Stop smoking - vertigo, anxiety, fear Posted: 04-16-07 08:47am
My question is: I've been trying to quit
smoking for a while but yesterday I had
exams so I smoked alot (14), then had like
4 donuts (too much sugar i'm guessing)
then got back home after a very long and
tiring day. I had this huge vertigo in my
head, I literally lost balance as I walked
to the kitchen twice not once. It's a
feeling I never had before and scared me
to death. While trying to sleep last night
my heart bpm was around 100 which is high
I think. I woke up today all puffed up and
the vertigo is gone but came back again 6
hours (which is now) after I woke up, I've
had no cigarettes so far (trying to quit
cold turkey I guess). I fear I have a
tumor in my head (no headaches though but
some tension in my shoulders) or had a
stroke last night. This emptiness in my
head like something is pulling my head
backwards towards the ceiling is
frightening. I'm extremely scared, please
tell me what to do. Thanks for your effort
and advice.
It seems that vertigo may not be the real
problem in this case, but the fear that
you could have brain tumor, stroke or
another severe disease. You may stop
measuring your pulse and blood pressure at
home. Quitting smoking is a very good
thing but you will need a lot of efforts
to succeed. It seems that anxiety could
be a possible reason for the symptoms you
report. You can consult your primary
health provider. Standard diagnostic
procedures can be done to exclude some
common reasons for vertigo (anemia, hypo
or hypertension, inner ear disorders
etc.). If everything is OK the remaining
possibility would be a diagnosis that
identifies anxiety as the cause of the
condition.
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