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Brain zaps theories/cure?

Last year at NCMF I rolled four days in a row and then rolled friday and saturday 2 weeks later. I have never experienced brain zaps from MDMA but I have from severe benzodiazepine withdrawal which seems strange since all these people talk about MDMA doing that.
 
I haven't taken MDMA in years nor have I ever got brain zaps from it, but I have got severe brain zaps from SSRI withdrawal (especially venlafaxine and escitalopram). There are a few things that eases brain zaps; lots of vitamin C (just don't overdo it, your kidney doesn't like it), omega-3 (you can take as much omega-3 as you want if there are no added vitamins) and most importantly magnesium and malic acid. You can buy magnesium malate which is a combination of magnesium and malic acid. I do have to take more than the recommended dosage, which upsets my stomach (especially the magnesium), but they do help. The brain zaps don't completely disappear but they aren't as strong and frequent. Another good source for malic acid is unripe fruit, especially apples. Eat lot's of them.
 
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I've had them a few times especially badly after a weekend in Ibiza. I was pretty worried about them because they were so strong they made me drop a cup of tea I was holding. 5HTP tablets really helped but they took a week or so to go completely. They are a sign you've overdone it that.
 
I got them after i went off Celexa cold turkey. Worst 2 weeks of my life. Every time I looked left or right, or turned my head left or right, I would get a zap, sometimes strong enough that I would jump a bit. I looked like a fucking tweaker at work.
 
5-HTP is good, I noticed piracetam hasn't been mentioned but some people have experienced a restoration of magic, and other cognitive benefits from Piracetam. I'm not sure how good it is at relieving brain zaps but it'd be worth a try I think, at least for those who get brain zaps.
 
i had these brain zaps while i abused mdma i was stupid rolling 2-3 days in a week for a couple of months when i stopped rolling i went literaly through hell i remember even falling once lucky ddnt hurt myself . conclusion -brain zaps is a sign that ur brain is out of seratonin and that u abused the drug ,it can be frustrating and dangerous for sure so give urself the time to recover and dont touch street drugs (weed also)and ull be fine in a couple of weeks .ps that thought me a lesson to never play with mdma again i really respect this drug now and never usse it more than once in a year.
 
I only really get them when either taking mexican cubensis mushrooms, or the day after taking a decent amount of MDMA. And there have been times where I've taken a whackload of MDMA and had no problem with the zaps at all. It's really hit or miss for me.
 
So are people implying here that they get MDMA brain zaps when they're not sleeping? I had no idea that MDMA users experienced them through their waking days; I only ever got them while trying to sleep, usually accompanied by sleep paralysis and a sudden jolt of my body.

The MDMA zaps seem much more powerful and more of an electric shock than the zaps I've received off benzos. However, the benzo zaps usually happened through the day. The sound was somewhat reminiscent of the sound of turning off an old CRT tv; but it used to make me feel such weirder than the MDMA zaps, and was usually accompanied by an impending sense of doom. Plus, it was like I lost a split second of consciousness - for example, if I was listening to music, it would skip slightly. Fucking horrible feeling.
 
Can they harm you, I wonder? I had some EXTREMELY strong brain zaps once that were so strong, I thought I was going to have a seizure or die or something. It was pretty freaky.
 
I started off taking anti-depressants @ 14. went through quite a few. stayed the longest with cymbalta, when i stopped, I remember having a month period where I would have brain zaps every 5 minutes. Well, it ended up going away after getting addicted to opiates, I recently have been clean from opiates, and just have benzos on occasion for sleep, but I took Ecstasy for the first time when I was 20, no brain zaps, took it again about a year later , 2weeks ago, and did it last thursday, popped 6 pills total (not alot, I know, I don't roll often), but started getting brain zaps again.

I remember asking about these zaps when I was younger but no one knew what the hell I was talking about. Atleast I know Im not the only one, just wish there was something to explain why it happens.

Ive had a severe problem with sleep paralysis as well, kind of odd.
 
D n A said:
Can they harm you, I wonder? I had some EXTREMELY strong brain zaps once that were so strong, I thought I was going to have a seizure or die or something. It was pretty freaky.
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I don't think they are harmful but are a symptom of some kind of harm that has happened. They appear to be related in some way to epilepsy/seizures but at a much lower level. It's certainly not good to get them.
 
Andronicus said:
I don't think they are harmful but are a symptom of some kind of harm that has happened. They appear to be related in some way to epilepsy/seizures but at a much lower level. It's certainly not good to get them.
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Yeah, that makes sense. I think someone suggested before in this thread that they're possible proof of neurotoxicity. Guess I'll stay away from mexican mushies.. lol
 
Well I see I'm not the only one suffering from this bloody condition. As mentioned above, I tend to get shocking dizzy spells when I try to sleep, although I've also experienced these symptoms at work during the day. I've also had audio hallucinations several days after dosing, people running up the stairs, jumping up and down on the bed next to me etc...
 
I've seen a lot of people post about 'brain zaps'. people say they're painful, but i'm not sure they're referring tot he same thing i'm going through. from what i understand, brain zaps are when you're tryint to pass out at night and you suddenly jolt upright in bed. last time i rolled was may 6th, and now 5 months later i still feel residuals of what i've seen other people call 'brain shivers' - more of a pins & needles uncomfortable tingly sensation you feel under your scalp all throughout the day, sometimes hardly noticeable, other times really painful without any apparent trigger. i've talked to a few ppl on BL who have experienced similar to what i'm experiencing. from what i gather, there is no cure besides waiting it out. however, i have done a few things that i've found to reduce their intensity. if you're reading this and have experienced anything similar, PM me. i'd be very interested to hear your story, and more than willing to share mine/what's worked for me, what hasn't, etc.
 
Now i remember, i use to think iv never experienced brain zaps but i sure have. When i turn my head quickly iv had a few zaps before, but luckily for me it is rare for me to have one. It probably has to do with axons re sprouting and reconnecting, maybe sometimes in the wrong area as said in some research papers but who knows. We do know for sure serotonin has a big correlation with it, some people get it from benzo withdrawal but most of the time it is from MDMA recovery or quitting SSRI's.
 
ive had them a few times from stupidly using MDMA 2 nights in a row. they've lasted for weeks before, the last lot i had i thought they were never gonna go. very annoying and distracting

things that help...Omega 3, bananas etc - a good diet, exercise, 5-HTP (maybe, although ive heard it can make them worse or trigger them), piracetam, lots of sleep

avoid stimulants... coffee made mine worse.
 
The only cure i can think of is the obvious one.

Limit the amount you take, try not to redose, and dont take MDMA regually.
 
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