It seems ‘Chronic Subjective Dizziness’ is becoming diagnosed more often. I am a little confused by it. I can’t help thinking it’s just a ‘wastebasket’ diagnosis (dr. Buchholz) that doctor’s find an easy diagnosis to fling at us and not take responsibility for treating us. Patients are diagnosed on the basis as having ‘subjective non-specific dizziness that is not spinning’ ‘feeling like the floor is bouncing’ etc. Why do you have to spin to be ‘properly’ dizzy??? I find it a little offensive as I feel this diagnosis is just a product of their looking at us and not being able to imagine the dizziness we are feeling. If they were in our shoes I think they would feel differently. I am dizzy 24/7 at the moment and to me it feels like there certainly is something very real and active going on in my brain to cause the symptoms, not just something it is noticing and prolonging as part of an anxiety response. I’m so used to the dizziness it doesn’t even cause me a huge amount of anxiety anymore. Does anyone agree/disagree? Can someone explain to me why this may be a valid diagnosis? Thanks
CSD was actually coined by Dr Jeffrey Staab of the Mayo clinic. I’ve actually met him while he was on a UK visit.
The view is that the psychological symptoms (anxiety, fear) start to fuel the physical symptoms, hence you are stuck in this never ending dizzy cycle which becomes CSD.
Staab takes one drug to treat the psychological, and another to treat the ‘migraine’. e.g Nori & Topirimate. Not all physicians subscribe to his view, and the term Migraine variant, or Migraine vertigo is usually given.
Effectively, it doesn’t matter what its called. Most physicians treat MAV the same way, albeit with different drugs based on their experience.
I hope this helps.
mm3admin.co.za/documents/doc … 023390.pdf
This is a link to a paper by Dr. Staub on Chronic Subjective Dizziness that I found very interesting. I, too, have been diagnosed with chronic subjecting dizziness secondary to MAV.
Thank you, that was very informative…
I don’t know what my own feelings are regarding CSD. Based on my experiences with dizzy specialists and others (esp Dr Cha), people who have constant rocking or swaying have MdDS, even if it comes on spontaneously like mine (meaning, not necessarily due to a motion experience). That said, there is supposedly a strong link between mav and mdds, meaning one very well may cause the other. For me, the mav came first (episodic spin attacks from 2009-2010)…then the more constant symptoms caught up later, so I got two diagnoses.
I guess regardless of what it is called, it seems most “rockers” (myself included) get the most relief from Klonopin, rather than migraine meds, diet, VRT, etc. Just my two cents.
I am new to this forum and am finding it very helpful. In May 2013 I experienced vertigo upon wakening one morning - no past health issues. My Dr. said it was a virus and to ride it out - that lasted about 10 days and then after the sick feeling I had lasted over a month. I had two more episodes in fall 2013 and since have felt sick/dizzy on a 24/7 basis. Numerous Dr visits ENT, GP, I got a referral to John Hopkins in May where I was diagnosed with Vestibular Migraine. I followed David Buchholz book, read some of the thoughts on this forum and tried butterbur - and finally today in my follow up my Dr suggests that I have Chronic Subjectie Dizziness with Migraine. I started my net search and yet again landed on this forum. He will be sending recommendations to my GP - MRI with contrast, a prescription (what I don’t know yet), and suggests I play Wii tennis, and practice QiGong - I am trying everything. Until this has occurred in my life I have never heard of these conditions. The latest ruling is that the initial vertigo triggered subsequent conditions that I may have been predisposed to. It’s all hard to soak in when you are looking for a remedy and test after test, dr after dr with no solutions and you feel that no one understands. Folks on this forum do and that is a relief.
Deborahjm45 - thanks for sharing and please keep us updated with recommendations from your doctor. I’ve also been diagnosed with both conditions. I’m on Effexor 75mg and have been doing vestibular rehabilitation therapy since May. I’m about to complete the rehab therapy and while it’s been very helpful, I’m not feeling “normal” yet. I’m going to look into the Wii tennis and QiGong.