"Brain Zaps" How does it feel? Is it dangerous ?

[[Sa...]]

Hi Gang,

 

I am taking 1mg Librium, possibly the lowest does ever. A benzo victim for 85 days. Since I reduced my benzo, My dr. asked me to increase the SNRI little, which will help me to stay less anxious and depress. How ever I am not getting anxiety or depression. But rarely I am getting an electric shock kind of feeling in my head, which lasts for fraction of seconds and goes away.

 

Any idea, is it a brain zap? if so, How far it is harmful?

 

Hari

 

 

[[me...]]

What you're describing sounds like a brain zap, yes.  I had them frequently during acute withdrawal and though they felt very weird, they were not dangerous.

[[Bu...]]

What SNRI are you taking?

 

The problem with stopping Benzos and taking another drug is you don't know which one is causing the brain zaps.

 

I hate them brain zaps.  Can't stand them.  I used to get them after drinking when trying to take a nap.  I also got them when taking antidepressants.

 

I would be careful with antidepressants.  If you are bipolar and don't know it they will make you nuts.  I won't even use the label bipolar.  Some of us just don't handle antidepressants very well and you may be one of them.

 

 

[[Sa...]]

I am using "Dosulepin", USA does not have this. In india, they prescribe me this, its a tricyclic antidepressant . I am not a bipolar anyway. I use benzo first for my alcohol withdrawal since last three month. Now tapered to almost 1mg which is almost zero. using Librium.

[[do...]]

I know the feeling of brains out all too well. I had them for about eight months after alcohol withdrawal, and had them for nine months after benzodiazepine withdrawal.  The ones from alcohol cleared up on their own but the ones from benzodiazepine withdrawal never healed and I had to reinstate back onto clonazepam because I felt like I was going to have a seizure and I had unusual brain sensations. They are harmless though and they do not Hurt you.

[[Mr...]]

My VA psych said that for a long time the medical community didn't even believe they existed but after further study concluded that, yes they exist, and are caused by withdrawal from anti depressants - weird but not dangerous. I'd had them off and on for years depending on the drug at the time.

[[Bu...]]

Psychiatry has long been hit and miss throw shit at the wall voodoo barely evolved from the days of and leeches and bloodletting and such.  There have been few true successes except for substances like lithium and it's not like anyone really knows why it works.  With genetic testing there is at least some science to it now that can help minimize the horrible side effects genetically poor metabolizers had to endure while finding "cocktails" that work for them.

 

But yeah, discontinuation syndrome from SSRIS is hellish.  That it is actually called "discontinuation syndrome" is almost criminal and driven by the drug companies trying to downplay the horrible side effects and marketability and profitability of SSRIs.  And yes, there is a lot of Ignorance, willful and otherwise.  I weaned myself off that crap before the days of the Internet and had to figure out on my own tapering g was the way to go.  Once I was off my life got great.  The horrible sexual side effects and sleep issues and nervousness just melted away.  Before I tapered, when I stopped I would feel so bad I thought, here comes my depression again.  I had no idea it was withdrawal and not me but I had suspicions.