This hasn't happened to me for awhile. At the beginning - over 13 years ago, I started doing this, monthly, almost exactly 24 hours before onset of period. Finally went away - they told me panic attacks. A Cardiologist finally said it was hormone related.

Had a period in Oct, none til 2/13 - so I'm mid cycle. Was standing in the smoothie shop & it was like something popped in my head, instantly had to grab the counter to keep from falling over - all better in seconds.

Does this happen to anyone else? This period went on for almost 2 weeks of dribbles, so I know the hormones are whacked. There's no other symptoms, and never has been that go along with this - it's like lightning hits & I get very dizzy - not spinning, more like off balance/lightheaded - tho I've never fallen or passed out.

Way back at the beginning I went to Urgent Care every time it happened - for months - & they thought I was looney!!

I've had my share of night sweats & internal tremors, horrid mood swings, etc, so I know it's all part of the package. This one is just rather disturbing.

Thanks for any insight!!

hi goldcupmom this was my first noticeable symptom some 7 or 8 years ago. For me it came as my periods were changing from 3 or 4 months apart to approx 1 month apart ( I had probs with PCOS). My doc prescribed 'something' (yup, before I became peri aware) for it but it was a question of me taking it and not thinking it was linked to the hormonal changes that were causing a change in my cycle .

I remember feeling totally off balance. It really worried me. It was the begining of other stuff but fortunately the dizzines does not bother me now.

robin

When was the last time you had a regular check up?I would do that if it has beenover a year.Then if all is clear just try to roll with it,and be careful.I have had one dizzy spell,it happened at the very begining of my symptoms -last year.I felt so strange.Thankfully my husband was there with me and it went away in about 15 minutes.GOD bless and hope you feel better soon.

I'm a regular Dr. visitor! Nothing healthwise abnormal. The last time I had a 'spell' like this was in 8/2003 (yes, I track things, too!). Basically it just comes like lightning and is gone as fast. Way back, these triggered 'panic attacks' w/ racing heart, etc. That's when the cardio caught the hormone cycle connection - they would strike either mid-cycle or 24 hours prior to onset of period - Gee, no hormone influence, there!

I could tell my hormones went wack last night because my moods were WAY off balance. Plus I have had a head/chest cold and not sleeping real well. Next week is my reg. gyn visit, so I'll mention it to her as well.

Hi Goldcup, this was my very first symptom when I first started going through Peri. And it has hung on as a constant symptom for the past 7 years. As a matter of fact, sometimes now it's worse than it was in the beginning. If you read through the many posts here in P/S, you'll notice that this is a VERY common symptom of menopause, and one that is VERY, very annoying and frightening. If you've had all of your up to date physicals and checkups, then I would say you can quite safely chalk it up to your hormone changes. I can't STAND the dizziness and lightheaded feelings, and still to this day sometimes it scares the bejeezus out of me!
HUGS!

I don't know if I get the same as you , but it sounds similar. Example I was in walmart a couple of days ago and got this sudden feeling as if something snapped in my brain, very quick. I feel a quick pull downward my head feels as if it literally tilts sidways, don't know if that feeling is because the room seems to have suddenly turned. My eyes feel strange at this time also. I have to grab something, or I will cover my eyes quick. This all happens in probably 2 or 3 sec....the only difference is I think I have residue spaciness afterwards that comes and goes.

I started to get this sudden vertigo about 5 yr's ago, but it was so little like 1x every 3 mo. and I never had residual dizziness/spaciness. I woke up about 2 yr's ago with such vertigo I had to crawl while my husband called the Dr. and I went to ER whee I was told I had labrynthitis, was given antibiotics and sent home. It eventually went away that time, not sure if it was the med's didn't seem to be it just seemed to run a course. Ever since then I haven't been the same there. It came more frequently...had and MRI/MRA, Echo, all was normal. I was given vestibular exercises to do at home. I still had breaks though and the sudden quick vertigo came infrequently. Over the summer I came apart. The vertigo came often I was spacy often, my periods became irregular, hotflashes and so on ...felt horrible. I do get it more before a period, but I still get it throughout the mo. I t is scary...as I had a break for about 2 weeks from the spaciness and wham the walmart episode and now I have residue. I know mine is not anxiety...I have anxiety dizzy before and this is not it. I am still concerned it has someting to do with my ears. I beleive some is peri. but I am congested (nose wise and I have read if your nose is plugged your ears are also)alot lately...always clearing my throat with nasal drip. I have a headache, my ears itch and they hurt sometimes, they have become extremly sensitive to sounds...just talking on the phone is hard sometimes on my L. side.

Long story huh, sorry anyways I think we may be feeling the same thing...that sudden vertigo that lasts 2 sec. HUGS Mikki

I have been in peri about 4 yrs now and have had all sorts of things happen--gallbladder out, simple cysts, etc. Always seem to finally get a handle on things.

Latest is that, after battling influenza for about a week and starting to feel sort of OK again last Friday, I developed lightheadedness/very mild dizziness. I've been to the clinic twice-first time they thought it was due to the fact I was eating too many carbs (true so I am trying to fix) and I still have it.. Second time a different provider asked if I'd been sick lately and I mentioned the flu from last week. So she checked my sinuses and my ears and said there is "lots" of fluid that could be causing it. Yesterday, the day of my visit, I was fine most of the day 'til dinner last night about 7:30.

Today I managed my treadmill workout and I've had the lightheadedness all day... Sometimes it seems worse than others and I seem to be able to work through it..

Twice in the past 6 days, since all this started, I've had two bouts of increased heartbeat, which resolved in about 5 minutes or so.

Another thing that's new is my hands will be cold--sometimes worse than others, and my body temp is about 96.8-97.2...

This morning, while at the computer, I had a bout of rapid heartbeat--I checked my blood pressure and it was 145/70 and a few minutes later it went back down to my normal levels and the heart rate went back down to normal levels.

So I'm trying to decide if I need to head back to the doctor tomorrow or what.. I don't want to attribute symptoms to "just perimenopause" as it's easy to do, on the other hand I don't want to worry about everything.

A couple things--my CBC and urinalysis were all normal as of recent, blood glucose is normal, LDL/HDL levels are right where they should be as is cholesterol. My blood pressure can range from 125/70 as a low to about 135/80 as a "high" but usually in the 120's.

I take low dose bcp which have really helped with the simple/functional cysts I have to deal with though I am wanting to wean off those eventually and get myself on progesterone cream I think...

At any rate, just would appreciate thoughts from others--could it be an inner issue due to left over fluid from the flu or hormones or both....or even something else... The providers I've seen this week haven't seemed too worried but to me this going on off and on for nearly a week is nuts.. But I guess hormones can do that to you?

Thankfully I sleep relatively OK at night, I have a normal appetite,all that.

I, too have had the sudden bouts of dizziness, which in turn send me into an istant panic attack. The panic is istantaneous, so I think it's a body's natural rsponse to a frightening event, an adrenaline rush if you will. I ended up in the ER a couple of times with them, and like you, all tests came back normal.

Of course, inner ear issues could be the problem, especially in light of having had the flu recently. But clearly from reading other posts on this forum, dizziness seems to be a common peri symptom.

My Doc sent me to an endocrinilogist because of the dizziness and blood pressure "spikes"- she didn't believe that they could be hormonally related (so why send me to an Endocrinilogist!??!) Anyway, the Endo tested me for only one thing... a 24 hour urine test for "pheochromocytoma". It's an extremely rare tumor of the adrenal system. This really helped my anxiety/panic responeses! Of course the test came back negative- 3 times. His highly educated opinion in the end was that I was probably hormonal. (I'm 52 for Pete's sake and have an FSH of 135, no periods!)

If these docs would just get on board about menopause, we could be spared alot of anguish. Yes, definately rule out other things, but have the where-with-all to counsel women on all menopause symptoms and maybe alleviate some our worrying and anxiety. I'm feeling dizzy just thinking about it.

Hey GeeGee,
I went thru something similar to you just not to long ago and for the last probalby 4 years or so.
I was having the dizzies, headaches with pressure and BP spikes.
Docs just couldnt figure it out because the spikes were only for a few days to maybe a week.
To make a long story short after seeing a handful of gyno, internal med, family etc docs I was given Diuertics and potassium for the fluid build up that he said he thought was making this happen and it worked.
Now granted I dont want to take any meds but this did work and I really dont consdier them hard core meds.
Anyway I still get the head stuff and very minor dizzies at the end of my periods or now that I am skipping at the end of the phantom periods just a day or to.
Tinkybug

But how normal is it for these episodes to last--or how long have some of you had your episodes last?

cold hands and fast heartbeat can also be a sign of hyperthyroidism.....not uncommon at "our age"...always good to get the blood work for the thyroid FT4 Ft3 and TSH (between 0.3-2.5 normal) checked while you are at it.

Kim,

How long are is the fast heart or the spacey/dizzy feeling episodes? I suddenely had a problem with being dizzy upon waking about 1 1/2 yr's ago. I have felt dizzy before like everyone else with colds or getting up too fast ect...but this was different. I just got up one morning and couldn't walk, I crawled through the house while my husband called the Dr. and I eventually went to the ER. Told I had labrynthitis (inflamation of the inner ear) and was put on antibiotics. By the time I had reached the Er it was already subsiding, but still unsteady on my feet. I don't know if the anti's worked...it just seemed to have to run a course and a few days i felt better. Now I was on my period at this tme and I remember it being really heavy so thought that had something to do with it, I still don't know.

I have had trouble since. It came backa couple of mo. later, not to the degree of not walking, but I was getting sudden ( and when I say sudden I mean no warning signs) vertigo. I could be anywhere and suddenly I felt this strong pull to go to the floor. My eyes would pull too as if i had crossed them, but things weren't blurry. when this happens I always get pulled to the left side and when I am generally spacey and dizzy I lean to the right. I would have to grab something and quick close my eyes and in 2-3 sec. it was gone, but left me feeling spacey. I had an MRI at this time and some blood work all normal. Again I would get breaks and it would show up again. Over the summer it got really bad and the spacey feeling became daily with bouts of the vertigo thrown in. I have noticed if I am watching tv or working on the pc and things move too fast on the screen I get vertigo. Sometimes I can be so dizzy that I just close my eyes and put my head down. It can last a few min. or hr's. I can't drive, don't go anywhere alone, feel uncomfortable walking down the street because there isn't anything close enough to grab , sometimes I find myself walking like a weeble with my legs a little farther apart than normal to keep my balance. All of this does get worse upon my period, however I truly don't think this vertigo thing is hormones. I am seeing an ENT Mon. because this is nuts. My ears feel full alot, sometimes as if someone is blowing from the inside out and it has been so bad at times I wonder if I have ruptured something. I am stuffed up alot with post nasal drip. So we will see. HUGS Mikki

Bt the way I also have very cold hands and feet lately, not normal for me.

Sunflower....everything you mentioned sounds like what I've been going thru and I just found out thru saliva testing that I have adrenal fatigue. cold hands and feet...palps...dizziness...headpressure and sometimes aches...full feeling in ears...fatigue...off balance...weakness in upper arms and thighs...misc muscle aches.....

I would suggest a saliva cortisol test that tests 4 times thru the day and then if you find adrenal stress...treat that...it affects all the other hormones in the body.
MarieR

Adrenal fatigue...that's interesting and makes sense that women in peri would experience it. Don't our adrenals try to make up for some of our "lost" reproductive hormones? Perhaps during peri our poor adrenals are taxed to the limit and can't keep up.

How is adrenal fatigue treated?

I have heard of the adrenal glands or hormones being the shock absorbers of peri and menopause. I have no doubt I have a problem there. I have never had them checked and probably couldn't convince a Dr. to check them. I have had a bit of persistant stress for awhile. Mikki