When you’re living with multiple sclerosis (MS), it can help to know that others have the same symptoms. Several MyMSTeam members have reported feeling a sense of unsteadiness, as if they’re on a boat. As one member put it, “I sometimes feel like I’m rocking or in a boat when I’m sitting or lying perfectly still. … Does anyone else have that problem?”

If you’ve experienced this unusual sensation, read on to discover what you need to know about how it relates to MS.

Why Does My Body Feel Like It’s on a Boat?

The rocking-boat feeling is most likely caused by dizziness or vertigo. About one-third of people diagnosed with MS will experience dizziness at some point. However, there’s a difference between standard dizziness and vertigo. Dizziness usually refers to a feeling of lightheadedness. Vertigo is the feeling that the space around you is moving, even when everything is still. You can still feel vertigo with your eyes closed and feel as if you’re moving, while you’re in a resting position. Vertigo can also come with erratic or jerky eye movements.

Other Aspects of Vertigo or Dizziness

People who live with MS can experience dizziness and vertigo in many ways. Therefore, you don’t have to feel like you’re on a rocking boat to list this among your symptoms.

Some people experience dizziness infrequently. Others feel off-balance for longer periods of time and find it relatively debilitating. As one member put it, “Today, I couldn’t get out of bed. The room was spinning, and the feeling of nausea was huge. I had to call in sick.”

Fortunately, many people living with MS tend to find that their dizziness and vertigo occur irregularly and that it’s temporary.

What Causes Dizziness in MS?

There are many reasons why you might feel dizzy and experience vertigo when you’re living with MS.

Flares

When your MS flares, relapses, or gets worse, you may be more likely to feel dizzy. Symptoms connected to a flare will usually go away, or at least subside significantly, after a while.

Medications

A few medications can cause vertigo and dizziness. If you’re on medications for MS or another condition, there may be a chance they’re causing or contributing to your dizziness, too. In fact, any medication that has dizziness or vertigo listed as a possible side effect, even if the chances are very low, should be considered a possible cause.

Common medications that can cause dizziness or vertigo may include:

• Medications to treat heart rhythm irregularities
• Muscle relaxants
• Anti-seizure medications
• Narcotic pain relievers
• Medications for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders

Your doctor may also consider possible medication interactions. If you have questions about the drugs you’re taking for MS or other conditions, ask your pharmacist or doctor for help. You shouldn’t stop taking medications prescribed by your doctor without asking them first about possible side effects.

MS Lesions

MS is an autoimmune condition, which means the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissues. In MS, the immune system targets the myelin — the protective coating around nerves — causing lesions (areas of damage).

In some people, MS causes damage to the brainstem. If these lesions develop where the inner ear connects to the brainstem, they may affect balance, since the inner ear helps with coordination. Lesions can also develop on or near the cerebellum, the part of the brain that helps you stay balanced.

In general, if you have MS lesions in any parts of the brain that help you process visual information, locate yourself in space, or otherwise navigate your surroundings, those lesions could lead to vertigo and dizziness. This particular pathway in your brain is called your vestibular pathway or vestibular system. It helps you stay upright and know where your body is, so lesions in or around this area can lead to dizziness or make you feel off balance.

Other Possible Causes

Although MS can be related to vertigo and dizziness, it doesn’t mean yours is caused by the condition. That’s why you should always talk to your neurologist when you experience new symptoms, like feeling as if you’re rocking on a boat. They can help determine the cause of your symptoms by testing you for:

• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Migraine
• Stroke
• Low blood pressure
• Inner ear infection
• Vestibular disorders such as Meniere’s disease

Vertigo and dizziness can be symptoms of these conditions as well, which is why it’s important to consult your doctor before trying to treat the condition yourself. Your doctor will be able to help determine the root cause of your symptoms and can provide a comprehensive treatment plan, whether the sensations are from MS, medications, related conditions, or other causes.

How To Ease the Feeling of Rocking

If you regularly experience vertigo and/or dizziness, talk to your healthcare team about ways to manage it.

Look Into Medications and Medication Changes

If you’re concerned that the disease-modifying therapy (DMT) you take to treat MS may be causing dizziness, talk to your doctor. DMTs are medications that can slow the progression of MS and help reduce flare-ups. If your current DMT is causing problems, your doctor may suggest switching to a different one. Make sure to weigh the pros and cons of this with your neurology team to decide what is best for you.

On the other hand, you may be able to take medications to help make the dizziness and vertigo less severe. Some people find that over-the-counter anti-nausea or motion sickness medications help them feel better. You can keep these on hand if you experience occasional vertigo and dizziness.

If you get dizzy or experience a rocking-boat or other vertigo sensation regularly, your neurology specialist may be able to give you something stronger to help. Your doctor might prescribe a short course of corticosteroids (steroids) to help lessen these sensations.

Try Physical Therapy

Many types of physical therapy are designed to help people who feel dizzy or have frequent vertigo episodes. Vestibular rehabilitation can help you work on your balance problems so you can prevent falls. These therapists can also help improve how your eyes and brain work together to keep your vision steady, which may reduce these sensations. If you experience symptoms only in certain positions, a physical therapist can help you gradually get used to them so you feel more stable and less overwhelmed.

Be Prepared When Symptoms Strike

If you have a plan for when that rocking-boat sensation starts, you may be able to reduce its effects so you don’t fall or get injured. As soon as you start to feel like you’re rocking or have other signs of dizziness, you should:

• Sit down — Even if you have to sit on the floor, it’s safer than standing when you don’t feel well.
• Stay still — Don’t move your body or your head, or limit movements as much as possible until the sensation passes.
• Keep support nearby — Whether this means getting help from another person or a support device, make sure there’s always a way for you to move around safely, even when you feel like you’re rocking.
• Turn down the lights — Keeping the lights dim and turning off televisions and other screens may help you recover faster.
• Give yourself time — Don’t try to move until you are feeling better. When you do move, go slowly until you know how your body is going to respond.

Your quality of life is important. Be open with your doctor about dizziness, vertigo, and unusual sensations, and they can help you better manage these troubling symptoms.

Talk With Others Who Understand

On MyMSTeam, the social network for people with multiple sclerosis and their loved ones, members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with MS.

Have you ever felt like you were on a rocking boat, or had symptoms of dizziness or vertigo? Do you have other symptoms and wonder if they’re connected to MS? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.