Overstimulation: Increased sensitivity to light, noise, sound, exercise etc

[Petunia]

I've always had problems being under fluorescent lighting, at first its a subtle feeling like my perceptions are a bit wrong, there's a slight shift in the way things look and sound. Over time it makes me tired and irritated, then I get anxious and usually end up with a headache. This was my daily experience of being at school when I was a kid.

 

But we also had some of that strip fluorescent lighting in some of the rooms at home, so it wasn't much better there.

 

Of course its now much worse being in withdrawal, that's why grocery shopping is so difficult I guess. I don't have any fluorescent bulbs in the house.

[Help777]

Does anyone find social stimulation very upsetting? My limit seems to be one hour of being able to talk to someone or be in a group setting before I become extremely agitated. Then my response is to cry or feel very angry, perhaps due to a flight or fight activation within me from the social activity? I hardly recognize this person I've become. I used to love being with friends. Now it just upsets me too much. Will this get better? Can anyone relate?

[Ibid]

I certainly felt that way, but sensitivity to both social stimulation and noises have gotten much better. Not back to normal, but better. Hope time heals your issues, Help777.

[Help777]

I couldn't find anything on social stimulation on SA...just overstim to light, sound. Yesterday was my first group social outing. It was a bbq for my son's sports team. I shouldn't have stayed for four hours. I felt some fatigue, anxiety while there but I thought I would be ok. I came home and cried, sobbed, couldn't calm down. Slept worse than usual. Woke up feeling more panic and anger and agitation. Why would I cope ok during the event but unravel afterwards, taking a long time to recover frim this? It helps to hear others suggestions and experience. Thank you.

[tntd]

Hi Help777,

 

I am having this issue right now too. Some days are better than others but it is bad enough that I mostly just stay in my house where I don't have much stimulation of any kind. My response to what feels like excess stimulus is anxiety and crying. Of course frustration too because I want my life back. I just keep trying to hold on to responses like Ibid's that things will get better in time. 

 

My psychologist told me that when we are hypersensitive and we are out the sensations become cumulative so you may start out ok but over time it just gets to be too much. This made sense to me but it is hard to know when we are reaching our limit.

[Help777]

I found this on psychologytoday.com and it helped me understand why it feels so upsetting to me to get overstimulated. Wondered if it would help others as well.

 

The second source of anxiety is over-stimulation. While anyone can become over-stimulated without being ill or injured, brain injury in particular highlights this anxiety response clearly. Our brains filter stimuli, focusing our awareness. When a person experiences a brain injury he may feel as if his ability to filter stimuli has gone haywire — as if he is in unmanageable contact with every source of stimulation, no matter how ordinary. Noise, music, conversation, touch, odors, sights can all feel overwhelming, and be experienced as too intense, uncontrollable and painful.

 

Stimulation winds us up and continuous stimulation keeps us wound up. The wind-up is physical as well as psychological. Muscles tighten into knots. Shoulders hunch. Our brains begin to hard wire patterns of response. Anxiety grows. We cope by becoming more and more alert. There is a pervasive but undefined sense that something is wrong and about to get much more wrong unless we "do something". We don't know what to do exactly and alertness increases as we try to figure out what we must do. We respond with alertness because we believe that if only we pay more attention and anticipate what will go wrong, the unknown threat will be averted. The problem with this approach, of course, is that the more alert we become, the more susceptible to over stimulation we become, and thus the our resulting anxiety becomes. Not the other way around. It's not preventing the undefined threat that will help us. What helps us is reducing the stimulation that initiated the wind-up in the first place.

[Altostrata]

If there was a lot of noise, light, motion, shouting, etc. at this sports event, it could well be overstimulating.

 

If you're light-sensitive, you may wish to wear dark glasses whenever you're outside.

 

What is the link to that psychologytoday.com article? It's a good description of the mechanics of overstimulation.

[KarenB]

I read this yesterday in the Limbic Kindling thread.  It goes a long way towards explaining increased sensitivity in w/d. 

 

The original link to the full article is broken, but Alto had later quoted this from the article:

It’s one of the most exciting concepts in neuroscience you’ve never heard of. And it’s becoming a key model being examined as a possible theoretical basis for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Recently, a leading researcher in CFS/ME, Dr Leonard Jason, has argued it provides a comprehensive model to explain CFS as well
....
Limbic  kindling  is  a  condition  where  either   repeated  neurological  exposure  to   initially  chronic  sub-­threshold  stimulus,  or  a  short-­term  high  intensity  stimulus  (eg   brain  trauma),  can  eventually  lead  to  persistent   hypersensitivity  to  the  stimulus.  

Kindling  was  originally  discovered  in  1967   by  Graham  Goddard,  who  was  studying   the  effects  of  electrical  stimulation  of  the   amygdaloid  complex  in  the  brain  in  learning   in  rats.(1)  He  found  that  after  long-­term,  low   intensity  intermittent  stimulation  from  electric   shocks  to  their  brains,  the  rats  began  to  have  spontaneous,  epileptic-­like  seizures  –  even   when  no  stimulation  was  given.  Goddard  also   found  he  could  create  similar  reactions  using   chemical  stimulation.

In  1970,  Gellhorn  suggested  that   under  prolonged  stimulation  of  the  limbic-­ hypothalamic-­pituitary  axis,  a  lowered   threshold  for  activation  could  occur.(2)  Girdano   et  al  in  1990  proposed  that  the  excessive   arousal  could  lead  to  an  increase  in  dendrites   of  the  limbic  system,  which  can  further   increase  limbic  stimulation  and  hypersensitivity   to  stimuli.(3)

Ashok Gupta was the first to propose a similar  theory  as  the  basis  for  CFS/ME  in   2002.(4)  (A  diagram  from  his  paper  is  below).   Based  on  the  work  of  Le  Doux  in  the  ‘90s  (5),   Gupta  suggested  that  an  infectious,  chemical   or  psychological  stressor  could  create  a  “cell   assembly”  within  the  unconscious  amygdala   and  that  these  cell  populations  are  particularly   resistant  to  extinction.  As  with  Goddard  and   Gellhorn,  this  again  implied  that  people  could   become  “hard-­wired”  to  respond  more  easily to stimuli and in turn find it more difficult to suppress the chronic stress or "fight or flight" response  established  by  Selye’s  classic   model  of  stress.(3-­5)

Where  limbic  kindling  takes  our   understanding  of  stress  to  new  levels  is  the   idea  that  this  kindling  leads  to  “hard-­wiring”   in  the  brain  for  an  unhealthy  response   to  stress.  This  was  boosted  by  a  2002   paper  in  the  British  Journal  of  Psychiatry,   where  a  systemic  review  of  brain  images   of  patients  with  PTSD  found  “increased   activation  of  the  amygdala  after  symptom   provocation”.(6)

In  2009,  Dr  Leonard  Jason  and   colleagues  suggested  that  chronic  long-­ term  hyperarousal  of  the  central  nervous   system  –  from  this  “kindling”  –  leads  to   chronic  sympathetic  nervous  system   arousal....

 

And these following links by GiaK are really encouraging: 

 

I posted the above PDF on Beyond Meds today...

 

these are my comments from that post:

 

This is a very interesting article. It’s in keeping with my posts on how the autonomic nervous system is impacted in psychiatric drug withdrawal and how that is similar in many different chronic illnesses. This piece goes into a deeper understanding of these issues.
 

The author concludes that healing from these illnesses requires tending to the whole body/mind/spirit complex. This has become very clear to me as I continue to heal.
 

Frankly it’s also clear to me that understanding a whole host of chronic illnesses from this perspective could change the face of medicine. Right now western medicine tends to treat these illnesses in ways that exacerbate them in the long run because they are only treating symptoms without an understanding of underlying issues.  Most MDs are completely clueless about all the factors mentioned in this article and are even dangerous for many of us. See:  We can know more about our bodies than our MDs do…trust that, develop it
 

This is the greatest and most profound lesson this illness has taught me. Having and healing from these illnesses offer a penetrating look into the nature of humans as holistic beings that exist as part of the world and greater universe.
 

So to repeat my mantra meme, Everything Matters. This idea also got extended into my memoir on Mad in America. My healing has continued greatly since the writing of that article. See: I Actually Woke up This Morning Thinking I’d Arrived, I’m Well . . .

 

see post here: http://wp.me/p5nnb-aLI

Follow those links in GiaK's blog to find the stuff on ways to heal these things.  Particularly a type of meditation called Brainsculpting.  I spent most of yesterday learning about it, because it's such a hope-filled understanding. 

[AR2003]

KarenB

 

Thank you very much for posting this. I had a look at Limbic Kindling. Finding it really difficult to understand but that mostly because of my brain tonight I am so Very tired.

I am very sensitive to sound , not as much to light. Its like this for me since 2014. I was on a lot of meds. Tapered. Cross tapered. Cold turkey. Sheer hell. It has got better . A wee bit .

Mind you , I was out for a while today with my daughter. The noise and heat in the shopping centre increased my physical pain so much. It was indeed really difficult and we had to go home. I do have a long road ahead of me.

[tntd]

Hi AR2003,

 

I'm sorry to hear that you are still so sensitive. Are you able to get out much or does it keep you mostly housebound?

I hope you are feeling better since you got home.

 

 

The Limbic Kindling is fascinating. My pdoc is an addicitonologist and told me that a person who is an alcoholic for a really long time and then goes off has and easier withdrawal than a person who goes off and on repeatedly. I asked if he though that applied to psych meds and he said he did, even if it has been years since they were last exposed. Scary stuff.

[KarenB]

It's not just your brain AR, it is hard to understand.  I had to read it through a few times, and then resorted to my fall back method of making notes, in order to get my head around it.  I usually back off from complicated things, but I do put a lot of store by info from GiaK (Beyond Meds), so I wanted to at least try, and I'm glad I did. 

 

I've been trying out the neuro-sculpting meditation yesterday and today, and I quite like it.  Am hoping to reduce my sensitivities even a little bit, in order to get through w/d in a more robust way - and I figure this can't hurt. 

 

Sounds like you have it pretty rough AR, but do keep plugging away at it.  I always think that one step closer to healing is better than no steps closer. 

[Help777]

Here is the link. It was written with post injury recovery in mind. I'm sure our brains were injured. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/healing-possibility/201111/anxiety-modern-plague

There was not a lot of noise at the event. Lots of light and social interaction. I'm still not recovered from it. Maybe it's another wave? If so this has been the worst one yet. Hard to make sense of this.

[Help777]

All I want to do is cry in a dark room and then try to be still. I force myself to get up but the. I am triggered.

[Altostrata]

Your body is telling you to stay in a dark room for a bit and avoid stimulation.

[tntd]

Hi Karen,

 

I see you said that you have been trying out the neuro-sculpting meditation. Is it a product that you bought or is it something you found on youtube? It looks really interesting. Hope it is helping you.

 

Thanks

[Altostrata]

merged similar topics

[KarenB]

I didn't buy anything, I just browsed around BeyondMeds and found a radio interview about it, in which the teacher takes the listeners through a guided meditation.  She also explains how/why it works, which I found very useful.  From there I have just been doing it on my own.

[AR2003]

Hi tntd

 

Thank you. For the last 6 months , I have been about the house mostly. The leg/buttock pain practically prevents me from driving much now. It is in my lumbar spine too. Muscle knots nerve pain. I feel a bit better when I'm back at home. My Cns does get ramped up badly to this day.

Does the same happen to you ?

 

KarenB

 

Thank you. I will keep going. And I'll keep reading here. It's great to have somewhere to turn to when one is very low. I have read some of Gia's posts and Beyond Meds. When things were really awful , I would read them and tell myself that in time I would heal from this pain and other symptoms.

[tntd]

Hi Karen,

 

Thanks, I'll have to look around BeyondMeds and see if I can find it. It's such a great site I'm sure I'll find way too many interesting things and have way to many tabs open afterwards

 

Hi AR,

 

I'm sorry to hear it has been so bad for you. I can't imagine having all that pain for so long. 

 

I'm mostly in the house too but it is due to the anxiety. Just the thought of going outside makes my anxiety skyrocket. I even have to keep my shades drawn to keep the anxiety down. If I'm in a window there is no problem but I still have to be careful of the overstimulation or I end up back where I was.

[AR2003]

Hi tntd

 

I am sorry that you are suffering from this anxiety and cannot get out so much. This is a really difficult process.

 

I hope you will find that you get more windows as time goes on.

[tntd]

Thanks AR,

 

I appreciate it.

[Hopefull]

Can someone please tell me if you have experienced over stimulation and unsteadyness when bending down.

Last night I experienced weird head feeling and woke up in the morning feeling weird. I felt groggy out of balance and when I bend down, I feel like I am going to pass out, loosing balance.

When I bend down or have to look at something above for longer periods I get this weird head feeling. I have to stop what I am doing because I start to feel weird and out of balance.

Is this over stimulation?

Thank you.

[Ibid]

Just read this http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/silence-very-important-our-brains, which suggests that substantial periods of silence help the process of brain cell regeneration. So maybe these kinds of sensitivity (to sound especially) are telling us something about what our brains need to recover from WD. If true (and it is based only on animal data), the ability to embrace silence, or to block out noise, has to be one of the benefits of meditation and other methods of separating ourselves from the cacophonies of everyday life.

[Laura1981]

Interesting thread! I can't go into supermarkets without getting intense nausea, brain zaps and generally feeling horrible. It's because of the lights. Now I always try go in there with sunglasses on and it seems to help a bit. I wonder what's the problem with the fluorescent light: The wavelength spectrum or the frequency of the flickering....

[ravijaua]

These are probably my worst symptoms along with with anxiety and insomnia though everyone seems to have anxiety and insomnia. Anyone feel these symptoms of sunlight sensitivity, heat intolerance, exercise intolerance too. Does it get better with time? Anything to help with it? Thanks. I'm talking about withdrawal.

[tntd]

Hi Ravijaua,

 

I had hypersensitivity to sun, light, exercise, and people moving around me. It has gotten a lot better but is not completely gone. The only thing I found to help  was to keep the blinds shut or find a place in my house that was quiet, a little darker, and had less activity. For me that was/is my basement rec room. Magnesium also helped a little. Mostly it has just been time. It was really bad and I couldn't even leave the house for quite awhile because of it. I want to say there is a thread on it. In any case I do remember reading that others also experience it. It was probably the worst for me the first month that I CT'd from buproprion. 

 

I wish I could be of more help, just know that it will get better with time and try to find a place to minimize exposure.

 

Hugs and healing

 

I found the thread.

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9912-overstimulation-and-increased-sensitivity-to-light-sound-etc/

[ravijaua]

I've been suffering from this problem on and off for about 6 months or so. I'm still taking paxil and didn't ct but developed tolerance. At first I just had anxiety and insomnia but over time like 9 months out , I started having these issues for the last 6 months. I would say some of it is improving but it is very up and down.

[ChessieCat]

Many subjects already have their own topics and discussions.  To seach SA, use google and type in survivingantidepressants.org + topic

 

body-temperature-dysregulation-fever-chills-shivering-too-hot-too-cold

 

skin-photosensitivity

 

exercise-do-more-do-less-do-nothing-what-worked-for-you

[tntd]

Chessie you are a veritable font of wonderful information. I'll have to take a look at those threads myself

 

Hugs

[powerback]

does anyone suffer like myself with noise sensitivity,this is cripiling me ,its extremely distressing, it seems  to be connected to my humour ,I get in a horrible mood and snappy  ,its definitely worse since November when I basically had a breakdown but I refused to go on Zyprexa and hospital.

I know the body takes time to heal but this is torture, surely this has poisoned me rather than withdrawal .

I cant even taper the drug so this is not withdrawal in the common sense .

Respect

PB   

[Julz82]

Hi Powerback,

 

I'm sorry you're suffering so much with noise sensitivity. I definitely am more sensitive to sounds and constantly have tinnitus. I realise that I get a bit wired when over-stimulated, it is not my most difficult withdrawal symptom but it definitely is a symptom for me. 

I have just bought earplugs, so will try those and see... will let you know!!

Take care of yourself!!

Julz xxx

[powerback]

Hi Powerback,

 

I'm sorry you're suffering so much with noise sensitivity. I definitely am more sensitive to sounds and constantly have tinnitus. I realise that I get a bit wired when over-stimulated, it is not my most difficult withdrawal symptom but it definitely is a symptom for me. 

I have just bought earplugs, so will try those and see... will let you know!!

Take care of yourself!!

Julz xxx

 

Hi julz82 thanks for your reply ,I've done some research today and everything points to fibromyalgia ,my nervous system is shot .

we never give up is the main thing .good luck with the earplugs .

Take care 

[powerback]

6 months now I'm dealing with this noise sensetivty ,what in the world do I do about it ,it's becoming unmanageable ,it puts me in horrible moods straight away ,I think my only option is to taper without being stable and I realise from reading on here it's not recommended ,I'm running out of options fast and really worried .

Has anyone had this ,input gladly accepted .thanks in advance

PB 

[powerback]

Ignore me ,I'm so stupid from this process ,I've just noticed I'm in a thread already ?

[Gussy]

Hey powerback. What kind of sensitivity are you talking about? When i'm having a wave if i hear a too higher pitched instrument like a giitar, violin or piano in a song it will make me get overcome with emotion and cry. Is this the kind of thing you're talking about? 

Gus.

[powerback]

8 hours ago, Gussy said:

Hey powerback. What kind of sensitivity are you talking about? When i'm having a wave if i hear a too higher pitched instrument like a giitar, violin or piano in a song it will make me get overcome with emotion and cry. Is this the kind of thing you're talking about? 

Gus.

hi gussy ,cutlery banging ,plastic bags being crunched ,traffic noise ,it ticks me into irritation and bad moods .the last month its nearly intolerable .