I have 2 main symptoms with my VM:
Constant Rocking: which is, for now, under control thanks to Klonopin (helps a lot!)
Constant Spaced Out/Foggy Head feeling: Itās really weird, I feel like Iām not 100% awake or aware. Iām in a mental fog 24/7 and I hate it. makes me feel so dumb, slow and unproductive.
Can anyone relate to this symptom?
Does anyone has tips on how to alleviate the spaced out feeling?
Thanks 
Hi Edward. Think weāve talked before and as I said then thereās no one drug specific to MAV and although many drugs are trialled for prevention itās not a case of one specific drug for any one specific symptom. Feeling āspaced outā and āmental fogā are just individual symptoms caused by the hypersensitivity that is MAV. Quite a common one at that. Iād say once the preventative is really working it should in theory reduce the intensity of all symptoms. I appreciate sometimes people eventually need to add in further drugs to obtain maximum relief.
Thanks for the reply
I meant, are there specific ātechnicsā to help? Maybe mindfulness, reducing computer time, light exercise? Iāll be trying all the ideas I have in mind but I thought I would ask if someone has some tips that are working for them.
Edward, I wish I knew the answer to your question! Living life in a heavy fog is one of the most distressing symptoms of this crazy health condition. As I recently told my primary care physician, I often feel stoned but not high. What helps me is to avoid noisy, brightly lit, crowded spaces as much as practical, and to make my home a quiet, peaceful refuge. Walking, particularly in nature, is sometimes helpful, but not always. The less my brain is stressed, the better I do. But some days nothing works. I wish I had a good answer because itās scary.
I couldnt agree more with that quote
Jo
What do you mean by āspaced outā?
I mean that feeling of not being 100% HERE, not being 100% conscious. When your brain is very foggy and you dontāt feel sharp, alert or present.
You guys/gals appear (by your typing) much more alert and less clouded than I am day to day. Jealousā¦I can barely type sentences that mean anything or use correct verb tenses half the time. It is really pathetic. Cum Laude undergrad and MBA and feel like I am operating at a 10th grade level sometimes. 6.5 years inā¦good times. I have managed to maintain my job, get promoted, etc. still but always wonder how different my relationships, job, etc. would have been over this time if MAV never happened.
Ha ha. Well sort of. When Iām really acute I darenāt even look at a screen of any sort yet alone type but I only get brain fog these days during an acute attack or as a result of a severe reaction. Those times I can virtually lose the ability to think completely and even use incorrect words during speech. Think of one word but another similar one comes out my mouth. Brain fog just slows the mind down to a crawl. Currently I have massive hurricane strength brain fog so I type this with one finger and 28? gritted teeth. Btw in a former life I was an accredited 72 wpm touch typist who used to be a pace setter for typing speed trials. So donāt be too consumed with jealousy not in my part anyways. Helen
Chris, for me itās episodic. At times my brain is fairly responsive ā it takes more effort but with concentration I can manage to function at a reasonable level. Other times I canāt add 2+2, reread the same passage over and over again without comprehension, slur my words, struggle to process basic information . . . you get the picture. On those days I donāt bother trying to send a message, pay a bill or transact any business at all because it feels overwhelmingly difficult. For me the cognitive challenges are the scariest part of this whole ordeal. I worry about my future.
Yeah I know how you feel. Iām an engineer and its been difficult to workā¦ I just try to be cool with it when it happens and do something that doesnāt require my brain as much, knowing that my brain will come back probably several hours later. Lately Iāve found triptans work to abort some of the head pressure / foggy symptoms and I get my brain back quicker.
Couldnāt have said it better. And to top it off for me, I try to belly breathe and relax and I can make my head pressure / dizziness worse! It really is an amazingly awful condition that I wouldnāt wish on my worst enemy. Thankfully Iām on the tail end of it.
Perhaps we should compare yourselves to computers. Brain Fog is what occurs when that irritating little circle that goes round and round appears on the screen to indicate thereās just not enough power/capacity/speed to keep everything working. itāll all come back up again. Rest a while and itāll all come up again fully functional. Helen
What triptans do you use and do find any rebounding later after coming off?
Hey Chris, Iām not noticing a rebound as I donāt use them that often. I use sumatriptan (imitrex). It seems 50mg works, I donāt notice any side effects.
Hi Edward,
I just joined the forum today so forgive me if Iām late to answering your question. I myself experience this spaced out feeling as well. I describe it to my doctor as the feeling I get after being put on Valium before a surgical procedure. Itās something called depersonalization or derealization. I notice I get this with some visual disturbances before the vertigo and such hits.
I havenāt found anything that relieves it just yet. It is a psychosomatic type of symptom though, made worse by stress and anxiety. I try to realign my thinking that this sensation although very annoying and somewhat disturbing, itās not harmful. Therapy can also help with this, which Iām considering to help to cope with all of these symptoms.
I think Brain Fog and Depersonalisation are very different. Personally I had Brain Fog on and off for years before I even realised what it was or even that it actually had a name. Its that being unable to think straight/as quickly as you usually do, that woolly headed feeling. Itās like trying to think through treacle. If Brain Fog could affect fingers one would say āmy fingers are all thumbs todayā. āDerealisationā is like you arenāt looking at the Real World or only as a bystander, not actually being part of it at the time of looking. Of course itās each a symptom of the condition. According to the attached link it relates to brain dysfunction somewhere along the line. An interesting phenomenon though, a lot of threads on here relating and possible hypothesis with this link.
@edward Iāve been doing some research online, came across someone on YouTube saying how they use a combination of lavender and peppermint essential oils and rub it on various parts of their head face and neck to help them feel more grounded when theyāre experiencing this sensation. Just thought Iād share if youād like to give that a try.
If you do decide to use essential oils, always dilute them before contact with your skin otherwise you can get a chemical burn. I hope this helps!
Obviously your YouTuber isnāt subject to the hypersensitivity to smell I and many other MAVers suffer.
I find Iām sensitive to certain smells, not all and itās only when Iām feeling really bad that day.
Oh Iām totally hyper to smells. I could always smell somebody sucking a mint or a throat sweet in an open plan office. Iāve a more sensitive nose than a police search dog. Outside in summer I can smell perfume on ladies driving past in their cars and no the house is well set back from the road behind a high hedge. Itās incredible.