Effexor brain zaps
Common Questions and Answers about Effexor brain zaps
effexor
I was on Effexor a few years ago and started having brain zaps when I went off of it (I was weaned), and to this day I still get brain zaps, always on the left side of my head, when my stress levels are or anxiety is high, and I usually get them around the same time every year from when I started taking the medication.
I was on 100mgs a day with Pristiq for a year and when it came time to switch meds, I honestly thought I was going to die. The withdrawl and brain zaps were much stronger than I had ever felt before.
It took 6 full weeks for them to go away and I tapered slow too. I would rather chew on tin foil than go thru that again.
i tapered very slowly and had horrible headaches and brain zaps that were very very scary. While tapering my doctor put me on 20 mg of prozac and I think that helped somewhat. but three months later im still having occasional brain zaps Are these symptoms going to be permanent? im afraid that the effexor has done damage to my brain.
I have recently stopped Effexor XR (150mg) and started Emsam (6mg). I have been off the effexor for 5 days and I am having "brain zaps." My question is, how long will these "brain Zaps last?" I go to school, and need to be able to function. Please email me at ***@**** for any insight.
Thank You for your reply. I am trying to understand what exactly Efferor XR does or does not do. I have tapered myself off of this drug. I started the process in January of this year, 450mg per day then - to 75mg per day - until 0mg 7 days ago. It has been THE WORST experience of my life to date. The one thing that I want GONE are the "Brain Zaps". I have read that Effexor increases serotonin, I've been told that Effexor blocks serotonin.
I never heard of an antidepressant causing seizure while stopping cold turkey buy you will most likely experience brain zaps which are electric shock-like sensations lasting for a second thru your entire brain and sometimes spreading to other areas. Brain zaps are not to be confused with seizures. Both are extremely different and brain zaps are not dangerous at all. You might have to endure them for up to 1 month,
Another description of the medication you want to quit would have been useful.
This will go away. The brain zaps quit with me first but the nausea stayed for awhile. Have the brain zaps quit for you yet? Hang in there, okay. We're here to support you. M4you always gives great advice. He was trying to explain to you why your having these withdrawal symptoms.Sometimes it helps to know why your going through what your going through.
anxiety, brain zaps, feeling dizzy, nausea, intrusive thoughts and depression. Mind you, this anxiety is beyond what I experience. I also feel like I'm not "all there." My brain feels really slow. I was practicing yoga last night and forgot how to step into a lunge. How am i experiencing this after ONE WEEK of the med?! I was off of Effexor for 2 days before starting Cymbalta and that was giving me vicious withdrawals. I was on that for 6 weeks and felt like I was actually dying.
My doctor then advised me to stop taking the effexor for a week to see if the sexual side effects got any better which they did. I am now on day 5 of no effexor and i keep having these zaps or sensations running through my body. When will these stop? any help will be great. I am pretty scared about how long these could last.
t put 2 and 2 together until I went through all the withdrawal symptoms last month while weaning off of the Effexor. During that time the brain zaps intensified! They quit going down my arm and leg, but got worse in my head and back. I don't remember whether I jerked or not, but I do know they would stop me in my tracks and I would jump from the shock of it. It's like when you accidently touch a live current. It did eventually go away. Thank God!
As far as weight gain!!!!!!
I have recently stopped Effexor XR (150mg) and started Emsam (6mg). I have been off the effexor for 5 days and I am having "brain zaps." My question is, how long will these "brain Zaps last?" I go to school, and need to be able to function. Please email me at ***@**** for any insight.
I have not taken Lexapro, but I have taken other SSRIs (Prozac, Effexor and Cymbalta). All of them caused the brain zaps. Effexor was the worst offender, and I tapered it ridiculously slowly, and the problem hung on for a very long time. At least I found out it was a withdrawal problem by them - after stopping Prozac I had the brain zaps and suspected I was getting multiple sclerosis or something.
I have been taking Effexor for about a year and a half, and recently per my psychiatrist's recommendation, came off of them. While I quit cold turkey, I was on prozac during for a period of 3 weeks before quitting Effexor, and then continued taking the prozac for another 3 weeks. My psych's experiences with this has shown that it greatly minimizes withdrawal effects for those coming off effexor in this way.
When I quit the effexor during the prozac period, everything was fine.
I am on day three of my second attempt to get off Effexor. I reduced from 225mg to 37.5 in 5 weeks and then hit the horrendous withdrawal that many have described. after 36 hours I took 37.5 and continued taking it for another 3 weeks. Doctor started me on Wellbutrin 3 weeks ago and I'm up to 200mg now.
I am on my second attempt to get off this poison and while it is certainly better than the last time I am still really suffering. I WILL NOT take Effexor again.
i recently stopped taking EFFEXOR XR, and am having severe, flu-like symptoms, and "brain shocks". i am dizzy, and hearing weird noises, especially when i move my head. i have been reading up on this, and find these symptoms are quite common. does anybody know exactly what is the cause in the brain of the "shock" sensations? and are there any long-term effects of taking this drug? what can be taken to help alleviate the symptoms? i am having a hard time functioning......
I have Bipolar and have been recently taking Lithium Carbonate, Effexor XR, Geodon, and
Klonopin. My psychatrist has been lowering my Effexor dose over the last few months. And I have been having issues with some dizziness with each decrease in dose. A little over two weeks ago, I took my last Effexor dose. Since then I've been having problems with severe vertigo, nausea, and "brain zaps.
Yeah like Paxiled mentioned in his post everyone here will tell you to tapper off slowly but this could be a very long process and personally I did quit cold turkey and had a terrible, i mean it, TERRIBLE month with what you describe as bugs in your brain (brain zaps) and don't worry they will go away after 1 month due to what Paxiled told ya in his post.
Everyone is different when it comes to withdrawals.
I have just discovered this evening that I inadvertently discontinued my Effexor xr 300 mgm daily, nine days ago when I failed to add it to my two week medication docette. I had just made a change from taking the med at night to am. At the same I had people coming and going from my house due to a flood clean-up in my basement, which added stress and frustration to a normally very quiet home.
The brain zaps aren't damaging your brain. It's the drug being stopped that's causing them. Here's what's believed to be responsible for this: serotonin-targeting antidepressants alter the natural way the body breaks down used serotonin, allowing it to wash in targeted receptors longer. Other receptors turn off, the brain not believing them to be necessary anymore.
Hello, i count my blessings i feel so good atm, i decided to stop my Effexor 2 days ago. No brain zaps or confusion, nothing. I tapered very quickly from 225mg to 37.5mg in 12 days, then stayed on 37.5mg for around 9-10 weeks. I have been so lethargic and sick with sore bones almost daily for the whole 9-10 weeks. Within 32 hours of stopping, my energy came back, my mood lifted, i feel focused more than i have in a very long time. More importantly, ive stopped craving sweets !!!
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