Administrator Altostrata Posted April 2, 2015 Administrator Share Posted April 2, 2015 merged similar topics This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebalu86 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 When I wake up from sleep I feel several zaps in my brain and like my brain is spasming or something. It's my 8th week of withdrawal and it's not going away. I don't know how much longer I can take those symptoms. My other symptom is eye pressure and floaters,and also fatigue and sleepiness all day long. I'm really disheartened. I would appreciate some encouragement, I'm desperate I suffer from depression, anxiety, pure-o ocd, and panic attacks since 2004. Been on multiple different psychiatric drugs since 2006. Never had a significant WD problem before, only brain zaps for a month and then I'd be fine...............Been on Cipralex (escitalopram) 15 mg and Fluanxol (flupentixol) 1 mg since Sep 2014. Stopped taking the Cipralex after a fast 20-day taper.Took the last 5 mg Cipralex on Feb 5th, 2015. Then took Seroxat (paroxetine) 10 mg for a week, and stopped it too. Severe WD started suddenly on Feb 16th. RI 5 mg Cipralex on Feb 18th, 2015. RI worked and was relatively stable for a while................April 7 - decreased Fluanxol from 1 mg to 0.5 mg and took it at this dose for a week. - BIG MISTAKE; April 13 - WD starts creeping in; April 14 - RI full dose of Fluanxol 1 mg => severe muscle twitching and jerking when trying to relax and fall asleep, overwhelming sense of doom, dread, terror, and horror, insomnia, hoping to stabilize.Tried doing a 10% cut off Fluanxol in the end of May for a few days, but quickly updosed to full dose because the twitching returned.Experiencing waves and windows in the following months.Unsuccessful brief taper attempt of Fluanxol by 5% on November 1st. Symptoms hit the next day. Too scared to continue tapering, reinstate full dose.Severe crash in November after stupidly trying a barbiturate on November 9th. Grave mistake. Sense of unshakable inescapable internal torture, like my soul is in hell being tortured, terror/horror/dread/doom (probably akathisia?) that gets especially bad when trying to relax and fall asleep, muscles twitch, jerk and move on their own, shaking, insomnia, can't eat, confusion, disorientation, brain not working normally. Never felt so bad in my entire life. Never experiment with other meds while in WD! Praying to God I stabilize and get back to my baseline.December - things getting even worse. January - unbearable suffering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebalu86 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 And I'm not even off the drug yet. I take 5 mg Cipralex. Had to reinstate. I wanted to stop this stupid drug because of severe hair loss and now look at me...I'm even worse off. Doctors don't believe what I'm going through and there's nowhere to turn for support. I'm so sad. Why is this not going away, it's been 2 months. I suffer from depression, anxiety, pure-o ocd, and panic attacks since 2004. Been on multiple different psychiatric drugs since 2006. Never had a significant WD problem before, only brain zaps for a month and then I'd be fine...............Been on Cipralex (escitalopram) 15 mg and Fluanxol (flupentixol) 1 mg since Sep 2014. Stopped taking the Cipralex after a fast 20-day taper.Took the last 5 mg Cipralex on Feb 5th, 2015. Then took Seroxat (paroxetine) 10 mg for a week, and stopped it too. Severe WD started suddenly on Feb 16th. RI 5 mg Cipralex on Feb 18th, 2015. RI worked and was relatively stable for a while................April 7 - decreased Fluanxol from 1 mg to 0.5 mg and took it at this dose for a week. - BIG MISTAKE; April 13 - WD starts creeping in; April 14 - RI full dose of Fluanxol 1 mg => severe muscle twitching and jerking when trying to relax and fall asleep, overwhelming sense of doom, dread, terror, and horror, insomnia, hoping to stabilize.Tried doing a 10% cut off Fluanxol in the end of May for a few days, but quickly updosed to full dose because the twitching returned.Experiencing waves and windows in the following months.Unsuccessful brief taper attempt of Fluanxol by 5% on November 1st. Symptoms hit the next day. Too scared to continue tapering, reinstate full dose.Severe crash in November after stupidly trying a barbiturate on November 9th. Grave mistake. Sense of unshakable inescapable internal torture, like my soul is in hell being tortured, terror/horror/dread/doom (probably akathisia?) that gets especially bad when trying to relax and fall asleep, muscles twitch, jerk and move on their own, shaking, insomnia, can't eat, confusion, disorientation, brain not working normally. Never felt so bad in my entire life. Never experiment with other meds while in WD! Praying to God I stabilize and get back to my baseline.December - things getting even worse. January - unbearable suffering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erer Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 And I'm not even off the drug yet. I take 5 mg Cipralex. Had to reinstate. I wanted to stop this stupid drug because of severe hair loss and now look at me...I'm even worse off. Doctors don't believe what I'm going through and there's nowhere to turn for support. I'm so sad. Why is this not going away, it's been 2 months. Have you tried using essential amino acids? I get the same symptoms you described, but they are much lesser on the day when I have taken amino acids the previous day. 2,5 years of slowly tapering down Cymbalta from 60 mg. Then tried going from 8,44 mg to 1 mg in 8 days. (April 1st 2015). That's when the real hell started. Reinstated. Didn't help. I was added Ativan (2 mg 2 times a day for relentless akathisia that started with jumping Cymbalta). For years had been taking Zopitin 7,5 mg and Stilnox 10 mg for I had not been able to sleep naturally since the 1st day I started Cymbalta). Used to take Xanax occasionally. All of the above were stopped cold turkey when I was hospitalized in the beginning of May 2015. Prior to that I have been on and off the whole spectrum of different AD-s for 15 years (since I was 17). My introduction. Tapering: Olanzapine (starting point 2,1 mg): Jan 2016 /---/ April 2018 0 mg. (From 2,1 mg to 0 mg in 1y 3mo). Diazepam (starting at 5 mg) : switching to liquid May 2018; 4,6 mg (June 2018) /---/ 0 mg (Feb 2020) (From 10 to 5 - nobody knows, from 5 to 0 in 1 y 10 mo) Valdoxan (starting at 25 mg): switching to liquid (Feb 2019) /---/ 0 mg (July 2020) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebalu86 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 No, I haven't tried that. I'll look into it. I suffer from depression, anxiety, pure-o ocd, and panic attacks since 2004. Been on multiple different psychiatric drugs since 2006. Never had a significant WD problem before, only brain zaps for a month and then I'd be fine...............Been on Cipralex (escitalopram) 15 mg and Fluanxol (flupentixol) 1 mg since Sep 2014. Stopped taking the Cipralex after a fast 20-day taper.Took the last 5 mg Cipralex on Feb 5th, 2015. Then took Seroxat (paroxetine) 10 mg for a week, and stopped it too. Severe WD started suddenly on Feb 16th. RI 5 mg Cipralex on Feb 18th, 2015. RI worked and was relatively stable for a while................April 7 - decreased Fluanxol from 1 mg to 0.5 mg and took it at this dose for a week. - BIG MISTAKE; April 13 - WD starts creeping in; April 14 - RI full dose of Fluanxol 1 mg => severe muscle twitching and jerking when trying to relax and fall asleep, overwhelming sense of doom, dread, terror, and horror, insomnia, hoping to stabilize.Tried doing a 10% cut off Fluanxol in the end of May for a few days, but quickly updosed to full dose because the twitching returned.Experiencing waves and windows in the following months.Unsuccessful brief taper attempt of Fluanxol by 5% on November 1st. Symptoms hit the next day. Too scared to continue tapering, reinstate full dose.Severe crash in November after stupidly trying a barbiturate on November 9th. Grave mistake. Sense of unshakable inescapable internal torture, like my soul is in hell being tortured, terror/horror/dread/doom (probably akathisia?) that gets especially bad when trying to relax and fall asleep, muscles twitch, jerk and move on their own, shaking, insomnia, can't eat, confusion, disorientation, brain not working normally. Never felt so bad in my entire life. Never experiment with other meds while in WD! Praying to God I stabilize and get back to my baseline.December - things getting even worse. January - unbearable suffering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuliaMarie Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Hi,I have these also when I wake up! It is so weird, every morning, as soon as I am waking. I am 8 weeks out too! They have gotten less and less everyday. Have yours gotten milder?? Its so funny, I actually use their presence and severity to moniter my wd progress!! I do this because they are the first symptom I had,so I think as long as they are still there, Im still withdrawing, and as long as they are getting better, I must be getting better!! Obviiusly I dont know if this is a fact, but it helps me stay positive!!! The first time I discontinued an Ssri(paxil, one year ago, after being on it for one and a half years), I quit cold turkey. I had bad brain zaps all day for about a month, with lessing severity as time went by. And they went away all together after two months! I hope that encourages you!! I went back on meds,celexa, because I didnt know about wd, and thougt I needed them for anxiety. This time I tapered, and the brain zaps have been much easier, mainly at waking, just like you!! I am so sorry your Dr. dosnt beleive you. I hate to say this about an intelligent person who made it through med school, but he dosent know what he is talking about!!! My Dr. told me they are taught wd is two weeks, but he beleives me about my symptoms, and told me that a lot of his patients have trouble with ssri, esspecially certain ones. My pharmisist and my therapist HATE them!!! If your main symptoms are brain zaps and eye pressure, I think you are doung awrsome! Hang in there, you are doing great!!!also sorry about your hair loss from the drug!!that had to be hard. I hope you feel better soon!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MostlyWater Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 They are harmless. Believe me, you'll come to learn that brainzaps are the least of your symptoms to worry about. The zaps are simply a signal that your nervous system has been messed with. The drugs decalibrated your nervous system and now it needs to calibrate back to the way nature intended. Be patient and understand that your body is working on healing itself. The more stressed you become by it, the harder it will be for your body to naturally fix things. Paxil from 2005 to July 2013. 30mg. Very short taper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quitpaxil2015 Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 The zaps are a common symptom of SSRI withdrawal. Brain zaps probably are related to a central nervous system symptom called Lhermitte's sign. See Wiwanitkit V. Citation at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18633745 Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2008 Jul-Sep;20(3):175. Shock-like sensations associated with duloxetine discontinuation. Pitchot W, Ansseau M. Citation at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18480703 J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2008 Jun;28(3):359-60. Emergence of electric shock-like sensations on escitalopram discontinuation. Prakash O, Dhar V. Abstract at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8889917 J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1996 Oct;16(5):411-2. Lhermitte's sign in paroxetine withdrawal. Reeves RR, Pinkofsky HB. Citation at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7726327 Am J Psychiatry. 1995 May;152(5):810. Shock-like sensations after discontinuation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Frost L, Lal S. Citation at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=ellison%20buzz J Clin Psychiatry. 1994 Dec;55(12):544-5. SSRI withdrawal buzz. Ellison JM. ---------- If anyone has any of the above documents in electronic form, please e-mail them to me and I will upload them. This is very helpful since brain zaps are incredibly disturbing... Username: quitpaxil2015 - Started antidepressants sometime in 1990. Misdiagnosed with Bipolar, but later with thyroid disease in1998 (8 years of being on several different psychiatric meds with several psychiatric hospitalizations). Total thyroidectomy in 1999. At the time, was on 85 mg of Paxil. In 2001, tried to get off Paxil and had car crash due to vertigo and w/d symptoms. Given more psychiatric meds including Prozac and Trazodone to treat SEVERE w/d from Paxil - which is the only reason I still take Paxil. Tried to taper off Paxil again in 2004 - from 25 mg to 20 mg (5 mg cuts) - had to go back on 25 mg on the 10th day of the taper due to inability to function (dizziness, vertigo, motion sickness, crying spells, depersonalization, etc). Currently on Paxil 25 mg and Trazodone 100 mg. Trying to quit Paxil in 2015. April 22, 2015 - Paxil 22.5 mg. May 13, 2015 Paxil 20 mg. June 3, 2015 - Paxil 17.5 mg. June 24, 2015 - Paxil 15 mg. Don't remember - 12.5 mg. August 5, 2015 - Paxil 10 mg. September 16, 2015 - 7.5 mg (considering going back up - severe anxiety/panic) September 28, 2015 - back up to 10 mg. October 6, 2015 - back up to 15 mg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I had them go then come back... some things bring them on again like a drug reaction or illness I had body zaps too... and something quite like it still where I shake with it... when I use salbutimal... I shake like mad so I don't use it ...mostly. I have this sort of viberating in my one are and leg when I got to reach for something or my leg is in a certain position... for some reason they remind me of brain body zaps tho they may be of some other origin. So far no doctor has explained to me what they are mostly they are thought to be some nervous system issue but what exactly has not been found. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJJ Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 I have been suffering from those dreadful brainzaps, pretty much constant and those horrible electric jolt sensation through my body. I thought I would try taking fish oil capsules as I heard it can help restore brain function . After about a week I noticed a big improvement. They havnt gone completely away but I have certainly noticed a difference. I thought I might share as it may help others who experience these symptoms. [*]At 15 years was put on 50mg of Zoloft for generalized anxiety and panic disorder. [*]2006 Tried to withdrawal from 50mg . Doctor told me I would have no trouble. I tampered over about a month (50mg-0) which left me with severe and debilitating withdrawal symptoms. Doctors put my dose up to 75mg mistaking my withdrawal symptoms as a relapse. Stayed on Zoloft 75mg since 2006. March 2015- adverse reaction between Zoloft (75mg) an antibiotic and anti nausea drug resulting in debilitating symptoms/recovery identical to withdrawal. Have not altered or changed dose since 2006. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted May 9, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 9, 2015 Thank you for sharing your experience NJJ, we have a topic on omega fish oil here: King of Supplements: Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil) I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitch Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 hi im mitch i have been off zoloft for 10 months was on 25mg for over 10 years i have bad brain zaps electric head 24/7 im going crazy what do i do im in hell been on zoloft about 12 years 25 mg last year went up to 100 mg for 2 months got brain zaps so went off for 2 months then back on at 50 mg for 2 months still with zaps now off 6 months with 24/7 brain zaps shivers electric head going crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellisimo Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 My head sensations got lots better after one year off. I understand you feel you going crazy, i felt i was going crazy 24/7.. and was in so much panic all the time for a very long time But it do gets better , i know that atleast. 2007 - 2013: was on citalopram (tried to quit a few times, never worked, always went back on. max dose 40mg) 2012-2013: was tapering my citalopram all down to 2,5 mg then quit.2013/aug: Took my last pill W/D hit me bad after a few weeks off my medicine. 2014/August: 12 months off (much improved) 2015/April: 20months off. ( much improved, still some symtoms comes in waves, but not so intense.) 2015/june: 22months off. FELT different than before, all shakings suddenly stopped, feel much better. a fantastic feeling! 2016/Feb : 2 years and 6 months off, END of my suffering. I feel perfectly fine and back to normal. 2018/Oct: Iam still feeling great. It is hard to believe my own story when I read back, what I went through! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 a french testimony: a man, after 15 years off has still mild brain zap once 2 months or 5 months, hopefully very mild long termer call it residuals for anxiety 12 years paxil - cold turkey 1,5 month - switch celexa 1 year taper; total 13 years on brain meds 67 years old - 9 years med free in protracted withdrawal rigidity standing and walking, dryness gougerot-szoegren, sleep deteriorate, function as have a lack of nerves, improving have been very little Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eiledon20 Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Is brain zap that feeling like you are being sent a small voltage in your head when dozing off to sleep and when waking up? Dont know how long this will last. Just taking fish oil and b-complex for nerve spmasm. Will vitamin c help? Partner suddenly died 2014. Severe depression AGAIN (had previous episode 10 years ago). I was given escitalopram but could not bear the side effects, so i ask for an ECT (not sure if this helped). During the treatment and my hospital stay I was given Depakote mood stabilizer. PDOC says I need to take it for two years. After 4-5 months I have a hard time with the Depakote. Hard to get up in the morning. Depression again or Depakote effects? So stopped Depakote (did not know about tapering then) Januray 21, 2015. Severe depression again, started Pristiq 50mg and clonazepam 0.5 mg nightly. Had confusion, suicidal thoughts, thoughts about death, and find it hard to understand the TV, much more type in a computer. Had adverse reaction to most antidepressants: muscle pain/spasms, irritablity, restlessness. Also Tried Prozac, Zoloft, Escitalopram years ago. Started to taper pristiq and clonazepam after four months: 5th month: 2 weeks - 3/4 tablet PRISTIQ (deducting the clonazepam also, so hard to cut) 2 weeks - 1/2 tablet PRISTIQ (crumbs of clonazepam nightly) 2 weeks - 1/8 or less (hard to cut really) (zero clonazepam) Then jump off pristiq. I just wonder why I was cured during the 10 year period (2004-2014) I have no depression symptoms and no meds either. Pdoc said I might be biploar 2 but it is a "grey" area. Aren't bipolars supposed to be on maintenance meds?! Damn this diagnosis. I am tapering Pristiq either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura1981 Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Did anyone ever capture a brain zap on EEG? My clueless doctor wants me to do an EEG. He doesn't believe me about withdrawal and wants to "find out" what causes all the zaps and twitches. My brain zaps are so bad that sometimes my arms and legs twitch with them. It would be nice to finally have something measurable to work with. Feb 2015 Took venlafaxine for 5 days only... experienced withdrawal that made me completely non-functional Mar 2015 took under 1mg of Sertraline for 10 days in an attempt to combat Venlafaxine withdrawal. Got adverse reactions. After stopping Sertraline, withdrawal got much worse. New, horrific symptoms. June 2015 Still non-functional but slowly getting better. Still brain zaps, migraines, sweating, heart racing, depression, crying spells September 2015: 24/7 brain zaps, twitches in the face, no concentration, bad memory, language skills deteriorating. Profile feed: http://goo.gl/3g2GRn Sign this petition for a blackbox warning on Prozac in Ireland: https://www.change.org/p/leo-varadakar-hpra-the-lack-of-a-blackbox-warning-on-prozac-in-ireland-and-its-use-by-the-hse-in-under-18-s?recruiter=63289046&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-no_msg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjnz Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Laura: I had an ecg at the emergency department of a hospital ( had no idea what brainzaps were or that they were due to discontinuation) ( not did the doctors at the hospital) but I did have several brainzaps whilst the ecg recording was taking place ; nothing. My psychiatrist also told me I was probably just a bit stressed. LOL! My brainzaps never effected the body, just a shock type sensation, a pulse effecting my ears and often making me a little dizzy/sick. You can bring them on a little by moving your eyes left and right. I had them when I missed a dose and upon withdrawal I had them for about 12 weeks. Don't panic , Eventually they go away. On it's own it sounds a bit like you have myoclonus or hypnic jerks but in combination with a headzap. I've been off ad's for about 3 years now, just had a recent relapse of them ( for one day) thanks to a very bad flu and I think the cough medicine/expectorant they gave me (Bisolvon: bromhexine hydrochloride) but I can't find any reports of people talking about cough medicine causing brain zaps, I stopped taking it and 12 hours later they were gone. If it helps : this is a research paper on headzaps from NZ http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/1920818/732495233/name/dizziness.pdf If your doctor does not believe you ask him what he has searched for. Brain zaps / head zaps / ssri's, his ignorance does not mean you are imagining things, it means he shouldn't be prescribing drugs he clearly knows nothing about. Hang in there my friend, things get better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura1981 Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Thanks JJNZ, that's what I thought: No brain zaps on the EEG. I have the brain zaps and other weird brain sensations that I would sum up as "electric head" for months now 24/7. They never stop. Sometimes they get more intense sometimes less. They are so disruptive that I often need to lay down and breathe for an hour or so until they pass. It's nuts. I'm quite desperate to stop them. Symptoms are: Zapping, crunching, feeling like "cramps" in my brain, zaps that make my limbs twitch. I'm starting to suspect that they are intensified by eating carbohydrates. I'm testing a low carb diet at the moment. I'll report back on the success. Interesting that your head zaps came back with bromhexine. Maybe it irritated your nervous system. Regarding my doctor: He's a lost cause. He doesn't look up anything. He won't even read the leaflet of the medication, but he's nice and he writes me sick certs, so I'm staying with him at the moment. He's not the one who prescribed the AD but still, I think he just doesn't want to believe his lovely, trusted medication can render a patient disabled for months. Feb 2015 Took venlafaxine for 5 days only... experienced withdrawal that made me completely non-functional Mar 2015 took under 1mg of Sertraline for 10 days in an attempt to combat Venlafaxine withdrawal. Got adverse reactions. After stopping Sertraline, withdrawal got much worse. New, horrific symptoms. June 2015 Still non-functional but slowly getting better. Still brain zaps, migraines, sweating, heart racing, depression, crying spells September 2015: 24/7 brain zaps, twitches in the face, no concentration, bad memory, language skills deteriorating. Profile feed: http://goo.gl/3g2GRn Sign this petition for a blackbox warning on Prozac in Ireland: https://www.change.org/p/leo-varadakar-hpra-the-lack-of-a-blackbox-warning-on-prozac-in-ireland-and-its-use-by-the-hse-in-under-18-s?recruiter=63289046&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-no_msg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus JanCarol Posted September 1, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 1, 2015 EEG - Electroencephalogram measures brain waves ECG - measures cardio activity. Not the same thing. Having a brain zap while getting an ECG just shows that it doesn't affect your heart (and likely, by deduction, your spinal chord) An EEG of brain zaps would be fascinating. After reading here, I've decided that my brain zaps - which are occasional, and I've had them since starting the serotonin & tricyclic drugs in the 80' - are EHS - Exploding Head Syndrome. The SA discussion of this is here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2133-exploding-head-syndrome-or-ssri-withdrawal/ The reason I believe that mine are ESH, is because they are always accompanied by noise. Sometimes they are triggered by external noise, sometimes the noise is in my head like a gong or a crash that lights up my whole brain. They also seem to have the most occurrence when i'm drifting off to sleep. Some people have brain zaps while they are walking around in the daytime, WHAM! Knowing this makes me feel lucky - it happens to me in a darkened room in a comfortable bed. They are non intrusive, though sometimes it takes awhile to settle from them (and get to sleep). I do think they are connected to what serotonin based drugs did to my already serotonin sensitized brain (recreational drugs). "Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again. My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices. A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia. CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013. Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine). Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 - Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years on Lithium). Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made. The tedious thread (my intro): JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium The happy thread (my success story): JanCarol - Undiagnosed Off all bipolar drugs My own blog: https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/ I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus JanCarol Posted October 2, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 2, 2015 Zlicks. When I was tired and jet lagged, and trying to sleep, I was getting zap-clicks. As I exhaled, the sound of my heart beat would make my head go zap! but with a click. Zlicks. When I inhaled, it was fine. But naturally, I had to exhale again, and they would return. Bizarre phenomenon. Milder than the exploding head syndrome (ESH), and not horribly intrusive, but still uncomfortable. They have not returned since that night. (yes, this was 4 weeks after a gigantic lithium taper) "Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again. My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices. A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia. CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013. Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine). Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 - Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years on Lithium). Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made. The tedious thread (my intro): JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium The happy thread (my success story): JanCarol - Undiagnosed Off all bipolar drugs My own blog: https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/ I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renaldas Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 (edited) Brain zaps and pupil size correlation Due to a non linear dose-response curve of some (most) antidepressants (I am on Cymbalta now), decreasing the dosage even a very small amount may have tremendous effect on symptoms. I am a very experienced brain zapper, I had them for 3-5 years intermittently when I was even on high dose paroxetine, and I have them intermittently now, tapering duloxetine. I noticed one interesting fact, when i have brain zaps, my pupils are severely constricted (in the opposition to the very enlarged, when you have serotonin syndrome). I think pupil size may show serotonin levels in your brain. I want to ask you, "brainzappers", have you noticed the same? Can you look at your pupils when you are having brain zaps and immediately after this, when your zaps stopped after you increased your SSRI/SNRI? Edited November 23, 2015 by Petunia added title from merged topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonnegutjunky Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 following *Currently at 8.2-8.5 mg of my 10mg pill of Paxil (they actually weigh 12.5mg) january 2023 I began reducing my med again. I was a 9mg weight for years, I went to 8.9 in January, went to 8.6mg in February, and in March 2023 I went down to 8.5-8.2 mg ( my scale varies, so I stick within that .3 range because of that) *No other supplements or vitamins *Taper schedule in the pdf Blank.pdf https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-5vShtJtwAOGA30OxIP87steLmMdFzD29F0fzAPD564 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted November 23, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 23, 2015 Welcome Renaldas, I joined your topic with our existing 'brain zaps' topic to keep all the collected information and wisdom in one place. This is an interesting observation, I wonder if others experience the same. Please would you start a topic for yourself in our Introductions and updates forum so we can get to know you and offer support with your taper off Cymbalta. I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oskcajga Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 I believe that my brain zaps are related to dysfunctional sensory neurons (peripheral nervous system), not the central nervous system and brain itself. I think the term "trigeminal nerve and cranial nerve zaps" would be more appropriate. Maybe I'm wrong - but if the brain cannot feel any sensation, then how is it able to feel a "zap" - that makes no sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmanning Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Has anybody ever heard of a supplement called Zaps-Away? Apparently, it's supposed to be a brain zaps cure. 2012 - Prozac (wasn't helping, made me too sleepy) 2014 - Effexor XR (adverse reaction) 2014/2015 - Cymbalta (gives me brain zaps WHILE on it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted February 11, 2016 Moderator Share Posted February 11, 2016 It is a blend of rather common "alternative medicine" ingredients being sold by one manufacturer directly for the SSRI WD market. There has been no testing to determine it's effectiveness. They don't even offer testimonials. Two of the ingredients we already recommend, others really should not be used by someone with a sensitized CNS, while some have not proven usefulness at all. I'm sorry to say it but the alternative medical scammers have started to tap into a large and growing market of very vulnerable people. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmanning Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 It is a blend of rather common "alternative medicine" ingredients being sold by one manufacturer directly for the SSRI WD market. There has been no testing to determine it's effectiveness. They don't even offer testimonials. Two of the ingredients we already recommend, others really should not be used by someone with a sensitized CNS, while some have not proven usefulness at all. I'm sorry to say it but the alternative medical scammers have started to tap into a large and growing market of very vulnerable people. Thank you for your response. I was hoping for something more positive because I have a bottle arriving anyday now lol. It's worth a shot! I'll let you guys know how it goes. 2012 - Prozac (wasn't helping, made me too sleepy) 2014 - Effexor XR (adverse reaction) 2014/2015 - Cymbalta (gives me brain zaps WHILE on it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmanning Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 Well here's my update about the Zaps-Away caps as promised. I took it for around 2 weeks and can definitely say that it helped lessen the severity of my brain zaps,especially at night. Of course everybody's chemical makeup is different but I would personally recommend it. Especially if you've been struggling and tried everything else. Good luck guys! 2012 - Prozac (wasn't helping, made me too sleepy) 2014 - Effexor XR (adverse reaction) 2014/2015 - Cymbalta (gives me brain zaps WHILE on it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Here is a pharmacist reporting on brain zaps in her blog http://theblondepharmacist.com/2007/11/17/brain-shivers-brain-zaps-brain-shocks/ Note this post had 414 comments from when it was posted in late 2007 to April 2012. Brain Shivers… Brain Zaps… Brain Shocks… Posted on November 17, 2007 // 415 Comments I do not know if many in the medical community are aware of this term that is thrown out there for such offenders as venlafaxine (Effexor), duloxetine (Cymbalta), paroxetine (Paxil), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), fluvoxamine (Luvox), citalopram (Celexa), and escitalopram (Lexapro), but it is a very real phenomenon. Unfortunately, though many in the medical community have not had to rely on any of these meds in their own personal lives, I had a 2-3 year stint with venlafaxine from 2002-03. Basically, I presented with the inability to sleep due to anxiety of some personal issues (which we all have from time to time), and did not want a controlled substance. I tried paroxetine first and absolutely despised the drug. I quit cold turkey. Very smart for a pharmacist, right? (You can’t just stop cold turkey and expect to not endure some uncomfortable sensory disturbances.) I found venlafaxine, at 75 mg extended release, to be a very good drug for its purpose of 9 to 12 months. However, what I didn’t expect was that weaning from the drug would be so uncomfortable. 75 mg in itself is not even a moderate dose, falling more into the lower dose category. I’ve seen higher doses much more than the lower doses. To explain what I felt, I will do my best to try to break down into words the feelings. Initially, there was a sinking feeling in my brain. If you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon or a very tall building and looked down, there is a falling feeling that your brain sometimes throws at you though you are not falling at all. That feeling would happen for very short bursts, 2-3 seconds, enough to disrupt my thoughts, my work, and my being. I would just think, “What was that?” If I tapered over the recommended taper schedule (usually a week at a time step down, but keep in mind there’s only one strength lower than the 75 mg XR – the 37.5 mg XR. Then where do I go? Literally it didn’t matter. The big divide between the 75 mg and the 37.5 mg was enough to cause the “shivers” in my brain – a disorientation, falling, weird, and uncomfortable feeling. “Brain zaps” are said to defy description for whomever has not experienced them, but the most common themes are of a sudden “jolt,” likened to an electric shock, apparently occurring or originating within the brain itself, with associated disorientation for a few seconds. The phenomenon is most often reported as a brief, wave-like electrical pulse that quickly travels across the surface of (or through) the brain. Some people experience these “waves” through the rest of their body, but the sensation dissipates quickly. They are sometimes accompanied by brief tinnitus and vertigo like feelings. Immediately following this shock is a light-headedness that may last for up to ten seconds. The sensation has also be described by many as a flashbulb going off inside the head or brain. Moving one’s eyes from side to side quickly while open has also been known to trigger these zaps and sometimes causing them to come in rapid succession. It is thought to be a form of neuro-epileptiform activity. As withdrawal time increases, the frequency of the shocks decreases. At their peak, brain zaps have been associated with severe headaches. They may last for a period of several weeks after the last dose and usually resolve completely within a month or two. However, anecdotal reports of “zaps” during a protracted withdrawal are known to last a year or longer. My remedy was to open the capsule and to count the tiny beads and literally make capsules with less and less tapering over a 6 week period rather than the usual 2 – 3 weeks at this dose. It did eliminate the feeling, but it definitely helped. One could go as far as asking the physician for a 37.5 mg immediate release tablet and maybe breaking it up into pieces and tapering at the very end that way. Any way you dice it, venlafaxine was a pain and taught me right away a bigger lesson in remembering the side effects than any package insert ever could. .... A follow-up post http://theblondepharmacist.com/2011/01/03/shivers-zaps-and-shocks-part-two/ Shivers, Zaps, and Shocks… Part Two Posted on January 3, 2011 // 5 Comments I’ve had over 200 comments on a post I had three years ago. Back then, I was super frustrated with the side effect from withdrawing from commonly prescribed SSRIs, etc. Has much changed in tapering down these meds for the patients I am in contact with? No. But, I have been able to share the experience with others and in my own case have found that the shocks resolved on their own. I have never felt that way again, but at the same time you won’t see me jumping up and down for joy for venlafaxine or duloxetine. I have no respect for the drugs and when filling the medications will actually have some four letter words pass through my thoughts. I would like to hear from those that commented all those years back. Are the zaps gone? Have you seen it with any other medication? The site is gone. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Has anybody ever heard of a supplement called Zaps-Away? Apparently, it's supposed to be a brain zaps cure. I had to look. http://zaps-away.com/ 9 Powerful IngredientsBacopa Monnieri, Rhodiola Rosea, Ginkgo Biloba, Gotu Kola, Magnesium, L-Theanine, Taurine, Agmatine, N-Acetyl Cysteine No Prescription NeededOver the counter. Safe and effective, without the need to see a doctor or get a prescription. Combats NeurotoxicityTargets specific brain functions which were thrown off and fights to restore your brain's natural chemical balance. Helps With Many MedicationsAntidepressants, Benzodiazepines, Antipsychotics, and more! Have you recently quit an Antidepressant, Benzodiazepine, or an Antipsychotic? Do you feel brief but repeated electric shock sensations or shivers in your head? If the answer is yes, then what you’re experiencing are commonly referred to as “Brain Zaps”. For many years now there have been a great number of people on medication who have complained of feeling electrical shock-like sensations in their heads. These shocks are usually reported during discontinuation or dose reduction of antidepressant medications, particularly those involving serotonin, such as SSRIs and SNRIs. But they can also be experienced after quitting other medications including benzodiazepines and antipsychotics. Yet strangely there is no mention of these side effects anywhere in official pharmaceutical documentation. As a result of the lack of medical terminology, these common occurences have been coined “Brain Zaps” by people throughout the online community. Because of the reluctance by pharmaceutical companies to acknowledge the existance of brain zaps, many physicians are completely unaware of these adverse side effects. This often leaves people to fend for themselves. Most people describe their symptoms as a feeling of brief but repeated electrical currents which are uncontrollably zapping their brains. These brain zaps are often accompanied by disorientation, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), dizziness (vertigo), and lightheadedness. It goes without saying that these sensations can be extremely scary and uncomfortable. Most people don’t even know what’s going on until they start to look for answers and subsequently stumble upon countless others who are complaining of the very same thing in online forums. Folks want to get rid of these debilitaing brain zaps and are in real need of help. Zaps-Away™ has been specifically designed to help alleviate the discomfort caused by these shocks and reduce the suffering you’re going through. Enough for 2 wks in that bottle but if it worked.. lets see $25 ....50 a month for 5 years..3 grand way cheaper than meds I was hoping to find the amounts used of each ingredient it may be posted top to bottom with he larger amount being the first posted. Some of these things I have tried some I have never heard of magnesium of course and taurine both I have used... Gingko not sure what kind now and a hundred other supplements not listed on this bottle... I am going to take a look at the other supplements out of curiosity. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20850955 Bacopa monnieri modulates endogenous cytoplasmic and mitochondrial oxidative markers in prepubertal mice brain. If I could find a fresh plant I would eat some. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Well here's my update about the Zaps-Away caps as promised. I took it for around 2 weeks and can definitely say that it helped lessen the severity of my brain zaps,especially at night. Of course everybody's chemical makeup is different but I would personally recommend it. Especially if you've been struggling and tried everything else. Good luck guys! Any side effects ... did the bottle last 2wks taken as directed? WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjnz Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 The main thing here is serotonin. Eating wallnuts, bananas and vit b6 on an empty stomach might be worth a try. The zaps occur when serotonin falls ( or perhaps changes) Mine went away after 16 weeks from withdrawal but I had the come back temporarily on 2 occasions, once with a bad flu (perhaps the cough medicine I was using , it contained bromhexine hydrochloride) The other time was after I quit smoking (less dopamine = more serotonin generally) I occasionally get a whole lot of tiny zaps at very low amplitude just as I'm waking up in the morning, but these are nothing like the big headzaps I had on ssri withdrawal. There does seem to be some variance in the way these are experienced, mine were milliseconds, not seconds and excasserbated by eye movements. The first time I got them I saw my optometrist as the psychologist said there was no way they were caused by the medication ! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjnz Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Forgot to say, the theanine in that product will be what's delivering the serotonin. The NAC will stimulate dopamine but as far as I know it's arguable how much. Good discussion here. I might be wrong about this but if your brain is suffering becase of a so called imbalance then it might be better to let it facilitate those changes on its own, rather than supplements that might mask the problem. So little is known. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjnz Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Discussion on dopaminergic suppliments http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/67585-17-random-dopaminergic-supplements/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I would have to be ready to give up before I would take them all at the same time I have been burned by supplements too many times... but should I be ready to give up it may be a good choice to try. I would not be taking it for brain zaps exactly but for the dizzy bits and brain death... I feel I have. I would fool with serotonin and dopamine last on the list as they have earned my undying respect. However this one Bacopa Monnieri, I may give a try on its own... any I would try would be alone so I would know what the effect was. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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