Question: Hi,
I have been suffering from light headedness and what feels like dizziness only when I move around. I do suffer from anxiety and am currently seeing a CBT. All physical to do with heart etc have been ruled out hence the reason I am going down the psychological route. What I am struggling to understand is that when I am sitting still I do not get the symptoms, it is only when I move around? Can you help? Some days the dizziness is worse than others which I believe could be linked to worry.

When I initially went to the doctor a year ago with this complaint (it happened for the first time when I was rushing around), they immediality thought that it was anxiety, but I was not convinced as the dizziness was so powerful and only happened when I moved around. I then went back and they checked out my ears etc and said that there could have been an ear infection as one ear had some more fluid in that the other (from what I remember) and gave me some antibiotics and then some medication to treat vertigo (but it was a year ago that I cannot remember what that prescription was called). I was also referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist and for the first time in 3 months I did not have any of the dizziness and light headed symptoms, and he said that even if signs and symptoms had gone if I did have vertigo then I would still feel off balance etc when he moved my head in certain positions.
So after that it was back to the drawing board really which is what made the doctors think that it is a possible side affect of anxiety. I still really struggle with the fact that I can be sat still and not feel it but then when I move around it is there immediality. I know that worrying about it only makes it worse though but it is hard not too because it is there each and every day. For that reason it has affected my mood and on Sunday of this week I have been taking 10mg of Amitriptyline which I know can cause side affects of dizziness but at the end of the day it cannot get any worse than it already is so this was worth a shot.
My GP recommended that I see the CBT again (as I saw her two years ago) to see if that helped.
My GP also said that she didnt see any real reasons to have some more intrusive tests which she thought may actually make my anxiety worse and I did agree.
I teach PE for a living and it is so debilitating, sitting still fine, rushing around, moveing around, after exercise etc feel terrible. Very strange and very frustrating.
Hope that you can help,

Regards,
XXXXXXX

Hello Dr,

Thank you for your response. It has been mentioned in the past that there may have been some dizziness linked to my ears, but minimal and I have been so anxious about them that they are going hand in hand at the moment. I will speak to my doctors to see if I can see a neurologist, I do not actually know the proceedure as no one has mentioned that to me before.
I have had a scan on my heart etc and numerous blood pressure tests, thyroid test, blood tests and apart from being Vitamin D deficient (which I am taking drops for) everything came back clear.
I have been on Betahistadine before ( I remember now seen as you mentioned it above) and it had no affect, I was also tried on others and that had no affect either.
When I went to the ENT they could not find any signs or symptoms of ear imbalance? How may a neurologist be different?

Thanks XXXXXXX