Anyone experienced brain shivers?

[Jewpaneset]

I recently stopped taking venaflaxine ("Effexor") because it has been making my mania symptoms worse.  As part of the withdrawal, I've been experiencing something I've come to find is known as "brain shivers".  I was wondering if anyone has experienced this before, and if so, has any advice on how to cope.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

I experienced what I think is "brain shivers" naturally, before I even took medication.

[Jewpaneset]

Unfortunately my cold turkey quitting of Effexor is theresult of dr error, and is not being monitored because I don't trust a doctor who prescribes antidepressants without a stabilizer for a BP patient even after the patient says he should know better and that the mania has gotten 3x as worse.  The reason I'm in withdrawal is because he wrote me a 3 week prescription with no refills and went on vacation.  Come to find out he wrote it as a month prescription for the pharmacy, but gave me instructions to take it in a way that it lasted only 3 weeks.  When one of his nurses tried to renew th prescription for me to while he was gone, the pharmacy told me that, because he wrote th directions wrong on the prescription sheet, I'd have to wait a week to even pick up the refill.  I decided to say "**** it" and find a new doctor.  Still haven't seen one, though.  :-(

[Uhura1995]

When I stopped using Effexor for bipolarII had to be hospitalized to get off of it.
It had to be removed mainly because I went into hypomania and my bp went thru the roof.
Make sure to have a dr watch you closely with this med

[RossiV]

At that time I didn't know it was the Effexor that did it.  Later I figured it out and never missed a dose.  
Recently my Effexor wasn't working anymore but I was afraid of that same exact thing and my Dr. had told me its hard coming down from Effexor(why did they give it in first place my thought) and my insurance stopped covering so it was no brainer.  HE put me on Pristiq which was similiar and than VIIbryd and now lexapro.  So back to your question, I think because Pristiq was in that same class it helped me not have those horrible feelings and that is my experience with stopping it. Hope it helps some.

[Jewpaneset]

A friend of mine told me she calls them "zaps".  I guess everyone has their own word for it since there's no official medical term yet.  :-)  I sincerely hope this goes away for me in two weeks--I've read other reports of people having them for years, and I'm kinda scared of that.

Cold cloths are one of my favorite things for calming myself, so I don't know why I didn't think of that before.  Thanks!

[lindahand]

Yepper, been there too. I refer to it as Brain Zats. Its like when you are kids and run your feet along the carpet and give someone a shock, except in the brain. Very unpleasant but they do go away for most people in about 2 weeks. Effexor is really hard to get off off. The worst of the antidepressants for withdrawl effects.

Unfortunately the only way I know how to cope is to just endure it. I would put cold cloths on my head. I don't know if it did much but distract me. At least I was doing something.

[Jewpaneset]

That's exactly how it feels.  I get it in my head, my shoulders, and my arms and legs.  It seems like it's been getting worse every day.  How did you cope?

[RossiV]

I had been on Effexor 300 xr for about 5 years and once ran out of health insurance.  I went a month without medication and felt these.  I didn't know how to describe them ,but the way I felt was horrible and couldn;t  sleep and the shivers, as someone else put:
"ple are getting sensations in places there aren't supposed to be sensations. Brain shivers can run your whole body right out to the tips of your fingers and toes. And back again.