First post so I hope I’m doing this right. I have a history of panic attacks but can’t remember the last time I experienced one. I thought they were a thing of my past. Then on April 2 I received my first vaccine (moderna). The first six days I was fine other than a sore arm. But on day six I experienced this burning sensation that shot up my throat(the side where I had received the injection) and that side of my tongue begin cramping and throbbing. I’ve never experienced cramps and a stabbing pain in my tongue. Right after the pain the lymph nodes in my throat (on that side also) swelled up to where my family could visibly tell they were swollen. Went to the doctor the next morning and she confirmed “yes, this is most likely due to the vaccine” saying all the lymph nodes in my throat were swollen and to not be surprised if the same happened under my arm. But then two days later I ended up in the Emergency room with my blood pressure 179/139. I’ve never had high blood pressure. After blood work they felt it was anxiety or a panic attack. My blood pressure continued to run high the days following and my doctor put me on blood pressure meds .then it dropped too low. It is getting to where I’m afraid to be alone. It is depressing because maybe the panic attacks are back, but all I know is ....I was doing fine to where that was all the past and not on the radar anymore. Then after the vaccine on the 2nd within a matter of weeks I’ve regressed hearing the diagnoses as panic. I asked if the vaccine could make an person with a past history of anxiety issues, worse? Can it damage nerves? Can it make blood pressure too high? To all the answer no. I am due to receive the second dose on May 3 but my doctor agreed I should not get it ...just in case.
Hi-I received my first Moderna shot 18 days ago. Felt terrible the day after and my arm really got very swollen. Now 18 days in, I have been experiencing random off and on vertigo, being dizzy and light headed and my arm started to hurt again where I got the shot. Am worried how I will feel after the second shot! Also, I have never had vertigo or gotten dizzy-this is a really scary new "sensation". I hope this will pass-but it seems to linger! Note, I am 41 and have no underlying health conditions, etc... Has anybody else experiencing the "lingering" dizziness? Thanks for sharing-this is all so new and scary!
Having participated on this forum for a couple of months and reading many posts, I thought that I’d share what SEEMS to be a general theme... There may have been some concern about the hasty research, but we chose to get the vaccine. After the CDC allotted timeline, we experienced an onslaught of baffling symptoms which rendered us confused and fearful. Sometimes, frustrated. After undergoing tests, the medical community offered no “real” answers. Despite filing a VAERS report, the CDC remains silent. Collectively, we are trying to figure out how to alleviate the lingering effects, ones that no government agency has validated. Our responses vary. The recommendations of our doctors vary. No one really knows and we are left desperately questioning, “Will this go away? What will make this go away? How long will it take?” For me, this forum offer ideas & information, but more importantly validation that I am not alone.
Kris, Yes, yes, yes and yes! It also seems to me - especially with so many having fluctuating symptoms - it's very difficult to know with certainty if anything we're doing, or not doing, is contributing to our improvement or regression. But to do nothing smacks of resignation to me. So ...I read, ponder, conclude what seems applicable and reasonable for me - and hope for an eventual better day, hopefully for the rest of my days!
And, one final YES! - since we find we're figuratively "not in Kansas" anymore. (as Dorothy Gale said to Toto, upon finding herself in Oz 😜) having comrades in this journey is extremely invaluable!!
@mm824 Hello i had gotten my first pfizer vaccine on 3/19 & within 3 min had extreme dizziness. I also had difficulty breathing. The breathing difficulty was thankfully alleviated with my asthma pump . But the dizziness to the point of where i was unable to stand lasted 2 hours. My blood pressure which is normally about 110-120 over 60-70 had gone up to 158 over 90. I have not been diagnosed with vestibular but came accross your post and you are the first one i encountered that had an "immediate" reaction to the vaccine like i did. I was going to schedule the 2nd shot but my allergist stopped me. He said that the cdc recommends anyone who has an "immediate" reaction to the vaccine not take the 2nd dose & consult with the doctor about the possibility/safety of taking another non mrna covid vaccine. I was planning to take the johnson but i have other health issues which make it not a good choice due to the blood clotting issues. Has anyone else had an "immediate" reaction? (Within a few minutes) Thank you for listening.
Hi all,
I wanted to update because I may have been going through this longer than a lot of you. I got my first Pfizer on December 28. January 6th I woke up with bad vertigo. It was triggered off and on all day long. Saw my chiropractor that day who said it was probably BPPV and told me to do Epley. I staggered out of his office because he triggered it so bad. At that point it made me anxious with crying and had to control my breathing. The next day was a lot better and it was gone totally by a week. I got my second Pfizer on Jan 28th then woke up with the vertigo back again about 16 days later. Luckily it was much less severe and triggered mainly when I was in bed rolling over or if I looked up. I was able to work and function and kind of got used to head spinning when in certain positions. No more anxiety about it. It lasted 16 days that time. I was all good until about a month later I was walking and it suddenly hit me. I was generally unsteady and dizzy with a little nausea until I took Dramamine. Since then it has been over a month of just back to the head swimming or actual vertigo when rolling over in bed, sometimes when lying down or sitting up, looking up, turning head when bent over. One doctor said labrynthitis. I told a PT I work with and he did a two minute test and said BPPV and a maneuver that made me nice and dizzy but ultimately didn’t fix anything. Another doctor said neuritis. Finally today I had a 3 hour full blown hearing and balance test. My balance is excellent, hearing good, but the audiologist said so have BPPV. I guess that is it then! Not sure why it started so soon after the first vaccine. About two and a half years ago I had a full day of unable to twitch a muscle or I would be so dizzy and nauseated! I think that may have been a virus and then maybe inflammation from the vaccine attacked that same area? Who knows. I do have some suspicious symptoms such as occasional pulsation tinnitus in the other ear that they said could be nothing or could be a sign to watch out for Menieres. But I don’t fit Ménière’s disease otherwise. So there ya go. I ended up with BPPV after the first Covid vaccine and there is no good explanation. Nobody will call it an adverse reaction. I had to report it on my own. I am being referred to physical therapy for fun positioning maneuvers on their special chair. Supposedly it is an easy fix.
@kris yes!!!! I think you summed it up nicely. I got my first vaccine at the end of December which was a lot earlier than the majority of people. I felt so alone and frustrated until I found this forum. It took a while for there to be enough other people having vestibular issues after the vaccine. I was so happy to see I wasn’t nuts after all.
Being that this is a website generally for those with vestibular disorders, I think that people with vestibular issues (new from the vaccine or chronic before the fact) are going to want to be able to discuss freely what is going on with legitimate issues that good medical professionals are now acknowledging. More and more neurologists as well as pharmacists and others at vaccination sites are saying that if vestibular symptoms are showing up after the vaccine, the 2nd dose should be delayed until those symptoms resolve and/or a patient should consult with their personal physician at that point. I have not gone and read every single comment and just have seen some of the bickering back and forth, and I think everyone can appreciate that some have been able to do something that works for them. I am truly glad that you had success.
However, for many established vestibular patients, it is well known that things such as viruses can throw off the system and cause significant flare ups. Not every flare up is easily rectified. For many, vaccines have not caused any issues until the mRNA vaccines. This is a legitimate reason for concern and why some are discussing it.
If someone stumbles upon this site, I would hope that they would take into consideration that this is a site for vestibular issues, and not one of those anti-vax, misinformation sites or anything like that.
For me personally, I had both vaccines and am second guessing that decision. I also have gotten other viruses (my doctor believes including COVID) and have been totally fine flare up wise. It is only since the vaccines that my flare up is not clearing up. My neurologist said all we can do is wait it out and see if it resolves. He is not throwing all kinds of meds at it yet as he does not believe it will work. After consultation with my doctor, I probably will not agree to take any further boosters until more research is done. For me personally, the cons outweigh the pros. I am low risk anyway. Even doctors are frustrated with the lack of data out there. My older kids have gotten the vaccine, but my younger ones will not be when it is available. I will not go to my reasons why on here. That is a decision I made without going to any forum and one I made after doing (and continuing to do) tons of research.
All that to say, if people stumble on this site, and hearing people’s experiences cause them to choose to not get the vaccines or go back for a 2nd dose, that is on them and a decision that hopefully they make with their doctor. It would be irresponsible to make decisions solely by what you read in online forums.
Again, I am truly happy that you found something that works for you, and thank you for sharing. Maybe it will help someone.
My Husband , 31 year old Son and I received the Moderna vaccine this afternoon ,within 1/2 hour my Husband and I started having dizzy spells.....mine continued until 9:30 this evening....I'd never heard about that particular side affect...praying that it doesn't continue....
@wynnwolter How are you feeling now with the prednisone? Has your vertigo gotten better?
@nasu Did you take anything for your dizziness? How long did it take until your dizziness went away?
DonnyD-I agree! Joey/Seeking Balance has helped numerous people with chronic dizziness/vertigo/tinnitus, like herself. She offers free resources & has a ton of videos online. She encourages people to have tests (and treatments like Epley for crystals) & to get medical clearance before seeking her since she helps people with chronic dizziness lasting months to 20 years. (As far as tests, my brain MRI was easy & normal, except for a thin corpus callosum, but the VNG made me really dizzy. I choose to skip the caloric part & they told me I had major eye issues (BVD) & some of the worst results they’d seen, so my PT focused on my eyes.) She uses a holistic approach & focuses on mindfulness & neuroplasticity & not on removing/focusing on symptoms. There’s an informative video with her & a Stanford specialist that explains chronic dizziness & neurons, & Joey often speaks about how anxiety can worsen dizziness. However, that does not mean that some dizziness is an anxiety disorder. Migraines & MDD are considered neurological, which is obviously impacted by neurons. Her clients have a variety of diagnoses (MDD, vestibular migraines, PPPD, BPPV, Meniere’s). I find her techniques helpful for my vestibular migraines & Mal de debarquement (caused by elevators & other transportation). Some of you had a history of dizziness & some did not. If the vaccines are causing inflammation in the ear/body, then hopefully that will reside soon. It is alarming how many of you have had these debilitating side effects. I was unaware of anyone who experienced dizziness before finding this forum or before I got vaccinated. As others have mentioned, consult with your doctors before trying some of suggestions. I mentioned some vitamin deficiencies since mine were half of the normal levels & B12 & D deficiencies have been linked to balance issues & some studies might show a link between D & covid. I chose not to take strong meds prescribed by ENTs and neurologists & chose a more natural approach. I think most people are just trying to share what has worked for them or others and offer some encouragement and send positive vibes. My first post was about my vaccine experience with J&J since some asked about J&J specifically since most of you had the mRNAs. Feel better, make your own decisions about vaccines & treatments, and good luck to everyone. Take care!
One of the best diagnosis for the mod-severe cases is likely an autoimmune Vestibular neuronitis. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues in ENT and neurology are hesitant to make this diagnosis. Key is to get diagnosed and get treatment in the first 8 weeks. Typically, if diagnosed there are 2 options: 1) High dose steroid taper (not medrol dose pack) or 2) Transtympanic steroid injection. Then as soon as you are able to tolerate it, you MUST begin vestibular rehab therapy and MUST discontinue vestibular suppressant medications.
Thank you very much for your insights. When I saw my neurologist and asked if there was a possibility of me having vestibular neuronitis he didn't think it was likely because of how long I had my symptoms (dizziness, headaches, tinnitus). I'm 3 months out from getting vaccinated and he started me on a medrol pack. Can I ask why you mention a high steroid regimen but not use medrol? I got assessed by my PT yesterday and will start vestibular rehab soon. During my assessment, she tried the Epley maneuver on me which didn't do much apart from giving me a headache. So vestibular suppressing medications include anticholinergics, antihistamines and benzodiazepines? I will definitely make sure I'm not taking any of those during rehab. Thanks again!