Dizziness

[hapi2bgf]

This may have nothing to do with Celiacs, but it seems that when something goes wrong I check for a relationship to Celiacs before I look any further. Recently I have been getting dizzy spells that are cuasing problems. I few weeks ago when I had the first one I associated it with the headcold I had. Now I am no longer sick and the spinning rooms are killing me. Is there any connection between celiacs and dizziness?

The dizziness strikes when I am laying down, sitting, or standing. I do not know what triggers it. Ever drink so much that when you looked at something it would take a few seconds for the room to catch up to where your eyes were looking? That's kind of what is going on. To walk down the stairs I have one hand on the rail and the other bracing me on the wall.

Any thoughts?

[GEF]

I too have had dizzy spells / bouts of vertigo and visited my physician regarding it recently. Sometimes they will last a day, sometimes for a week and it varies in intensity. My doctor ran some blood tests to check my complete metabolic panel, thyroid, sugar, etc, etc and found nothing unusual (it figures).

I have heard that there is a connection with celiac, however I too am in the dark on the cause or how to treat it. Next time I get a vertigo attack, I'm going to get some bloodwork done so see if the cause can be pinpointed. I will let you know if I find any info... I see the GI specialist next month, perhaps he knows more about the celiac connection.

There are also some posts here that many others have this symptom associated with gluten ingestion.

Gretchen

[jendenise]

I used to get dizzy spells after I ate something "glutened" mostly, but every once in a while I still get them. I get dizzy, and my head starts to hurt and I get nauseaus and feel really hot, like I have the flu almost, and then it just goes away. I don't think it's only based on what I eat because I keep a daily diet diary and sometimes I don't eat anything that's even questionable! It's definitely not fun.

[judy04]

Dear Hapi..

I used to get dizzy during ragweed season, late summer until frost,

since going gluten-free this has cleared up tremendously. I also tend to get

dizzy during Spring when the trees and flowers start to bloom.

Sometimes in bed if I turn my head to the right, the room will

spin around. My MD said 95% of the time it is due to fluid in the

ear. Hope this helps...

[hapi2bgf]

Thanks everyone! I have a new found respect for Vertigo sufferers!

I can't relate this problem back to a gluten ingestion. Besides, typically when I ingest gluten my reaction is very different and noticable by my whole family!

I am having a right sided problem too, so maybe it is a fluid in the ear thing. Any thoughts on how to get the fluid out of the ear? A decongestant? I am also 16 weeks pregnant, so I have called the OB to ask her opinion.

Thanks!

[judy04]

Hapi,

A decongestant will take care of the problem but you must remember

that they raise your blood pressure and can increase your pulse

Be sure to check with your Dr. I usually take an anti-histamine

which is less effective, makes you sleepy, but it is safer for me..

[GEF]

First thing my doctor asked me when I told him I was getting dizziness / vertigo was if there was a chance I was pregnant. I'm not, but apparently is a frequent occurance if you're pregnant.

Just thought I'd mention that.

Gretchen

[brehm48]

Hi, I suffer from dizzy spells also. Sometimes they can be very scary because you wonder if they are going to happen when you are driving or walking down the stairs. I have found that I get them from seasonal allergies, eating gluten, inner ear problems, and also constipation which usually accompanies a sore throat.

[angel-jd1]

High and Low blood pressure can also cause dizzyness. You might want to have that checked.

-Jessica

[chuot]

I know that when I was severely anemic, I would have dizzy spells. You may need some added iron in your diet, your best bet is to talk to your doctor.

Carmen

[plantime]

My dizzy spells are caused by seasonal allergies and changes in the barometric pressure. Taking an oral decongestant usually clears it up, but make sure you talk to your doctor first. There are many things that could be causing dizziness, and you will need to be evaluated by a doc.

[ejulian]

BPV - benign positional vertigo

A couple of years ago, I experienced sudden, intense vertigo after crawling into bed with my son. I was lying on my left side, and thought at first that the bed broke - it was that intense. I thought I was having a stroke. The ER doc determined that it was only when I was lying in a certain position. Apparently, some of the little balls that float in your ear fluid and help you tell what your relative position is can break free and float around. If you tilt your head a certain way, they float into one of the receptor areas that scream "falling!" and you get vertigo. There are more technical descriptions out on the Web. I can, in fact, initiate the vertigo by tilting my head at a certain angle. It doesn't scare or bother me nearly so much anymore, now that I know what it is and how to make it go away - turn over!

Hope this helps.

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

Yeah, i had that too. But it was a lot, before i knew i had celiac and before i went glutenfree. I had it yesterday a little and i thought (like all the times before) this is, because i haven't done much sport lately. But that actually can't be, so maybe the "not doing much sport" wasn't the problem before either. And now i found this subject here on the message board. Yes, i think there's a connection to celiac.

Lots of greetings, Stef

[mswift]

I had only two dizzy spells(among many other symptoms as well) about two months apart. 6 months later I had an endoscopy that confirmed I had celiac. I have not had a problem since changing my diet over a year ago.

Also, I met another confirmed celiac at a gluten free pizza feed and her only symptoms were dizzyness and vertigo. Once she changed her diet her dizzyness went away - I believe she told me she had been gluten-free for over 20 years when I met her.

Hope this helps,

Mike

[kristi]

I found it very interesting to go to "Wikipedia" a free encyclodedia on the web and actually look at the "Celiac Artery" and the "Celiac Trunk." Being that it is an artery, it might explain the racing heart and dizzy feelings. It is also interesting to see how it is surrounds and protrudes into the stomach. hmmmmm

[Claire]

Benign positional vertigo IS a very common cause of dizziness but is only one of literally hundreds of possibilities.

I have lived with this problem for many years - not only dizziness but also a nebulous, wavy sensation in my head that was almost constantly present. My head had not felt 'right' for more than 20 years. I went gluten-free in August (had been limiting grains prior to that time). About February I was in the kitchen and suddenly stopped and wondered why I felt so strange. The reason? My wavy head was gone. I have had only one significant dizzy spell since summer and the strange head sensation is virtually gone.

My local neurologist believes this is one form of 'silent migraine'. I have a daughter with that and my family history is laden with migraine sufferers.

Regardless of cause my neurologist told me that taking subliminal nitroglycerine at the first onset will stop a migraine. It may stop the dizziness as well.

Tell your doctor this info came from a neurologist and ask for a prescription for the pills and try it out.

What's the worst thing that can happen? It doesn't work. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Claire

[dionnek]

I have just been diagnosed with celiac (just confirmed this morning!) but have had dizzy spells and fainting all my life. Dr.s always attributed it to my severe anemia (low iron), but even on 3 iron pills a day I still had the dizzyness. I have read that it is a symptom of celiac, so I'm hoping it goes away once I change my diet.

[rsavage]

I'm sorry you are dealing with vertigo. While I was still on gluten, I had an attack so bad that I just went down to the floor. I remember telling my husband to call the doctor or the funeral home. Vertigo is totally debiliting. I am better now but still can have some times when I am woosy. I take a decongestant and do feel better. Hope this helps. Please get better. Try to take the stress out of your life. That does help some. A double check of diet and a visit to the doctor to make sure you are ok might not hurt.

[kittycat]

Hi everybody! Nobody has posted in this forum for a year or so and I thought I would reactivate it because I had a story/question.

I have suffered from dizzy spells all my life. My first attack was at 5 months old. My parents thought I has epilepsy and I was sent for every possible test. Everything came back negative. The first time I collapsed I was 18 months old. Obviously I couldn't tell my parents what was wrong or what I was feeling and the doctors at the Montreal Children's Hospital could not figure it out. The attacks would come 2 to 3 times a year and last 4 to 5 days at a time. When I was 25, I had a test done for Menieres Disease and the Dr told me that this is what I had. I still don't believe him now, 10 years later because with this disease you have hearing loss. I don't have that. I feel an intense, almost painful dizziness that strikes first at night waking me and no matter what position I change to, I can no longer go back to sleep or even close my eyes again. Every time I do, I get another attack. The attacks are so vicious, that I can't even walk the 15 feet from my bed to the toilet without having my husband hold me and while I have 5 or 6 attacks along the way. I am at my wits end; I no longer know what to do or where to go. I can't handle this anymore.

I also noticed in another post about pain in the upper right side of the abdomen. I also have this and I went to the hospital for this a year and a half ago and the Drs didn't take me seriously.

I wonder if the dizziness & this pain are somehow connected?? I have never been tested for Celiacs. What does the tests consist of?

Thanks for any help that anyone can give me!!

Heidi

[holdthegluten]

  kittycat said:

Hi everybody! Nobody has posted in this forum for a year or so and I thought I would reactivate it because I had a story/question.

I have suffered from dizzy spells all my life. My first attack was at 5 months old. My parents thought I has epilepsy and I was sent for every possible test. Everything came back negative. The first time I collapsed I was 18 months old. Obviously I couldn't tell my parents what was wrong or what I was feeling and the doctors at the Montreal Children's Hospital could not figure it out. The attacks would come 2 to 3 times a year and last 4 to 5 days at a time. When I was 25, I had a test done for Menieres Disease and the Dr told me that this is what I had. I still don't believe him now, 10 years later because with this disease you have hearing loss. I don't have that. I feel an intense, almost painful dizziness that strikes first at night waking me and no matter what position I change to, I can no longer go back to sleep or even close my eyes again. Every time I do, I get another attack. The attacks are so vicious, that I can't even walk the 15 feet from my bed to the toilet without having my husband hold me and while I have 5 or 6 attacks along the way. I am at my wits end; I no longer know what to do or where to go. I can't handle this anymore.

I also noticed in another post about pain in the upper right side of the abdomen. I also have this and I went to the hospital for this a year and a half ago and the Drs didn't take me seriously.

I wonder if the dizziness & this pain are somehow connected?? I have never been tested for Celiacs. What does the tests consist of?

Thanks for any help that anyone can give me!!

Heidi

You could start off by asking your doctor for a blood test called a Celiac Panel. If you test positive for celiac you can follow up by having an endoscopy of the upper GI to test for damage from eating gluten. hope this helps!

[GFhopeful]

I too was diagnosed with Meneire's disease and put ona diaretic and Claritin. 3 days later I was in the hospital, dehydrated and sick like I've never been sick before - but not as dizzy. Anyway, it was during this hospital stay that they did the endoscopy and I learned about Celiac. I have not had one dizzy spell since going gluten-free since June of this year. I have other symptoms that remain (headaches, fatigue) but the wake-you-up-in-the-night- room-spinning- around- you vertigo is gone. I went back to the ENT and told him what happened and that I wondering if it was a reaction to Celiac that was causing the dizziness but he felt that I could have both Meneire's and Celiac and started talking to me about a surgery on my inner ear. Of course, I don't have the dizziness so I'm not even thinking about surgery.

I would definitely pursue testing for Celiac or gluten sensitivity. It is so worth it and the diet isn't that bad, once you get the hang of all the hidden gluten issues. My bloodwork was all negative but the biopsy from endoscopy was positive for damage. Honeslty, the endoscopy isn't that bad as it's quick but make sure you go to a Celiac expert who gets a good sample during the procedure. That vertigo is unbearable and really limits what you feel comfortable doing in life (like going anywhere alone, driving, etc) and I just had a couple of "attacks" this past year, I can't imagine you having a lifetime of it! I hope this is the answer for you! And upper abdominal pain could definitely be Celiac too. That would be so great if you could control it through diet.