(04-15-2011, 04:23 PM)jdefyingravity Wrote: I've really been wondering about the whole vertigo thing, because I've been having some problems when I am lying down at night trying to fall asleep. I get an awful almost dizzy/spinning/swirling feeling in my head (very hard to describe the feeling) when all the lights are off and I'm lying down. I don't know if this is a typical SPD difficulty of knowing where your body is in space, because I feel like I could fall of the bed (even though I'm in the middle). Sometimes gripping the edge of the bed helps a little, but not much. It's really very disconcerting and I don't know how to stop it or at least attempt to combat/prevent it.

Jaimie

Hi I get this often too....... Maybe it would be worth trying to leave a light on in the hallway or somewhere nearby that is not too bright that it would keep you awake. I hate that darkness so the light helped me alot.

I know some medications can also make you feel horrible like that. Are you on anything that could possibly give that as a side effect? Do you like the darkness at all? I kinda panic when the lights go out if one is not left on nearby, maybe you panic a little too aswel and it sets some dizziness off?!

I don't mind the dark and sometimes need to put a pillow over my face to keep the light that comes from my neighbors house out of my eyes (I live in a row house). Hah, it's fun dance trying to position the pillow with my sensitivities. I LOVE heavy/deep pressure, but I cannot STAND having my nose and mouth under covers or the pillow. I am on several medications, but I am not sure if they have dizziness as a side effect. One that may very well have that side effect is the one I take to help me fall asleep!! I really need it though, because without it I will lay awake for hours. Has anyone had experience with Trazadone?

Thanks for the advice Doodlebodd!

Jaimie

Aww I see what you mean about the light too, I have to cover my eyes every morning because it comes in too bright and brightness also makes me feel ill for some reason. I have the light on in the hallway here at home or in the bathroom because I can shut the bedroom door nearly all the way but still see the things around me.

I know my pc affects me, if I stay on it too long too it will make me dizzy, so will watching the tv too closely or seeing brights lights on it so I try and limit to pc time now but sometimes I stay on too long.

I've never heard of that med, but are you in the US? I'm in the UK and we have different names for some of our medications but they can still be the same sorts of meds if you get me. I know if I take my one tablet and stay up too late with it, it makes me feel sleepy but in a weird way, but I need it aswel as it helps stop pain which is good.

I put my thumb on under the cheek I'm lying on and shield my eys that way every morning. If I dont pin my thumb down with my cheek I will move it or it will fall away from my face so maybe thats worth atry, lol. I have also worn beany type hats at times, I find the looser ones better but they move around more when you move and can come off. But if I have the tigher wool ones they make me itch and make my forhead feel funny and I can get too hot. I still sometimes use them though and just put it down over my eyes.

I am like you that I cannot have anything near my mouth or nose, I hate to feel warm air on me or breathe in warm air too, so I will turn over if my girlfriend faces me in the night because I hate to feel her breathing. That sounds terrible but it's not meant to be that bad. Maybe you could try the hat thing and just pull it over your eyes a bit.

Once or twice I even put my head under the pillow. It kinda sits on my head, I have it angled a bit so it will be a bit on the other pillows behind me so it doesn't fall over my face, like a kinda ramp if you look at it side on. That way I can breath and it shuts out any noises that might be keeping you awake. I'm completely deaf in one ear anyway but when I wasn't I used to do this a few times. My girlfriend snores too and that keeps me awake alot, so I just turn over and lie on my good ear to block out the noise too, lol.

I know one thing too, that being tired can cause episodes of vertigo more aswel, I dont know why, but thats what everyone says about Menieres, that being tired and stressed can set vertigo off, and chocolate for some odd reason ??? Also alcohol can affect Menieres Disease too. Oh and I know some people might not know what Menieres is but it isn't an actuall Disease incase anyone thinks it is. It's an inner ear problem and each time you have attacks of vertigo it can damage the ballance organs in the ear that has the problem. The damage can be that it starts to cause hearing loss, but not always, my hearing in my hearing ear is fine when it doesn't play up which is good. It is thought to be due to fluid and salt levels in your inner ears but no ne knows for sure exactly what it is.

If you do get to the point of having a hearing loss and they can be sure that the deaf ear is the one with Menieres then they can do something about it. They can give you Gentacimin injections. It is an anti-biotic that was used years ago, but when they gave it patients, they found that it often caused a permanent hearing loss. Upon investigations over the years they discovered that Gentacimin affects these ballance organs too, it destrys them. Without ballance organs in your ear you would be deaf. If you've lost hearing through Menieres enough then the ENTs can inject Gentacimin into your ears.

You might need a few injections for it to destroy the ballance organs in the affected ear which should stop the vertigo. Menieres can go into both ears at times but they cant give you these injections unless your hearing is bad in the affected ears as it will permanantly take your hearing. My vertigo was so bad that I was begging to have the injections even into my hearing side even if it meant leaving me completely deaf because it really is nasty as no doubt alot of you here will know. I would never wish it on my worst enemy. The most we can do is try to learn more about it and see if we can find a pattern that sets it off.

I feel terrible for you. Thanks for the information, though.

I don't get it much as long as I don't do anything in a moving vehicle beside look out the window. However the other day when I was swimming laps I tried to do a flip turn. I always wanted to be good at that and forgot why I gave it up. I tried it and got wicked dizzy! It lasted about 12 hours. I mentioned it to a friend who suggested ginger. I drank some ginger tea before I went to bed. I don't know if it helped or not. (Funny, I'm feeling a little dizzy thinking about it - like sympathetic vertigo) But anyway I felt better the next day. My friend gets it all the time. She said her SPD got very bad after a bout of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a few years ago. Vertigo seems to go with her symptoms. It wipes her out for days at a time.

I hope you find a good simple solution.

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(04-15-2011, 06:24 PM)jdefyingravity Wrote: Has anyone had experience with Trazadone?

Jaimie

Yes Trazadone gave me a horrible buzzing, dizzy feeling. A couple of different antidepression medications I tried years ago gave me the same horrible feeling. It is awful!

I take Ambien to sleep. It is the only thing that works for me. 7mg every night. I have used it for years. But it is not safe to take if you drink.