Brain Zaps after tapering off anti-depression medication

Posted by dablues @dablues, Jul 27, 2020

Years ago I went off a depression med can''t remember name suddenly and got sick with Brain "Zaps" and other symptoms. Brain Zaps never went away. I also was on clonazapam but stayed on it and still had brain zaps. Weaned myself off of Clonazapam but now had to go back on it. I periodically get brain zaps when I first wake up in the morning then they go right away. They are infrequent but today I have had them all day long and get a bit dizzy. Any ideas as to why I still get them and why today I had it all day and am still having them.

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@amandaa

Hi @dablues, I am sorry that you are dealing with such discomfort. I know that @jh31251, @texasduchess, @sheffieldsmith, @rwinney, and @cp6401 have experienced tapering off of anti-depressants/anxiety medication.

One of the Connect members in the past mentioned weaning off of her medication (Effexor) for depression and suggested the following tips which I think might be helpful during your search for an answer.
1) You may need to ask your doctor for a slower tapering program than other patients. Some people are just more sensitive to dosage changes. Be aware that symptoms will get better, then may reappear each time you taper. AAFMA (practice group of family physicians) says that the symptoms typically last 1-2 weeks and as long as 4 weeks, so I just kept reminding myself that it was temporary.
2) Be watchful for things that make your symptoms worse. For example, caffeine seems to trigger the brain zaps for me (still, even after being off for several weeks), so I cut back my caffeine intake. I didn’t give it up completely (because I still need to function), but cut back on how much real coffee I was drinking, mixed decaf with regular, and switched to tea sometimes. In the end, I probably cut my daily caffeine intake in half, and it did help quite a lot.
3) Ibuprofen or other pain reliever can help with the flu-like body aches.
4) Benadryl helped with the brain zaps.
5) Exercise helped with both. Even if I wasn’t up to a run, a few blocks of walking would settle down the symptoms for a while at least. (Then, when they come back, just take another walk. We took a lot of walks for a while there).
6) Get enough sleep. As I came down off the meds, my normal sleeping patterns returned, which was great, but it did mean that I needed to plan time to let my body rest.
7) Pay attention to your diet. Your brain uses carbs to make seratonin, so now is not the time to go on the Atkins diet. Eat well and make sure you’re getting enough healthy carbs. You may crave sweets; I certainly did. I tried to counteract this by having bananas, graham crackers, and other healthy things I could snack on instead of sticking my head in a birthday cake like I seemed to want.

There are a lot of people that experience "brain zaps" when tapering of anti-depressants at a rapid rate. How long ago did you wean yourself off of the clonazapam and how long was the intermission before starting it back up?

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@dablues
I realize some people are able to stop medications much quicker than than others. But unless you’re one of those people I wouldn’t count on withdrawals being over in four weeks if you’re even having withdrawals. The majority of the time withdrawals are avoidable.
Wishing you the very best of luck,
Jake

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I titrated from 4 Clonazepam 0.5MG daily to 3 tablets per day to 2 tablets per day then 1 tablet (2 halves) Per day. Now: half per day
Please consult with your doctor for your schedule. You may need a different schedule depending on length of time you took Clonazapam , your age, your medical issues.
Please read the prescription information (side effects, precautions) that comes with this drug. I did not!

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@hopeful33250

Hi @dablues,
I noticed your posts about changes in meds. How is the Cymbalta working for you?

You also mentioned that you stopped the meds you were taking for testing. Did you get any good information from the allergy testing?

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Cymbalta is working except I gained 14 lbs. I was underweight but now am uncomfortable as the weight goes directly to my stomach first. Since the YMCA reopened I went back to exerciing and hope to see if I lose weight. I am not a big eater so always was on the slim side

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Thankful just to read brain zaps are a thing.

Took myself off all medications 6 years ago. Anti-depressants were last to go. Kept trying to explain to my family these electrical surges happening in my brain. Went on for quite some time.

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I don't know about "brain zaps" but I do know from many years of depression and many different meds that I learned that you never start, stop or even wean without working with your doctor because the side effects can be even worse than the side effects of the meds. So please contact your doctor and get back on track with him/her.

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@dablues

Cymbalta is working except I gained 14 lbs. I was underweight but now am uncomfortable as the weight goes directly to my stomach first. Since the YMCA reopened I went back to exerciing and hope to see if I lose weight. I am not a big eater so always was on the slim side

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@dabllues Going back to the Y is great just be safe you don't need to get the virus on top of what you have take care we care

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Hi @paris48, Thanks for joining in the conversation. According to Healthline, Brain shakes are sensations that people sometimes feel when they stop taking certain medications, especially antidepressants. You might also hear them referred to as “brain zaps,” “brain shocks,” “brain flips,” or “brain shivers. Are you experiencing anything like this?

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@amandaa

Hi @paris48, Thanks for joining in the conversation. According to Healthline, Brain shakes are sensations that people sometimes feel when they stop taking certain medications, especially antidepressants. You might also hear them referred to as “brain zaps,” “brain shocks,” “brain flips,” or “brain shivers. Are you experiencing anything like this?

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I’m not sure, what does the sensation feel like?

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You would know it if you felt it. It’s hard to explain but I’d say it’s like being electrocuted. If you experienced them and someone said “brain zap” you’d be like.. “yes, that’s it.”

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