Hello, I’m new here.
I’m 21 and I’ve had vertigo for 8 months now. I was diagnosed with MAV (though I don’t get migraines).
The main thing that triggers it is when I walk into a store. It feels like the ground is moving and I feel like I’m going to pass out. The worst is when I have to wait in line to check out because when I stand still I can feel it more.
Does this happen to anyone else? And is there a reason for this?
Thanks
Welcome. Yeah I also feel that the ground is moving up and down. So scary. I cannot tell you the exact reason for this but it could be due to tight neck muscles, tight eye muscles or brain not properly integrating balance information coming from various organs. The stores’s lighting could also be a culprit. The feeling that you will pass out is probably caused due to you getting panicky due to the sensation. This is a common symptom mentioned here. My symptom responds only to benzos. Have you tried any meds? Try to note that whether this sensation strictly happens in stores or is present all the times. My sensation is present all the times. In familiar surroundings where I feel safe(like in my room) I pay no heed to this sensation and it vanishes into the background and I do not get panicky.
This response is called visual vertigo. It means that the large amount of visual information in stores (i.e the range of colours, shapes, patterns etc) is causing you to feel more dizzy, a kind of sensory overload. I have read that it has something to do with your balance being too reliant on your vision, but this condition is so mysterious, it is hard to know what exactly is going on. Have you started any treatment?
sorry it took me so long to reply
I’ve been to like 5 different doctors and they can find nothing wrong with me. This diagnosis is just kind of a guess. I used to get it so bad I’d spend the whole day on the couch, but these days it usually only occurs when I enter a store. Right now I’m on Amitriptyline. Anyone else on this? I don’t think it’s been helping. Whenever I get dizzy I take a Clonazepam and that seems to help. I’m currently looking for a job and I’m really scared that I won’t be able to keep it because of my vertigo. I applied at retail stores and a coffee shop. Sometimes I can handle those places and sometimes I can’t. I’m worried about having to keep looking around everywhere while I’m making drinks because that makes me dizzy. If anyone else works in retail/food place how do you handle your job?
Stores always present issues ! Try dark sunglasses and keep eyes looking down and to the side, good luck, the only long term solution is the right medicine cocktail.