• MDMA &
    Empathogenic
    Drugs

    Welcome Guest!
  • MDMA Moderators: Esperighanto

SSRI-induced brain zaps...what to do?

ElectroSanta

ElectroSanta

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
81
Location
Boston, MA
Okay, this isn't my issue. It's my boyfriend's. He's never touched a drug in his life--including nicotine or alcohol. This is purely SSRI. I posted this here in ED because you guys know more about SSRIs and related harm reduction than real doctors, I swear.

He's been on SSRIs for a while, and his doctor switched him to Prozac to wean him off slowly. He asked me how I got off of Prozac, and I said I did it cold turkey. I don't recall having brain zaps, but my heart palpitations feel like brain zaps, so maybe I just didn't think too much of it. He decided to follow in my footsteps and now he's suffering. :(

So what to do? 5-HTP? Magnesium? Any foods that will help heal his brain quicker?
 
anyone with pharmacy training risks legal suicide to answer you.

I quit SSRIs plus benzos cold turkey. It was NO PICNIC.

But I made it. I just suffered it.
 
Shouldn't really have placed this in the ecstasy discussion, though I'm sure a mod will move this to the appropriate section. Next time, try the, 'homeless thread', if you don't know which sub-forum to post in :)

If you could explain more about these, 'brain zaps', it would help. I think I understand what you're getting at, but it's hard to tell without a bit more explanation.
Does he also feel like he has a stuffy, light headed kind of feel?
How long is a while?
It all sounds like a common side effect from coming off his medication.

From my personal experiences with SRRI's, citalopram and escitalopram, I had something similar. Going onto the medication and coming off, more so the off. Almost not like an electric shock, but a really vivid hazy tingly feeling I guess. Almost a zappy, shaky sensation, which overwhelmed my head and came in, 'shocks'. I've never been on fluoxetine(prozac here in the uk), though the side effects, to a certain degree will be similar. I can only speak from experience and he would be best suited seeing his GP/Psychiatrist, as they really will be able to reassure you and give you the right answers.

From my understanding, time is the only real cure. It will take a while for the levels of medication to decrease in his body, almost like a half life, as most SSRI's increase as you take the same dosage each day, building up and building up. An now he's cleansing it out of his system, he will feel, I suppose, 'odd' for a while as his brain chemistry is changing.

I'm not a Doctor, only a patient, so I would recommend, telling your boyfriend to see his Doctor if he's worried(or you are). It's a hard sensation to explain and so is hard to diagnose over a forum. But it does sound the same as what I went through and time was the only thing which cured it.

Hope this somewhat helps, peace.

(Its different for everyone. I was on the maximum(stated) dosages of escitalopram and citalopram for a year a piece. I found it quite easy to stop, 'cold turkey'. Though you shouldn't. My Dr never seemed that bothered when I told him on both occasions, I had dis-continued taking them. But I do know they recommend you taper your dosage down. I did get physical symptoms, but I also knew they were common so as annoying and sometimes uncomfortable they were, I ignored them. Knowing it was only temporally.)
 
Last edited:
I had a difficult WD from paxil. I was bedridden for two weeks. I'm not sure what you mean by brain zaps. Is it kind of an electric feeling? Because I had that, but it was in my whole body. I also felt dizzy, could barely stand up, had mental confusion -- all of it. At the time, it had not been officially publicized that paxil was addictive, so my psychiatrist tried to tell me that it was psychosomatic. I went to a different MD and he gave me T3's with codeine, but they didn't work; I didn't find out until years later that my body doesn't convert codeine to opiate.

The only thing that sort of helped was smoking weed, but it did not really abate the mental confusion. It did help my appetite though.

This all happened to me despite using the tapering method. When I cut out the last 10mg my body still went into WD, but maybe it would have been much more severe if I had stopped it cold turkey. I recommend he try the tapering method so that even if he does WD it won't be so crazy.
 
One thing that got me was he called it "brain zaps", a term I've only ever heard here on ED (I just called them dizzy spells). I've also read about people mixing drugs with MDMA or taking it too often and getting brain zaps. Since anti-depressants fuck with your seratonin wiring, and abuse of MDMA can damage your seratonin wiring...it makes sense that the zaps are your brain trying to adjust back to normal, right? So, I guess general "fixing your brain after partying too hard" advice would apply here.

I told him what my "dizzy spells" are like: you know that feeling when you walk into a room and forget why you did? I'd get that "WHY AM I HERE" feeling, then feel a "whump" in my head, and get really confused. He said it's like that, only electricky...at my worst times, I guess I felt like a static feeling, but I was mostly focused on my BP and pulse and absolute confusion. It's not painful or requires medical attention, but it's quite annoying. Especially when you work with money all day, having to do calculations in your head.

But to make this topic fit ED, what are the best post-partying tips and tricks to healing faster? I've read the rolling diet on here about 400 times, but that's for pre-rolling to increase the high. What about afterwards? Foods high in antioxidants and Omega-3?
 
I know EXACTLY what the Brain Zaps are -- I got them on and off randomly for years taking Effexor XR.

When I changed dosage -- it was freaking obnoxious! lol. I called them the Dropsies cause I felt like the elevator dropped a flight without me.

Anyway - the way I overcame them was to wean myself down [no doctor had any good suggestions] by opening each capsule and reducing by 2 granules for 5 days -- then 2 more... etc.

It was a pain in the arse and took forever - but more or less worked. I was meticulous on my accounting of the #'s and used the granules in empty capsules to make smaller dosages down the road.

Hope this helps.
 
I too got brain zaps from withdrawing cold turkey off of Effexor XR. And heinous withdrawal symptons from Paxil (even with tapering off correctly/meticulously)

The only thing i can suggest is to slowly taper off little by little each day. As arch stanton said, it's a pain in the ass but it's really the only way you're going to be able to reduce some of the withdrawal symptoms.

Good luck. Brain zaps are the fucking worst.
 
The only thing I'm particularly worried about is that while he trusts my advice, I doubt he'll trust me when I say, "Hey hun, let me open up your meds and adjust your medication manually because someone on the internet told me to give it a shot."

Apparently, the zaps/spells seem to be getting a little easier to deal with. Maybe because he's used to them now. I suggested a multi-vitamin, Omega-3, 5-HTP, and a little exercise (based off of post-load diets). Okay sure, they're to prevent neurotoxicity. But cells regenerate faster when you're treating your body well. Worst case scenario: zaps go away at the same rate. Best case scenario: zaps go away faster. Either way, there's nothing wrong with taking care of your bod, am I right?
 
I think if he wants the help - he should listen to you. Opening up the capsules a problem? It's not like you are replacing them with something else.

I couldn't get good advice anywhere -- even the docs who subscribed them to me and were MDs had no clue.

Not sure what even caused them to say that it has something to do with cell-regen or not.

Excercise was a problem - because the zaps made me less inclined to enjoy working out.

They'll go away eventually -- mine totally did.
 
I get brain zaps all the time from going on E binges. They are apparantly harmless and go away soon enough, it happens too when you come off SSRI's. My sister got them when she went off of Effexor as well. I think its due to a seratonin imbalance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top