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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- In this episode of I CARE FOR YOUR BRAIN with Dr. Sullivan, board certified neuropsychologist Karen D. Sullin dicusses brain zaps, the electrical shock sensations in the brain that many experience when stopping certain medications, and ideas for better coping. Learn more at www.icfyb.com or follow us on Facebook, icareforyour brain
Finally a doc that no her stuff and nos our struggle.. thank you
A friend just sent me your video. You explained them perfectly for me. I've never been on antidepressants, but I'm coming to the end of my Testosterone pellets and I'm wondering (hoping) it's a hormonal imbalance. I only get them when I'm trying to go to sleep and they keep me awake for hours most nights. It's been going on for about a month now. My MRI came back clear, thankfully, but my anxiety over them is through the roof because I can't sleep! Praying this is a temporary thing because the thought of it being permanent is too much.
I get the same, only when transitioning to sleep, then zap! Wakes me right up. A vicious cycle of insomnia. Now im on sleeping pills just so I can get past the zaps and fall asleep. When I wake up to go pee I'm not getting back to sleep after that.
I'm sorry. I am experiencing them as well when I miss a dose.
Do you still experience them?
Triggers: No idea, very random but also specific when i look to the right and falling asleep and waking up.
Feeling: Terrifying. Feels like this is the split second before an event of dying, seizure or stroke. An all over zap. Sometimes a bolt at the top of the head. Sometimes an all over feeling like a wave only in the brain. Sometimes feels like its coming down out my nose and my front teeth. I often think its a very shitty way to live.
Duration: Only a second. Like a flash. If lightning struck next to you it lasts a fierce second but your reaction to it takes a few more to catch up but not sure if youre safe or not.
You will get better gd willing
You nailed it exactly that. Any updates on your experiences?
these zaps are worse than any anxiety i had
Cymbalta did that to me just from changing from bedtime to morning dosage, plus dyskinesia and auditory hallucinations. Daytime dose threw me into a hypomanic state where I couldn't stop cleaning and reorganizing despite chronic pain. Effexor at only 1 week taking it caused violent dreams.
Hey thank you for your great video!
I haven't ever taken medications, but I get the brain zaps, I can't seem to see a pattern they are just random and do surprise me when they happen! I have a sudden shot of electric on the back of my head it startles me for a short moment my ears ring a little it's almost the feeling before you pass out (no pain either )I'm just trying my best to accept them and not let the fear of them cause panic and worry.
(I sometimes wonder if it's a hormonal thing for us women to experience them?).
I do occasionally get them when I'm super excited or when I'm stressed...(could be linked with panic and anxiety these zaps?) Like I can't seem to work out why I get them as I'm not on any kind of medication..the doctor I spoke to had never heard of them! But atleast I know I'm not completely crazy as others DO experience them too!
I too have developed then whilst not being on meds and also cant find rhyme or reason to them apart from looking right then they always happen.
I get this when I am unwell.
Everything you said was on point the electricity feeling everything cold turkey ..everything was perfectly said thanks
I get them too and not from medication. Mine started after a vaccine and also at random. I was suffering from them 24-7. Even in my sleep. A year now and I still get them often enough. Sometimes they start in my brain and sometimes in my chest and radiate in my whole body like an electric pulse. They suck!
Can they feel like light headed when you move your eyes
If you only knew how many variations of searches it took to get here.... but thank jeebus! I always end up feeling fundamentally not understood, and end up wondering if I'm crazy. I always get mine going down the stairs, or when I'm tryin to be tough (actually shy) then I hear the "zhooozsh." Thank you, it's so cool not to feel alone!
I had these brain zaps and they would last for 3 to 10 seconds. Intense electrical shocks that I found to be painful and required minutes to recover. I remember holding my head with my fingers pressing certain areas that I perceived to hurt. I was being treated with Effexor for MDD and PTSD. My providers validated my “zaps” but really had no understanding or explanation for them. I remember missing meds some days or stopping them when I was extremely depressed. So your information validates what I was experiencing.
Oh my goodness. I love you. I have been thinking im going crazy and no one would believe me about my brain zaps. I recently stopped taking my meds but just manly because I forget them. I have had issues with depression, anxiety, panic attacks and about two yrs ago ptsd was kinda hinted. Started 14 yrs ago when my mother passed away. I was always sad due to the divorce of my parents when i was 6 or 7 yrs old. I was put on sertraline (zoloft) about 6 yrs ago and every now snd then I wouldn’t tske it for a few days to a week then start back but i never paid attention until this video. My zaps feel like im being shocked but last a second or two. But its with the movement of my eyes or when I turn my head certain ways. It’s eventually causes headaches that get as bad as my migraines. I have tons of nausea and even throw up. But i do have IBS in which i throw up at random times for no reason. So glad i know I am not going crazy. It gets scary. The zap feeling for me reminds of back in the day when you watched tv and when the station went off air it was that scrambled screen and that crazy sound i call scrambling. I know it sounds stupid but that’s the effect in my head. Thank you so much. You can’t know how much this video means.
Also i was diagnosed last yr with hypothyroidism. 🤦🏻♀️. Im not on meds because the first one didn’t work the second one caused vasculitis. And my last test was supposedly normal. 🤷🏻
@rrhopewell ❤❤ I hope you feel better soon. I too suffer with anxiety and want to go on meds but I'm too scared to take them. It sounds like this is a good reason to be to scared to take them.
My doctor started me in that particular drug at the end of March. I will occasionally forget to take my pills during the day and if it’s been more than like 30 hours since I’ve taken it, I get the brain zaps bad. They’re uncomfortable, sometimes painful, and can be disorienting. They can get so bad I can feel them down to my toes. If I’m in a crowded place, I also get so anxious that it will trigger brain zaps.
I feel like my soul is shifting from my left side of body to my right side..
PS- I always described them as like a cartoon, when you turn your head, or eyes, your brain follows slowly, from side to side.
I came off SSRIs (Sertraline) a few years ago and had the brain zaps - they went away, but Ive been getting them again recently without having taken SSRIs for years. I've also never had seisures, but I spent about 15 years in addiction.
Mostly they are much less intense, but I get them recently when I'm moving around - these recent ones arent really zaps, but it feels like more of a 'flip' or small movement. I've never had vertigo, but it feels like how people describe vertigo, but just in small half-second bursts and usually in clusters spanning about 5 minutes. I usually go drink some water for good measure
I also get larger zaps occasionally when falling asleep, larger than when I was coming off SSRIs - it feels just like the descriptions of Exploding Head Syndrome, except I saw it described as thunder or gunshots, but I hear it as an electical zap or very loud TV static.
I get them very loud at night usually once every month or two, and more often just small clustered bursts of micro-zaps or 'vertigo' when I'm up and about at least once or twice a week.
However I havent been on SSRIs since 2020, and I've been clean from coke for 4 years, but I have continued to struggle with nicotine and cannabis...
I'm not super concerned, but its strange how its still affecting me years later. Again, I've never had seisures but it does make me a little nervous about stroke one day.
My zaps are back after being off the med for 2 years. Did you slowly come off your meds or what
@BillBerond Not really, I was in a rehab during Covid, and it was a pain in the a$$ to refill any prescriptions with them cause they're so careful
Anyway I sortof stopped a bit abruptly, not completely suddenly, but I would skip days until they were gone
@@audilecreations years I came off them myself to by cutting down a bit day by day, then at that time, the zaps got worse so I'd skip a day and continue. It's rotten the feeling
I am having them for 2 years. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and treated with levothyroxine 100mcg, but was told by an endo (a new one) to go cold turkey, because I didnt need them at all. My condition worsened over the time, but very slowly and subtly, until it spiraled down on 21st Mar 2020, when I got, as I fount it is called, a dysexecutive syndrome caused by an stressful event. It lasted for a long time, and I saw the world from the other side of sanity during that time. I have recovered slowly (back on levo), but having brain zaps remained. To add, I had seizures during this initial downturn, and could say that brain zaps are like flashes of it, coming at any time and with no apparent trigger
I experience Brain Zaps from Mirtazepine. I experience them when falling asleep and waking up. I normally get multiple rounds of them simultaneously in clusters. They aren’t painful but they are frightening as it feels like something is going terribly wrong. The Brain Zaps are also accompanied by high pitched zapping sounds.
Mirtazapine also gives me long intense dreams that are very life like, and seem to last a lifetime, they are also very often frightening dreams
Yes it feels alarming. The vivid dreams is what you're describing is a very common side effect. Sadly they don't warn about the brain zaps
I get these sometimes, but have never been on anti depressants, I usually get them when my anxiety is high. I've had GAD for years
I'm glad I found this , helped me decide not to start taking antidepressant again. Reminded me why I got off of it to begin with a year ago. I'd like to know what brain damage is actually done by mental health meds, been on them for over 20 years, stopped I've been told my personality is different, (which I knew, but having someone say it......) noone can convince me that enough is known about the brain for these meds to be used as frivolously as they are. Yes serious psychotic, delusional problems of course, are different. But, anyway, these brain 'zaps' are a very disturbing sensation/experience. Let's face it, when a Dr doesn't know if they are seizures ( I had temporal lobe for years) that shows how little is truly known about the brain, and these medications
I too would like to know the brain damage done from long term SSRI use. I have been their Guinea for 30 yrs🙏
As this is an older post hopefully it’s still seen. My brain zaps started about three years ago, I’ve never been on any medication. Mine seem to come on when I’m tired. Usually within an hour before I sleep and an hour after I wake. I assume they happen through my sleep as I will wake up and they are thumping hard. It can happen in the middle of the day if I’m tired (I don’t sleep soundly so this is common). Some are less noticeable and some feel like I was hit in the upper back or neck area with a baseball bat. Kind of that initial shock to the body before pain would set in. Same disorientation as ears equalizing during an ear infection. Daily occurrence for me that has never been on any medication and in pretty good health as I workout regularly at 43 years old. Hope more comes out of these studies as it is annoying. Thanks for the insight.
Thank you very much for this. Out of the hours and hours of reading and watching videos this is by far the most useful piece I have come across. I was on Effexor for 10 years before deciding I wanted to come off of it. I did my research beforehand because I knew how hard it was coming off of this and was well aware of the brain zaps when I missed doses. So I took it what I believed to be slow by weaning off for 1.5 months and this was still nowhere near enough time. It's been 6 months now and I still experience them. I can make them happen on demand by moving my eyes. This is common for people experiencing this. They can be self induced by moving eyes from side to side / up and down. More so with the eyes closed for some reason. I almost feel it's my life's goal now to get to the bottom of what this is. It is infuriating how misunderstood this is and ignored. I am considering dedicating my time to interviewing people and creating a documentary about this one thing if only to gain some attention so we actually figure out what this is. I cannot believe these are prescribed at such a large scale without even considering or worrying about what the being shocked in the brain symptom it causes. Mind blowing. If there's anything you want to discuss outside of this or anything a all I can do to help your research in it let me know. I am an open book with this.
I am experiencing this right now. It’s debilitating to me. I tapered for three weeks from fluvoxamine down to 25mg twice twice daily. Was onfor 8 months. I did what my dr told me to do. Two days after stopping I started getting the dizzy disorienting zaps anytime I love my head. So basically constantly. I can’t drive. Now TODAY, in addition to this I can HEAR the zaps and am getting nauseous when it happens. This is horrible because I’m dealing with another possible health issue of POTS! My heart rate has been spiking along with blood pressure and really bad exhaustion 1:55 1:55 so dr wanted me off the ssri. I’m currently on buspirone which he increased before I stop fluvoxamine cause he said it would stop me from getting withdrawals. He also has me on 0.25mg twice day of Ativan to help.
Only been having this for two days so scared how long this will last!?? Help
Hey guys, do you still feeling the brain zaps??
This was all very well explained and I am glad that you are covering this but have you actually spoken to anyone who has experienced this? I can tell you that what I experienced was not from the trigeminal nerve and was not due to low blood pressure. It has been almost 20 years since I tapered very very slowly from Effexor, in fact the zapping when I missed a dose by only a few hours was the very reason I decided to come off of it. Back then the Zapping was the most intense and would cause me to stop in my tracks. It felt as if a small bolt of lightning went off in my head. Over the years the zapping has lessened in intensity and frequency but even now it does still happen from time to time, especially if I am not feeling well, running a fever, or having a migraine. What you said about it being associated with side to side eye movement is very true, in my case it is when I move my eyes to the right. Now the zapping is much milder, more like a quick stuttery flicker of a mini zap. I have come to accept that this is probably as healed as my brain is going to get from having been on the Effexor and it is the very reason why I hesitate to take prescription medications, even for my chronic migraine condition. If you have ever read the human trials for Effexor you will find that there were patients in that study who were never able to come totally off of that medication, it is honestly very frightening and I cannot help but wonder what damage it may have done to me.
I have experienced similar with effexor and years later Cymbalta. She said the brain zaps aren't harmful, but also says they don't know, so how can they say?!
Same reason wanting to get off meds. Just being a few minutes late caused serious pain/ discomfort. I ran out and no one would refill for three days. I was in VERY serious condition.That was Effexor. Years later I was desperate and tried Cymbalta. (I put a comment here.)
I have always had them with fevers since childhood. I had no idea what they were as a kid. Now decades later I'm on medications but still get them with fevers.
Hello.. i do get brain zaps when i am super anxious and i feel its a symptom of anxiety.. Infact brain zap was the first symptom that freaked me out and then i went to a neuro physcian and have been diagonsed with GAD.. The most important thing is i have never been on any medication..
Same here! I had severe brain zaps and was never on medication. They are terrible and painful when out of control.
I’m currently experiencing this when I lay on my right side at night, very scary. I’m not on any medication. Have you had any recovery ?
Regarding the low blood pressure theory: In the course of the 254+ days (!) it has taken me to taper off lexapro, I’ve given blood 3 times or so. My blood pressure is always normal. I haven’t taken any Lexapro for seven days now, but with past attempts, zaps went on for months.
Zaps last less than one second; they’re often but not always triggered by movements like turning or bending. I think I have about 20 per day.
It’s a disgrace that drug manufacturers assume no responsibility for screening drugs for withdrawal problems, studying withdrawal problems, or establishing protocols for withdrawing from drugs. I’ve worked in IT for drug developers, and I know that the FDA has articulated zero regs for screening or studying candidate drugs for withdrawal problems.
Omg I wish I had only 20 a day I get one every minute or so. It's very dibilitating but I'm use to it now. No Dr has ever taken me seriously. I walk around as if I'm drunk I'm constantly dizzy 😢 xx
Had them when I stopped taking Cymbalta. They’re very real. Not painful, more annoying than anything because they come at you out of the blue. I lowered my Cymbalta over 90 days and then stopped. I took Effexor years ago and remember quitting but it didn’t cause brain zaps. Only felt them with Cymbalta which I was on for chronic pain. Stopped due to severe emotional blunting. It was debilitating.
I experienced the brain shocks with Cymbalta also, while I was taking it. It was horrible.
@Moonkiss66
Thankyou for explaining your experience because it is my experience as well and you wrote it to a tee.
Just as I'm falling asleep,bzzzzt😮 gosh it sure shocks the hell out of me. I've never been on antidepressants, I make sure I hyrdrate well. Blood pressure is fine.
I've had this every night and its right at the change of being relaxed to falling asleep. I've tried talking about it with others and only now do i feel like someone else actually knows exactly the same feeling 🎉. Thankyou ❤
I have had brain zaps all my life without being on any medication....or coming off of meds
I never talk about it because no one can possibly understand what I am talking about. My children and husband witness it when it happens it looks like a 2 second seizure.
I have trigeminal neuralgia.... it has only happened 4 times in my life....the worst pain I have ever felt.
My blood pressure is normal but then all of a sudden it will be 225 over 110.
Dr. Said it is panic attacks.
It is not!!! He put me on meds that made me gain 40 lbs and symptoms are worse.
I have terrible varicose veins....my eye pressure is high 30s and it is not glaucoma.
I am 64 and I can put my wrists on the floor because I am over flexible.
Please more info!!!
Right now I am what I believe is having problems with my vagus nerve and maybe a thoracic blockage.
Any extra information would be sooooo appreciated.
Thank you for all you do 🤗
Deana
I wouldnt say a brain zap is painful at all. However its interesting that you mention the scalp.... you know how it feels when you're hair is staticky....like someone has rubbed a balloon on a wool sweater and holds it above your hair? I feel like that directly after a brain zap. It goes away as quickly as it comes.
I'm not on any antidepressants or any mood stabilizers. I also dont take anything for my anxiety. I try handling my anxiety on my own....music helps alot for every day anxiousness. But for a full blown panic attack... music doesnt do anything. All I can do is take deep breaths or lay down until it passes.
And these Brain Zaps or I called them Brain Buzz....which sort of sounds like a drunk's side effect instead of a nervous woman. But the zaps....I guess are connected to anxiety too...from certain parts of the brain that are overstimulated and different chemicals being released??? Did I get that basically right??
Personally, I have not noticed my zaps to have any direct or obvious connection to when I've had last panic attack or when the next attack happens...or even felt the nervous anxious feeling right before or after either. Usually the zap happens to me if I am really tired and fighting sleep for whatever reason usually trying to watch tv or listen to music on the tv.... I will hear a "rushing ringing" (I'm sorry...I dont know how else to describe it. It's not a normal ring in the ears. It comes in 2 to 3 waves before the zap usually does. And it sounds like blood rushing quietly while your ears are ringing....and then my eyes feel funny. Kind of floaty (?) Or something...then ZAP. I do hear a sound...sounds and and feels exactly as if my brain put its finger into an outlet or touched a hot wire. Its random, scary, and over in a second. But that jolt....it wakes your ass up and scares the shit out of you. The first time it happened to me I was no joke googling signs of brain tumors and symptoms of a stroke...even going to the bathroom to check and make sure half my face wasnt droopy. Ok...directly...and I mean Right After the zap, theres a slowing sensation (but at the same time it's over as quick as it came...just a second or 2 at most) and that feels like my hair is staticky and also my face, usually my cheek bones and nose feel that same statically charged kind of sensation??? It's very off and offputting.
So that's my experience. For your research....or whatever. If you've got any questions feel free to ask.👍🏼
Thank you for what you're doing.😊
This is exactly how l feel and how l would describe it word for word. It is very scary, l feel it also hear it.Every doctor l tell says they never heard of this.They make it seem like l don't know what i know l feel.Very frustrating.t least l now know l am not alone.
I get it everytime I take buspar. Never noticed that when I moved my eyes it made it happen. Also it travels through my whole body, feels like it’s in my nervous system
I have this sensation but its more like when you yawn and the air gets in your ears and they pop sort of' its not electrical. I count in between these sensations and I count to 21 before the next one hits. Call me crazy but...since I have been doing this the sensation has lessened. Effexor is what I took. Funny now that i'm off of it I feel my emothions more which I kind of like...it's normal and the emotions are not extreme but just more often than it was when I was on the venalaxevine
I only get them when I get sick. Have a fever from a viral infection. I think that's a reason people get them too. Chemical imbalance, like you said
Thank you a lot for sharing your knowledge and validating this! Since english is not my first language i'll be easier try to explain in Portuguese. Hope this translate accurately. A sensação é elétrica e bastante desagradável. Acontece dezenas a centenas de vezes por dia e percebo estar muito associada com movimentos oculares, especialmente na mudança de foco (quando olho para um objeto mais distante que o anterior). Mas acontece também quando estou de olhos fechados. Dura uma fração de segundo e tem intervalos irregulares entre eles (posso ter vários episódios com intervalos de alguns segundos, minutos ou horas entre eles). Não sinto nenhuma dor, apenas essa sensação elétrica, as vezes associada com tontura ou perda de foco na visão. Tenho pressão naturalmente baixa, normalmente 9/6. Preciso levantar devagar para não ver estrelas, ter intervalos maiores de descanso quando faço exercícios intensos, mas nada que me debilite. Nunca fiz uso de antidepressivos, mas sou uma pessoa ansiosa e há anos já tive ataque de pânico.
I haven't experienced this sensation in almost a whole year. I only feel this sensation for about an hour or two when Buspirone kicks in. and I am only having 5mg doses. It is very frustrating and distracting. But after this phase passes, I feel really good for about 4 hours
Hi Dr Sullivan, can you explain why I get brain zaps when I am unwell, I have a virus at the moment and they have started up. Normally I do not get this and I do not take any medications. I was wondering if my serotonin levels go down when I m sick or is it my immune system? So far I don’t know anyone who gets this when they are unwell. I also had this after the COVID vaccine.
Hi Claire! I’m sorry to hear you suffer from these. I do as well and it started after I received the Covid vaccine as well. Have you found any resolution?
Also have after the covid vaccine
Going off Zoloft gives me brain shift
I get brain zaps if I miss my citalopram in the morning. They last 1 or 2 seconds and feels electrical with a whooshing sound. They happen when I move my head or bend down. They first started 20 years ago when I stopped taking effexor and wasn't told how to do it slowly.
I’m having them 4 or times a day
Hi, i am from Belgium and this has started since September 2021. I feel/hear a "rushing ringing" in the back of my head. If i don't pay attention it goes away but once it starts it can last for a while (20 min- half an hour). I don't take any medication or antidepressants or any kind of drugs. Personally, i think it has something to do with anxiety/fear sensation. I woke up one morning and felt this anxiety/worries/stress moment coming from my belly and then it started. Stress and worrying too much, specially now with the covid pandemic/omicron/lockdowns, may also be the culprit of this brain zapping.
I agree that this is only recently happening. I wonder if it’s the 5g and the star link nonsense launched up above us. I understand they are pointing downwards towards our heads. Smh. These really are wicked last days. I feel those zaps in my head, chest and sometimes elsewhere as they began roping that technology all around us in the cities.
I really connected with the description of symptoms she described. Except I’ve never been on anti-depressants. I changed during the time I experienced the brain zaps was my birth control. Certainly a change of chemicals in my brain. I thought it was important to share because it was pretty scary. Thank you for this video. Under validated… under understood: right on! Exactly my experience. Mine lasted for about 4 months until by gynecologist changed my birth control. That was just by change though don’t think she truly understood what I was going through. Eventually I went to a neurologist and they treated me for migraines…
same! mine wasn't from antidepressants mine was from adderall (ADHD medication). its so annoying that ppl automatically write brain zaps off if you're not on antidepressants
Jesus! That was dangerous. Combined oral contraceptives are contraindicated with having migraine with aura because estrogen can trigger migraines (and having aura really mess with your sensory intake in some people to the point where it could interfere with daily activities). I guess you felt better because your gynecologist switch you to progestin only pills instead. I speculate this as I’m studying something healthcare related and have chronic severe migraines myself. I wish you the best and take care ❤
I was put on Buspar about 6 weeks ago after a heart condition made me start having severe panic attacks whenever I was symptomatic. Just last week I started getting these electric/burnt tinfoil/gross sensations in my head, it's truly awful and I've had to stop taking it. It's not helping my problem at all anyway because it doesn't do anything to settle down severe panic attacks when they're happening. I'm not allowed to have SSRI's because of my heart condition so I just don't know what to do.
I have had Migraines for about three years now and have tried several drugs including Botox! I switched to a different neurologist because I felt my previous one was giving up on me. I have been in Topomax now for 7 weeks and it has been miserable, mood swings, fatigue, lack of motivation, depression, it causes my blood pressure to drop which is another side effect because I'm already on a blood pressure medication as it is, etc! They started me on 50 MG and gradually bumped me up to 200 MG and the side effects were hard to take...I have been diagnosed with cluster headaches and I have CT Scan of my brain, MRI and MRA and everything came back normal as can be. The New Neurologist took me off Emgality to see how Topomax would work and now I just took my first shot which is 120 MG once a month...I feel like I'm have head rushes or brain zaps, is this a result of the Topomax or possibly the migraines? I feel like it is the Topomax that is doing this. I have experience this before but it has been worse since I have been on Topomax and coming off as well..Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I have brain zaps but I don’t take any medication at all.
The zaps only last like 1/2 a second but when they’re constant it’s really annoying, the eye movement side to side definitely triggers the zaps.. until I saw this video I couldn’t explain to my Dr and my psychiatrist what this feeling is like.. this video really helps to have a better understanding.. I still need help to figure out how to stop it
About one hour sometimes up to four hours, it's not overwhelming or it does not stop you from doing.anyth8ng but it's real
I am having these when I sleep but I don’t take anti depressants. It’s causing insomnia.
Great job! I'm experiencing brain zaps now as I come off gabapentin and escitalopram. They have been presenting for about a week now, and began 3 days after I stopped the medications. I wanted to titrate off the meds but I've had a VERY difficult time getting in contact with my doctor here in Canada, and so I made the decision to drop the meds cold turkey (I DO NOT RECOMMEND!! This is what my Jamaican family calls a 'heediat ting') Before I knew there was a term, I characterized the brain zaps as having weak, annoying electrical shocks in my head. Not just in my brain. Sometimes it feels localized to my brain, but other times it feels like it is firing throughout my head, behind my ears, in my temples, behind my eyes, and then a general zap that is in my brain. Sometimes I feel it as low as in my chest, but always accompanied by it originating within my head, so it travels a bit. Sometimes a single jolt; other times a rapid fire of several. Most I think I've tried to count was about 6. Always less than one second per jolt, and usually comes and goes in a split second. Once in a while it will start very weak and suddenly come on strong like a crashing wave against a rock. So, mostly very momentary but always with no pain, but a very jarring sensation, and I don't hear a sound but I get a tightening in my eustachian tubes which can come off as a change in the sound of my surroundings, so perhaps that could be mistaken for someone possibly believing they are hearing something. But I've also had momentary high-pitched tinnitus either before or after a jolt, so perhaps that's what others are referring to... I feel it when I move my eyes rapidly in any direction. Also, sometimes just from walking, or hearing a sharp sound I wasn't expecting but not being frightened by the sound. Sometimes it comes on just by taking a deep breath. I was hearing my mother in law using a stone mortar and pestle and each rhythmic turn of the stone was accompanied by a jolt. I've felt it while chewing food, swallowing water, blinking, clenching my teeth (bad habit that this condition is helping me kick), cracking my knuckles (another one I find I'm doing less now...)
I have also had, prior to taking the medications, a concussion in my youth (many years ago when I was 11), and more recently, 'self-diagnosed' Paresthesia which presents in 2 main ways: either a full-body vibrating sensation as I get relaxed in bed, usually only when I lie on my back and my pillow presses in the place at the base of my skull where I suffered the trauma that caused my concussion as a child; or itchy bouts in multiple locations at once that move to new locations when I've satisfied the initial itches, which can occur anytime. HIGHLY aggravating condition when it hits, 😆
Just wanted to add my experiences just in case there's anyone else who is experiencing what I'm going through and finds their way to your channel!
I have also experienced these zaps during my alcohol abuse years. Towards the later part of my abuse I remember having these zaps. The only thing that helped these sensations go away was to drink more alcohol. It was amazing how they just disappeared after a few drinks. Of course this just added to my problem and led to more and more drinking. It hasnt been until recently that ive come to the idea that it was my brain going through withdrawals, similar to coming off antidepressants that caused these zaps. The reason i connect the two is because while I was coming off alcohol not only did I have those zaps but my anxiety and depression increased. At that point I started taking citalopram and noticed not only did my anxiety and depression begin to subside, my brain zaps did as well until they were gone completely. Fast forward to present day and those same brain zaps have returned once I came off completely. Nowhere did I find that alcohol withdrawals could include brain zaps but I dont know what other explanation there could be.
I recently quit drinking and have been having these weird sensations last for only a few seconds thought I was a seizure something did I feel the same it’s a very odd feeling
Is temporary or permanent.Please reply me.
It’s goes away or dampens in time it’s manageable what are your symptoms?
@@mastermindgamoo7250 Mine have gone away completely
@@jakeryan4468 I have like.l don't feel any thing these all is unreal.And I am brain is stuck and I don't feel love I am so sad 😭.
I had these brain zaps before taking citalopram or any medication. I'm going cold turkey with Citalopram right now. Been on them nearly 20 years and I've had enough.
I'm on luvox have noticed that when I walk and turn my head I get the jolt feelings. Is this brain zaps?
Years ago I had the zaps after tapering off Celexa. They lasted for many months. Just a couple of weeks ago I started getting them when tapering off of Tramadol. I was taking Tramadol for over two months after a knee replacement. I’m pretty sure I tapered off too fast. I’ve had zaps for about three weeks now after my last dose of Tramadol. I read others having zaps also after tapering off Tramadol. I get them when I wake up in the morning and sometimes in the middle of the day. I hear a kind of sound in me head like “pshooo pshooo pshooo. Irritating.
Having experienced brain zaps several years ago while (briefly) on low dose Cymbalta and when I stopped taking it, and having had trigeminal neuralgia pain last year, those two were ENTIRELY different for me.
Brain zaps to me felt like a sudden tiny shower of electrical jolts in my brain and throughout my entire body down to my feet. Gradually over a few days of drug withdrawal they were mostly brain only and not all the way down my body.
I experienced brain zaps while on starting dose of Cymbalta if I missed a dose by more than an hour. It did help with the “joint” pain of (newly diagnosed at that time) “fibromyalgia” but when I began to have that side effect I contacted my NP and stopped taking the drug. The brain zaps off the med were with every step that I took or any time that I turned my head somewhat quickly towards (as one would when someone spoke to you or you heard a noise, or while driving, or something caught your peripheral vision) so that was frequently. This lasted for several days and then stopped suddenly and I’ve never experienced brain zaps again. Trigeminal neuralgia pain is the worst possible pain I could imagine. Fortunately I only experienced that twice over a two day period.
I’ve been having brain zaps for about 2yrs now. What as help is taking cod liver oil dally and having the attitude of if it happens it happens. I would suggest ruling out as many things as possible, heart disease or attacks, injuries etc...first, this will help ease your mind.
Hello. I have had brain zaps for well over a decade. For me, they started in high school long before I ever went on an anti-depressant. For me, Brain Zaps or Head Shivers, as I call them, are more often than not a premonitory urge for my Tourettes. They tend to trigger bigger, louder, and more extreme tics. They feel horrible and can be debilitating!! Mine feel yes electrical but more like a normal shiver on steriods but going through my head like a tidal wave. Sometimes, they move quickly, and these ones tend to trigger tics. Other times they creep through my head causing me to completely shut down, go mute, my eyes flutter back and sometime I collapse (remaining concious) it causes every muscle in my body seemingly to go limp. If I try to get up and or move on too quickly the BZ will return. I often have to spend a couple minutes with my eyes closed in a comfortable position before I can continue with my day. Of which even then after the more extreme zaps, specifically the slow moving ones I am exhausted afterwards. It can take quite a while to feel recovered.
Hope that helps!
currently experiencing after stopping adderall cold turkey (i was prescribed it and i have ADD) about a month ago... i know most ppl will say you cant get them from stopping adderall but you can just in case anyone else is experiencing the same. it just feels like being seasick or there's an electric current in the back of my head. very strange feeling indeed.. hoping it goes away soon
Interesting hypothesis to link brain zaps and POT. I've been on duloxetine for over 2 years for anxiety and am doing great after a lifetime battling depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. I tried twice to get off duloxetine slowly, over 3-4 weeks, knowing that the drug's half-life is quite short (~24 hrs). I still did experience brain zaps, a few times a day, when shifting my eyesight from side to side, as you describe. It felt like a very brief electric wave zooming through my brain, totally painless, with a zinging sound. I was scared at first and found nothing in the scientific literature about it. Then I got used to it and it disappeared within 2 weeks. I also do have POT and it feels a bit similar, though POT is more like a sudden vertigo with the sensation of being about to faint and seeing stars. It also lasts longer than a brain zap.
I had COVID in April and since then I've experienced the zaps. I haven't seen anybody else in the same situation and it's making me worried. The zaps come randomly and they're always at the back of my head. They last for a sec or two but they make me like wince and I have a feeling like I'm going to faint for a sec. Then it goes back to normal and usually days or sometimes even weeks pass normally until i get another one. So frustrating..
Exact same thing for me. I've been having it since 2022 a bit after getting covid.
I'm about to completely eliminate caffeine to see if it helps. Also, I will be minimizing as much as possible being on my phone or computer. I think I have been feeling them less when I stopped caffeine for a bit and was too busy to play on my phone or laptop.
Your comment was from 9 months ago, have you had any relief? Because your symptoms sounds exactly like mine.
They went completely away for a few months and then randomly came back again but they're not as frequent as they were before. I can go for weeks now without having one . Cutting off the caffeine is a good idea cause I've noticed that usually the zaps come when I'm feeling anxious or on stressful moments and obviously caffeine is increasing the anxiety. Also I got a brain MRI and EEG done and both of them came back normal so it gave me reassurance that there's nothing serious going on with me. I hope some day the zaps will go away completely but right now they don't bother me too much so I can still live a normal life. I'm sure it will get better for you too. 😊
I am dealing with them for a while now but these zaps come in rarely, luckily. They last about 1 second - they don't hurt - but they do feel like an electric shock through my head and rarely I hear that static sound.
There is no issue with my physical me - BUT I am dealing with Anxiety for years and probably some depressions. I developed hardcore physical symptoms like heart pulpatations, immense dizzyness and other fun stress-symptoms. That is when the zaps appeared first. And it didn't make my experience better - I was scared AF when I experienced it the first time. Doctors have no idea what is going on and after hours of googling I found results - but only in english. Seems like germans are not dealing with that issue or know right away what it is - according to google. Lucky I found the term brain zap - cause most explanations are on point and it really calms me down to know that my brain will not suddenly explode. (also they vary in strength - some feel like a tingle, others like a damn solid lighting)
I might not take any medicine - but thank you for explaining those things in such detail. I also think the approach is right - gotta deal with them and have in mind that they don't harm you. For me it seems - the less I am anxious about having another zap, the less they come in actually.
Hey there, I’m here researching brain zaps after I forgot my meds on a week trip to Germany. I’m continuing with cold turkey and trusting the symptoms will ease off. I have done a lot of therapy since I started meds so hoping I can handle anxiety better these days
@@susiesampson47 All the best to you! :) I think once you know the feeling it will get easier to stress less about it and hopefully therapy helps you to continue kicking anxiety's butt! :)
What is it when you get these, but you don't and have never taken mediation? I don't take antidepressants, I've never been diagnosed and displayed symptoms of things like clinical depression, but I was lying in bed, trying to sleep and it felt like this sudden pulse would go off in my head. I could even feel and hear it in my ears.
I also have this when lying in bed or shaking my head :(
I get them and wake up gasping for air and panic breathing. I think I stopped breathing and my heart beats really fast.
Some call it from sleep apnea which I have.
Many years ago I was on Effexor and went to Paxil and then to Zoloft and weaned off Zoloft
I got Diabetes from it all
Central sleep apnea
I stop breathing even when I’m awake.
Your right about validation from doctors to the point I don’t have any doctors in go to because I don’t have any faith in them to understand or even think I am nuts. They are useless for any help at all
I have them more when i listen to frequency sound therapys .
Thank you. I experienced this for the past 2 years . No History of any medication, no pain associated. But the description match. It’s it still brain Zaps ? What do you recommended
Had them my entire life. About twice a year. I'm 59
I have been getting sharp pains that come on out of nowhere on the right hand of the back of may head. They stop me in my tracks, sometimes go away immediately and sometimes lingers on a pain in that specific area. Has anyone experienced any thing like this? I seen a neurologist and prescribed gabapentin, which I did not get filled, and ordered an MRI. I have not had the MRI get. I am taking lamictal, cymbalta and buspar.
Now I have been on amitriptyline and gabapentin and buprenorphine for years and it is because I can't deal with the WD coming off. I also had 8 ect sessions. My tongue sometimes hurts and spasms in my sleep and I bite it. Idk why
Thank you very much,, I'm a dentist and i suffered this after stopping anti depressants ,, i kept suffering trying to find someone who can understand this and it's triggered by right left eye movement with me plus if I'm making a decision like let's open the door so in the moment my brain sends the command, this electric very short time shock comes to tell me hello I'm here, open the door open but don't forget about me
Also when i stop or decrease smoking i get them but considering nicotine the best short acting anti depressant i think it's understood why and I'm not calling here for any body to use nicotine as anti depressant because my friend I'm here mentioning suffering not happiness,,, go smoke but add those annoying zaps to the other long list of diseases caused by smoking
I've only just come across your video. I've had brain zaps for 20 years, I suffer every day with them sometimes constantly. It's like a rush of fuzziness through my body like a wave. It makes my fingers and lips go pins and needles for around 2 secs. It heightens my hearing for a split sec and my eyes roll before it finally hits my brain. It makes me feel like I'm walking on water I go dizzy. The only time these zaps stopped was when I was treated for bad sciatica. I was put on duloxetine for a year. I had not 1 brain zap it was lovely. Soon as I stopped they started again. This suggests to me that brain zaps are nerves seeing as they stopped when I was treated for nerve pain. The zaps feel as if it's following nerve paths the way it zaps to fingers and lips. I can literally feel the zaps in the nerve branches. It's not painful at all just fuzzy. What I do find very interesting is the length of time I've suffered and I've also just been diagnosed with eds. I've been back and forth to my gp about these zaps and no connection has been made with pots. But it doesn't surprise me as British Dr's don't care over here. It took over 20yrs to get a diagnosis of eds. I hope this helps any caring Dr out there with any research. If you want to know more I don't mind being contacted.
I want to listen / watch but the sound is always so terrible in your videos. I just can’t. Please - people with brain disorders often need captions but this isn’t available. I suspect there is a video on how to set up a decent recording room and mic along with captions.
I stopped taking escitalopran gradually but unfortunately got brain zap since then... It has been a month already and the zaps persist 😢😢.. It is like a shock behind my eyes when I move them..Almost like a mini-orgasm but annoying since it happens when you are doing trivial things
Driving is what triggers it for me. So brand zaps may not be life threatening but if you get them while driving mixed with vertigo that’s when it gets dangerous 😢
I’m experiencing this now. I take Paxil 20mg I start to experience them before my next dose I trying to figure out if need a new medication or up my dose. I go to my doctor in a few weeks. It take a few hours before the brain zaps taper off but before my next dose they are right back. It’s when I move my eyes or lock my eyes on something and it moves if I fallow it with my eyes I get the jolts as if I’m not eye locked on the subject I’m looking it. If I talk it also causes the sensation and yes I can actually hear the sound as it’s almost like a loud pitch inside my head. It’s not for the faint of heart because it’s very distracting and disrupting to everyday life.
yeah...10 years and then cold turky....trying allergy meds now...seems to help
Please is possible to stop that noise it’s difficult to hear and disturbing
I just experienced this for the first time also. Just recovered from COVID and I know I'm really stressed. Was just sitting at my computer and felt a rush of tingles down my arm and then a sharp "shock" feeling along my scalp. It was crazy, but didn't have any other stroke symptoms so I feel like it had to be a "brain zap". Have they gotten better for any of you?
I don’t know about antidepressants but I’m in a benzo fb group and many people get brain zaps getting off their benzo. They have all those things you are talking about.
I really really want to watch this but the wind noise in the microphone is too uncomfortable. 😔
Good stuff doc. Now find some solutions.
I had brain zaps coming off pain meds cold Turkey
@@nanupanu3309 i have extreme brain zaps, discontinued taking nicotine lozenges after using for 1year. The symptoms are horrendous. Should have tapered off suffering the consequences now...
i found the slow stop caused me to shake and gave me anxiety.... but cold turky gave me the zaps only
I tapered my antidepresions by Dr. but know I get brain zaps I can't move my eyes and head 😢 how many days it's take to go away
i usually get it when i fall asleep, and it happens when im about to fall asleep, it wakes me up, and i hear ringing and static, see lights, and it only lasts about a second or so. i don't take any medications, why does it happen?
Wireless radiation causes significant neurological issues. Tons of research on that. Mainly postural issues through cell phone use all day long that is contributing. I'm sure the radiation is NOT your friend in all this either.
Please never start your video with a weird loud scream omg! I have headphones in and already feel anxious because of a brain zap 😣😡
(Reply to someone in the comments, thought I'd repost the comment):
Interestingly enough, tramadol and venlafaxamine (effexor), share both serotonergic and noradrenergic properties. They are chemically very similar, one just has an effect on the mu-opioid receptors as well. That's why withdrawal from ultram can feel very similar to antidepressant withdrawal, and ultram has the added negativity of opioid withdrawal. Nasty drug, I used to be on it. Effective for pain, but shitty to come off of. I'm currently on Duloxetine (120mg/day) and gabapentin (2,400mg/day) (as well as mirtazapine, quetiapine, buspirone and tizanidine), and I've still experienced brain zaps if I forget to take either medication, more so the Duloxetine. It's like a jolt that goes all the way through my body, but my head through my fingertips the most. It's suddenly dizzying and disorienting. It usually wears off in about 3 to 5 seconds. I think she's right about it being related to Gamma Aminobutyric Acid, as drugs that affect GABA-A (like benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and alcohol) and GABA-B (like gabapentin, pregabalin, GHB, and phenibut) cause people the zaps / seizures when they come off of them suddenly. It also seems to happen when I'm very sleep-deprived and starting to fall asleep on my feet, the zaps are almost like that sudden falling sensation when you're trying to fall asleep that jolts you awake (for me at least). Anyway good luck to you, we just need to remember to take her medication on time.
*cue "MEDICATION TIME, MEDICATION TIME" from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* 🤣
In 2024 and my doctors have no idea about this side effect that happens even if you forget to take the medication 🤯
Mine feel like Woosh Woosh!
Thank you for this video. I have had anxiety since a child without knowing. Mine started at 26 and have been consistent since. I am now 35. I have never been on anxiety meds or anti depressants. They started along with my migraines for the first time. Brain zaps would start and then I would get a migraine. Now that my migraines are controlled and I only take meds as needed since 4 yrs ago. I still have been getting zaps for the past 8 years. this past summer 2020 for the first time my brain zap lasted for 10 seconds straight. Very nervous when this happened. I have been worried because I not only feel like my memory has been more of an issue and depression has seemed to worsen. Also the medical industry causes me much stress. I am having some of the issues you discussed in relation to the nervous system
Do you experience them everyday ?
@@bridarby2299 yes, but has been some changes....just within the past few months I have a few days where there are none for the first time but... still a every other or couple of days.” I feel them....
@@dorianm6502 wow how do you cope ?
@@bridarby2299 🤷🏾♀️ just keep on going about my day... no other choice. I will say when you are busy it’s distracting ...
@@dorianm6502 heyy I'll experience brain zaps like when im feeling stressed im worried and sacred
I had my first brain zap a couple days ago. I started a detox diet hoping this helps.
Also curious, how many of these individuals might have dislexia? As I do
I have got them for a few years and always sets off my health anxiety. I have neck problems because of desk job, poor posture etc, could it be related? Sometimes I get them on left, sometimes right which makes me think it isn't an aneurysm or something like that which when it happens I'm sure I'm going to die. So sick of it
I get them too and I m not taking any medications. I get them when I am unwell, for example during a cold sore outbreak or after a vaccination. I queried I reduced serotonin levels or an immune system attack on the brain.
Thanks for turning off your fan it was hurting my ears.
Ive been having brain zaps for years. Not a regular thing but every now and again. They last seconds and are always at the top back left of my head. They are very painful and cause me to grab my head in agony. I am on antidepressants but haven't been coming off of them. The zaps were happening before I was on antidepressants too.
I used to refer to them as stabbing pain. Can make the area of my head feel fizzy 'pins and needles' for a short time. Very scary and worrying. They seemed to happen predominantly when I was very tired. But not always.
You can add Zoloft to that list.
Also, confrontation causes it to happen for me.
Can these brain zaps be more of a sensation and not painful? Can the feeling travel into other areas from your brain. Such as, starting in your brain and then a wave or a sensation move into your hands?
yes
The best way to describe it is move your glasses slightly up for a split second. Its like a warp and youre about to fall for a split second. I can feel my legs give out for a split second
@@gb5634 right when I’m about to drift into a nice sleep i get zapped my current situation
I get zaps in my leg. If I bend the leg, it quits. It happens in bed but I'm not on those meds.
I had a seizure had them ever since
Omega 3 for brain zaps
I was afraid I was having mini strokes. Could lack of sleep cause them?
I notice when I experience my zaps, I am very tired, fighting sleep even. I dont sleep but a couple hours each night. Until I crash. Sleep 8-11 hours I guess to catch up on some of the sleep I missed?? Either way.... I also suffer from anxiety. Not taking any antidepressants or mood stabilizers. No prescription nerve medications, no pain meds either... no, and I mean zero illegal drugs, not even smoke the doja....but I do smoke cigarettes, roughly half a pack to a whole pack per day... Just to clarify. 😊 in case there are any commonalities.
WOW, not on any kind of meds but have experienced these my whole Life!!
Same. I retired a little over a year ago and am rarely having them. Stress in my life plummeted after retirement. So, for me anyway, it had to be stress related. (And, I really thought I handled stress quite well….probably internalized it.)
I’ve had this experience when trying to taper dose of Pregabalin/Lyrica. It is another drug that requires a very long taper time.
I take my meds daily, never missed a dose, I zap daily, from 2-100 a day.
Wow what medication you’re on ?
@@bridarby2299 WellButerin 300, blood pressure medicine🤷🏽♀️
I'm on simbalta and get brain zaps daily 😢
Happen when attempting to go to sleep
Lasts a split second
Like electric discharge or Adrenaline shot
Brain also feels like it’s vibrating like it’s building up energy
Happened to me same thing.
Happened to me also..how to cure this? Pls. Help me.