Medication + Brain Zaps = Problem?

[llamasmellfunny]

I am currently taking Lamictal (400mg/day) and Lexapro (20mg/day).  I've been on this combination of medication for approximately 4 years.  Before this combo I tried pretty much every medication out there (Prozac, Paxil, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Depakote, Zoloft, and Pamelor just to name a handful) and this is the only combo that has been successful.

Along with being on all of these different medications I have had to go through the process of going off all of the medications which means tapering and side effects, including BRAIN ZAPS.  

I'm thinking that a lot of people know what I'm talking about, but just as a brief description, brain zaps for me feel like someone is sticking a wire hanger into the center of my brain and running an electric current through it.  It lasts for maybe a second, sometimes a little longer.  It is slightly disorienting and not quite painful but downright uncomfortable and scary.

My problem is that recently I've been getting a lot of brain zaps and they usually occur at night.  Even though I've been on the medication for so long I still get them every once in a while, but now it's starting to happen every day.  During the daytime I seem okay but once night time hits I can have them in spurts, as in one every 1 or 2 minutes up to 10 minutes.  This worries me because I've never had the brain zap problem while being medication compliant.  I take all of my medication every day and I rarely ever miss a dose.  I could probably count the number of times I have forgotten my medication on two hands in the last 4 years.  But for some reason I can't stop these zaps.  I know I'm not withdrawing, I know I'm not missing meds, so is this something that I should bring up to my psychiatrist?  It just started last week so I don't know if I should wait it out or call him to make adjustments.  

I'm worried about the adjustments because 3 years ago I tried going down 10mg on my Lexapro and became severely depressed and suicidal.  Last year I got the bright idea to try and taper myself down a little on the Lamictal.  It took me 6 months to decrease my dose by 50mg (which is literally only 12% of my dose) and I not only had severe side effects from discontinuation but my mood went wild and that mere 50mg difference to me at the end seemed like the difference between life and death.

So anyway, in all of that blah blah blah, I want to know if I should stick this out and see if it will go away on its own, or call my doc and have him figure it out?

[llamasmellfunny]

Finally got the guts to call my doctor.  I went in yesterday and he put me on Abilify because I noticed that I was starting to get manic along with my brain zaps.  He told me he couldn't do anything about the zaps and to see my doctor.  I go in Tuesday to get a referral to see a neurologist.

I'm switching psychiatrists, by the way.  My guy *****.  I have a friend who's a social worker and she says she knows him and feels the same way.  Doh!

[llamasmellfunny]

I take 200mg of Lamictal in the morning and another 200mg at night along with 20mg of Lexapro.  I think the brain zaps are related to the Lexapro because that's one of the medications that are typically mentioned whenever I've done research, but the Lamictal is an anticonvulsant so now I'm getting all paranoid that my brain is having mini -siezures.  

The biggest problem with Lamictal is that its a relatively new medication so they don't really have any answers on the long-term side effects of the drug.  I did find out that if Lamictal is taken over a long period of time as a mood stabilizer, there is a chance that without the medication the patient could experience seizures even if they didn't have epilepsy when they started the medication.  That again shouldn't relate to this (I don't think so at least), because I don't have a problem with not taking my meds.

I actually only had 1 or 2 noticeable brain zaps on Friday night, but I had them again last night and I'm getting them tonight as well, so I do plan on leaving a message for my doctor in the morning.

[jst4shanell]

What time of day are you taking your meds??

[jst4shanell]

What time of day are you taking your meds??

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Well I always got brain zaps even before I started medication.  I got them a lot when I started medication and my body was adjusting and when I went through withdrawal and still get them especially if I'm doing something I believe I'm going to be reprimanded for.  I'd say call your doctor and tell them, never be afraid to call your doctor and tell them stuff like this.

[rBoulet]

When in doubt never be afraid to call your doctor and ask them about it. That's why they're there and it's what they get paid to do, hopefully it's also why they're a doctor.
I had the exact same thing happen to me awhile ago, where I'd be fine all day but as soon as I tried to sleep I would get brain zaps over and over again at night until I finally dozed off from exhaustion. It ended up eventually going away on it's own after a couple of months, now I only get them occasionally (sometimes during the day unfortunately and it's pretty noticeable to other people if you're looking at me, maybe I wouldn't have this problem if I spoke to my doctor?).
But yah, call your doctor that's why they're there.