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Mental Health Brain Zaps

Pinkbeam

Pinkbeam

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 7, 2020
Messages
296
So, my husband is a meth user and hes currently taking Cymbalta and Abilify for a good while now.

Recently he has started getting brain zaps that are usually triggered by noise. The zap goes off in his chest, too.
He also had his first panic attack the other day and it scared the crap out of him.

He is convinced the meds are causing it and he wants to get off of them.

All the research I've done, I've gathered these are symptoms when you stop taking your meds, which he hasn't stopped. Nothing has changed except for doing meth a little more frequently.

Could the mixture of meds and dope cause this? Does anyone know anything about this particular topic?

Much thanks in advance.
 
I only got them when quitting; but I'm sure fiddling w/ the serotonin + various neurotransmitters in the brain can cause all manner of side effects

Less meth the better probably
 
supersonic89 said:
Very rare. I also get them when I have stopped tramadol or any SSRI antidpressant. So, between us, I kinda loved the braizaps :ROFLMAO:
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Sweet little baby tingle up the spine; makes you feel alive; certainly better than dopesickness or being electrocuted

But if you taper an ssri right it should be easy; minimal discomfort or brain zaps
 
Some years ago, i got talked into taking an SSRI. I had no other medication/drug situation going at the time and the dose of the antidepressant was not even high. Pretty soon i got pretty severe sideeffects; one of them were these "brain-zaps" or "electric feeling brain shocks" that happend with no apparent trigger (often multiple times a minute!), hell i didn't even have a name for this back then. Point is, i had them while ON this drug, and there was no random wild-west dosage going on, this shit was prescribed by a freakin' MD, who by the way just didn't care what was happening at all as it turned out. I don't want to discourage people from trying this substance group out, it 'works' for some, but this stuff ain't no candy, that's for sure! 🤯
 
Yeah they can happen mildly when you're on them

I've tried just about all of them and worst side effects + most function are paxil and effexor

Shorter half life = harder withdrawal

Lexapro is like a sugar pill

Shits and stomach discomfort when you first start taking any ssri = possibly likely but for me that was it

I did a proper taper everytime and been easiest withdrawal of any drug class

Taper right and brain zap + side effects are generally minimal

Doctors give them out like candy because of this

People take them forever

They work well enough for mild depression w/ minimal side effects but for me they cause mania

verdict

brain zaps overrated FOR MOST
 
Starting Effexor gave me daily brain zaps for a week straight. Weeks later, I got used to it and never had brain zaps again. I get them if I miss a day’s dose. I wonder what I will feel if I stop suddenly; I’m guessing brain zaps
 
Opi_Kid_Rock said:
Starting Effexor gave me daily brain zaps for a week straight. Weeks later, I got used to it and never had brain zaps again. I get them if I miss a day’s dose. I wonder what I will feel if I stop suddenly; I’m guessing brain zaps
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That's Weird. Brian zaps are always a symptom of withdrawal not a side effect when you have started taking the med.
What dose are you taking @Opi_Kid_Rock ??
 
11 days off meth, zaps stopped at day 8. These were rough though, lose balance mid step. And actually heard them over conversation or music. It was crazy. Better today. Just a little reverb when I sit still.
 
I had major problems with brain zaps when I was on Effexor. I was taking 200mg/day. It was terribly unpleasant and I have since discontinued Effexor and switched to Trintellix. I haven’t experienced any brain zaps or other unpleasant side effects with Trintellix that are often associated with other SSRIs.
 
brain zaps are always related to serotonin and dopamine (depending on the actual meds - snri's etc will hit both)

having taken just about every A/D on the market on n off for 20 yrs i have experienced them many times, and 90 % of the time it has been when tapering off and/or changing meds ,
however if i miss a dose - dependant on the half life - the zaps will very quickly appear !

does he ever forget his dose and miss a day or so ?

if hes taking his correct dose daily then id point towards the meth, obviously using meth and taking A/D's is really a bit stupid and pointless, a/d's dont work very well at all alongside recreational drugs (or alcohol)

is the prescribing Dr aware of the meth use?

but the meth is either depleting his serotonin and/or dopamine resulting in a brain chemistry balance much like tapering off meds would or it could be the opposite and its too much serotonin/dopamine due to the action of the meth - much like serotonin syndrome .

ideally he needs to cut out the meth, especially if he wasnts the meds to actually work,
alternatively, he may need a much larger dose if hes going to continue using !

i would consider switching to mirtazipine or trazodone , id hedge a bet the zaps would go then
 
ZosoUK said:
brain zaps are always related to serotonin and dopamine (depending on the actual meds - snri's etc will hit both)

having taken just about every A/D on the market on n off for 20 yrs i have experienced them many times, and 90 % of the time it has been when tapering off and/or changing meds ,
however if i miss a dose - dependant on the half life - the zaps will very quickly appear !

does he ever forget his dose and miss a day or so ?

if hes taking his correct dose daily then id point towards the meth, obviously using meth and taking A/D's is really a bit stupid and pointless, a/d's dont work very well at all alongside recreational drugs (or alcohol)

is the prescribing Dr aware of the meth use?

but the meth is either depleting his serotonin and/or dopamine resulting in a brain chemistry balance much like tapering off meds would or it could be the opposite and its too much serotonin/dopamine due to the action of the meth - much like serotonin syndrome .

ideally he needs to cut out the meth, especially if he wasnts the meds to actually work,
alternatively, he may need a much larger dose if hes going to continue using !

i would consider switching to mirtazipine or trazodone , id hedge a bet the zaps would go then
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Hey thanks for the reply.
Hes really good about taking his meds correctly.
I was kinda figuring it was the meth causing this.

No, the dr doesnt know about our current use. They think we are sober now bc we were on a 15 month sober streak, we just screwed up and relapsed for 2 months now.

The Abilify is pretty new to him, hes only been on it a couple months. The cymbalta hes been on at least a year, a little longer

He told the dr the other day about the brain zaps so they told him to stop the Abilify. She said his brain is too sensitive to it. But of course, he didnt tell her he was using again.

I read you multiply the half life by 2 and that's how long it takes to get out of your system. So I came up with about 200 hours which is around 8 days. Hes been off of it about a week now but is still getting them, so we shall see if they stop in a couple days. If not, then its 100% the meth and cymbalta.
 
I won’t open a new thread so I went for a first with a “brain zaps” in the name.

So are we even close to figuring out what brain zaps are in fact or should I just go with idea it’s a brains way of saying – I’m trying to reset?
 
Oh man, I get those when I'm coming off of anything from SSRIs to opioids. Every time that I move my eyes, everything sways and I get a simultaneous humming in my head. Anyone whose had them will know exactly what I mean!
 
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