dizziness was a lot worse a few years ago. I had to 'hold on to walls' and family at times. Now it isn't as bad as it was but is still there. I really feel this all started with work related Anxiety, that was around 2007.

Good for you getting out there and coming so far.

Thank you.

[Jojo313 in reply to Lizbeth54]

Yes it’s tough, to say the least, I live on my own so had no choice to push through, thank heavens for online shopping though because I couldn’t get out for the first few months and my family don’t live nearby, sadly I didn’t even get to meet my new granddaughter until she was 4 weeks old, but you have to get through it because there’s certainly no medical help!

[Lizbeth54 in reply to Jojo313]

No, you're right, there is no medical help as such and no cure in sight. You have to cope the best you can.

Take care.

[SsjjsS]

Feel for you. I've had tinnitus for 5 years. When it first started I had dizziness 24/7 (both conditions came on together so mine are definitely linked) and was diagnosed with Mal de Debarquement syndrome (my MRI also showed as clear, but I did this test where you close your eyes and march on the spot for about 30 seconds - when I opened my eyes I had turned completely to one side, but I had felt that I was keeping facing forward). I was told to do Cawthorne Cooksey vestibular exercises and after about 5/6 months it started to fade and although the tinnitus rages on the dizziness has gone. Not saying this is what you have as there are lots of reasons for dizziness, but as others have said the anxiety it causes can make both tinnitus and dizziness worse, so try and stay positive if you can! I use CBD oil when I'm struggling, it has no effect on my tinnitus but helps with anxiety.

[Lizbeth54 in reply to SsjjsS]

Hello SsjjsS,

When I went to the ENT clinic, a long while back, my balance was checked, I was all over the place. I couldn't walk in a straight line or balance on either leg without falling to the side. I go to see a chiropractor and a long while back he thought I might have BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) he showed me how to do the Epley Maneuver as he thought the crystals in my inner ear could be moving which could cause the dizziness. That was before I had Tinnitus, but it didn't help.

Anxiety has a lot to answer for, I think that might well have been the start of my problems.

I will take a look at CBD oil.

Thank you so much for your help. Take care.

[SsjjsS in reply to Lizbeth54]

I also had BPPV years ago long before I got tinnitus! With that I got very dizzy when I moved my head in certain directions but it was not a constaint feeling and it only lasted a few seconds. I was referred and had the Epley Maneuver done and was very lucky that it cured it completely. With Mal de Debarquement I was dizzy all the time, but it wasn't the high speed dizzyness of BPPV, more like a slighly rocking/bobbing feeling. Anyway I really hope you start to feel better soon.

[Lizbeth54 in reply to SsjjsS]

I'm so glad the Epley Maneuver worked for you and cured the dizziness. Thank you for your kind comments.

Take care.

[berry76]

Could the dizziness be Meniere's or labrynthitis? A friend has been prescribed Betahistine which is helping her remain on a even keel.

Good luck.

[Lizbeth54]

Hello berry76,

I though that might be the problem, but I was not given that diagnosis.

Thank you

[Freddy17]

Yes I get dizzy as well. I would reading up that it could be from the anxiety and stress causing the problem.

[Lizbeth54]

Yes Freddy17, after reading the helpful replies, including yours, I do feel that the dizziness stems from Anxiety. I meditate with Headspace each day, this does help me. Thank you.

[Hidden]

Hi Lizbeth54. I’m very resistant to the idea that my multiple sensory problems may relate to anxiety. I’ve been on quite a long health journey and my symptoms have included tinnitus, hyperacusis with mild hearing loss and dizziness, sometimes full on vertigo - at other times just feeling rather off kilter and anxious about this and the way it impacts my balance.

All my symptoms, from burning mouth syndrome to tinnitus to tremors and vibrations to joint pain to IBS-c to very widespread neuropathy - could easily relate to anxiety. But if I had ever allowed this idea or perspective to enter my medical team’s vocabulary (and if it enters it sometimes I challenge it hard) then proper investigations into the conditions I’ve so far been diagnosed with, would never have happened.

So I don’t let any of my health team suggest anxiety in letters or my notes where possible and I don’t suggest it or report it to them either. Of cause these symptoms make me anxious but so far I have definitive diagnosis’s of Sjögren’s and Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism won’t Rheumatoid Arthritis and Small Fibre Neuropathy on my list. As someone who has traveled far in terms of lived experience to find out the causes of my symptoms I think anxiety should be a diagnosis of exclusion. This is just my penny’s worth really and if you feel sure that anxiety seems to have triggered your tinnitus and dizziness then you may well be right but I’m on plenty of HU communities and know how often anxiety is diagnosed only to find that there are physiological explanations after all.

[Lizbeth54 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Twitchytoes, I can trace my dizziness back to almost the day it started, over twelve years ago. At that time I had no idea why it had suddenly come on. (I didn't have tinnitus, hyperacusis then) I had many hospital tests, all normal. I did and still do have migraines, thankfully not to often, so this was thought to be the cause. It wasn't until much later that the anxiety, panic attacks, horrible thoughts etc. came on. When I'm upset or anxious the dizziness is worse. I am trying to learn how to acknowledge these different feelings then let them go. I know that the thoughts aren't the problem, it's how I deal with them. The Tinnitus is there all the time, but I do believe that I'll get used to it over time.

Thank you for your interesting reply.

[Hidden in reply to Lizbeth54]

It sounds as if you have worked out what has triggered your own tinnitus, hyperacusis and dizziness and I think we do all, ultimately, know our bodies and minds best.

But anxiety can sometimes be a symptom of physiological conditions as well as a condition in itself. So it’s important that people reading posts here don’t feel that their own vestibular problems are going to be assumed as psychosomatic as used to happen with tinnitus - because with all these invisible symptoms come a degree of prejudice and stigma.

And I know it’s very hard to diagnose conditions such as Menieres and autoimmune ear diseases so this needs to be born in mind too. Conditions such as pulmanory hypertension, Graves’ disease, UTIs and many others besides list anxiety as a symptom - not always a cause.

[Lizbeth54 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for this Twitchytoes. When I'm feeling able I will look into the other conditions you have mentioned.

[Hidden in reply to Lizbeth54]

Well please don’t worry about them because I’m sure you would know if you had them by now!

[Lizbeth54 in reply to Hidden]

Okay, thank you.

[Steubum]

The anxiety can cause you to be dizzy. I suffer from panic attacks and since I've gotten tinnitus my anxiety has been thru the roof. You must see a doctor to discuss how to get your anxiety under control. Good luck!

[Lizbeth54]

My doctor advised me to take a look at Headspace online, a Mindfulness and Meditation website. This was after I had tried different anti-depressants that didn't work for me. I find this helps to calm me and helps when I get anxious, this in turn eases the dizziness. It takes a while, but when I'm calmer my tinnitus seems to be more in the background too.

Thank you Steubum