Benzos Benzo Withdrawal Brain Zap Question

[PillJoy]

i agree with superpump - if you don't know what they are you are a fortunate soul! i've experienced them, as well as that head-full-of-sand, you-can-hear-your-eyeballs-move, very difficult to describe sensations that i believe the OP to be talking about - and they don't come only from benzo wd - i had this years ago coming off of Paxil [the anti-D from HELL}, and even currently if i'm off suboxone for a few days [even at the low dose i'm on of 1.5mg/day].
pagey, unfortunately i don't think anyone can predict how long this lasts it's gotta be different for everyone i would think. when i came off of Paxil i began what would turn out to be the 2nd of many more trial & error with anti depressants, and getting onto another SSRI took it all away, so who knows how long or short it would have been? 8(
if your doc knows about your battle w getting off the benzos, maybe a consultation w him/her could turn up a rememdy or treatment...? i hope someone who can offer more comes along with their 2 cents very soon. good luck! ~ Joy

 

[kokaino]

Never had brain zaps from benzo withdrawals, but I used to get brain zaps when I used to try to sleep after coming down from 2-3 days of straight partying on ecstasy and crystal meth. This is going way back when I was between 19-22 years old. I used to do ecstasy insanely - I did it like some people smoke weed. I'd take a pill or 2 (even 3 or 4 or more if they were weak) everytime I'd start coming down. All day everday. I did this for a couple of years, along with a bunch of other drugs. But yeah, I used to get crazy brain zaps and feelings of being "trapped" (like I can't move my body) when I would begin to doze off. It used to be the scariest shit ever. Nightmares, I'd wake up screaming.

 

[Condumbpope]

Got brain zaps when I came off of Xanax and Tramadol.. I was on 300mg tram and .5mgXR xanax every day for two years. They definitely suck, I sort of found them amusing. OP might want to try high doses of B12 alongside high doses of Folic Acid, as this helps relax and soothe your CNS. Helps tons with benz withdrawal, it's like putting water on a flame.

 

[Pill2Chill]

(Didn't read all the posts.)

I tapered from 250mg valium to 10mg valium daily in two weeks and didn't experience this.
I got jerks, sorta like spasms. But no zaps.

When I went c/t off tramadol I did get zaps. (So I do know what you're talking about.)
I thought it only occured when stopping anti-depressants though. (tramadol has SNRI & SSRI actions.)
I've also quit citalopram a long time ago. The zaps always subsided within the first week of w/ds. Both when stopping tramadol, and citalopram.

Guess I'm lucky? Or you unlucky? But I don't get this while w/ding from benzos.

 

[tricomb]

Are you saying a doctor ordered you from 250mg diazepam to 10mg in 2 weeks????

 

[Pill2Chill]

^Lol, no.

I wanted my tolerance down. So down it went.

 

[tricomb]

As a note to the currently 343 people browsing this forum going from 250mg diazepam to 10mg in 2 weeks is extremely dangerous.

You are lucky you didn't have a seizure and then hit your head on something hard when you fall to the floor.

 

[Pill2Chill]

^I know about the dangers, tonic-clonic seizure etc. I always had benzos on hand incase something didn't feel right. (whos gonna administer them when I'm seizing? I know..)

I used klonopin to taper in the early stages to help avoiding seizures. Not a very solid plan, but my tolerance had to go down and fast for personal reasons. My experimentations with tramadol & amps. led me to believe I'm not very prone to seizures. Never had one. Stupid logic maybe, but I got to a relatively low dose pretty fast.

But you're right, I was lucky and this shouldn't be attempted. I did a very big drop in a short amount of time. But I felt I could handle it by judging how I felt every day on the strictest regime I could do. I also spent most of the time just lying in bed while I was w/ding (can't fall on something hard then :D ). That helped alot too. (Yes I did it during my free time, sux.)

 

[muskolo]

Wow, God bless you guys. I mess around with benzos very infrequently but in the past have binged more than I should have. I've w/d from opiates and thought that was awful but holy shit.

I hope the medical/scientific community finds something that can act on the brain the same way as benzos without all this shit. Seizures, brain zaps, anxiety attacks...it really makes the worst heroin w/d sound like a walk in the park! Good luck to all of you who are going through this.

 

[PillJoy]

has anyone ever heard or read, or even have a theory about what the cause is?

-when i was coming off Paxil i thought i was crazy or that something was wrong with my brain - first the zaps and then the other weird feelings - and it all seemed impossible to explain! then one night on dateline this woman is telling her story about what an awful time she'd been having since trying to quit PAXIL! this was like... 15 years ago- of course she didn't use the term "brain zaps", but she was doing her best to describe them, as well as that 'head full of sand' and the other weird feelings mentioned earlier in this thread. when i heard what she was saying i almost - rs of relief! i mean at least i wasn't nuts!

 

[bnghit3]

This thread makes me never wanna touch another benzo again. Sounds like there is really nothing worse than benzo withdrawal. I have experienced them before, but no where as bad as some people on here and some of my friends. I have always said I would rather be dope sick any day than be in benzo withdrawal. Opiate wd just doesn't seem to fuck with my head so much, more of just a flu.

 

[mookster]

Wow, I'm definitely going to my doctor to help me with coming off clonazepam and citalopram (both prescribed) I take citalopram every day (20mg) and clonazepam most days (.5-2mg) if i'm not having a drink, and now if I go 2 or 3 days without the clonazepam, I start to feel dizzy with very mild brain zaps. My zaps are very quick but very disconcerting, and also VERY obvious to anyone watching that something's wrong... Does anyone have any good ideas about toning down or tapering? Given that I still suffer from a certain amount of anxiety I am very wary about going too quick and ending up taking even more clonazepam to compensate. I'm weak!
Also can anyone else corroborate the previous poster's advice on B12 and folic acid?
Thanks for the advice all.

 

[macd610]

Superpump,

As soon as I saw the title of this thread I thought, "Holy shit, I'm not the only one!". I've not read the entire thread, so I apologize if I am being redundant ...
For me, this happens when I withdrawal from opiates. Every time I move my eyes, turn my head, or make fast (or not so fast movement of any kind, I get what I have, up until now, called "The Electric Shocks". "Brain Zaps" is a more accurate term, IMO.
It's awful, it feels like a mean little man with a poker stabs me directly in some nerve in my brain. For a split second, everything becomes blindingly bright, and I feel a horrid jolt. It's so sudden.
It's difficult to stay completely still obviously, but for me it happens even when my eyes are closed ....doesn't stop it from happening if I move my eyes.
UGH!