Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Brain Zaps
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Brain Zaps
by vicky997, Mar 11, 2009 02:49PM
Please, please, please can the thousands of people suffering from brain zaps have some answers from the medical profession???? Doctor's dismiss our complaints as very few doctors have even heard of brain zaps and the associated headaches, tinnitis, etc. Why are they happening and WHAT WILL MAKE THE BETTER? So many thousands of people are blogging and googling-away trying to find answers. Doctors give us these medicine (anti-depressants), take us off them and then can't help when out bodies go haywire. Any answers you can give will be greatly appreciated by so many people.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Mar 11, 2009 04:07PM
, Mar 11, 2009 04:07PMTo: vicky997
You are quite correct, these are real withdrawal symptoms...I rarely prescribe these medications for this and other similar reasons...the only thing that seems to work to eliminate them is to wean very slowly, and go back to small doses every third day for a longer period if the slow weaning does not work, and get coverage from your doctor for the first week or ten days off the drug by using klonopin.
Member Comments (2)
by rosepainter, Mar 30, 2009 09:23PM
To: vicky997 and Roger Gould
I was on Lexapro for about two or three years for mild panic attacks. It never helped, but it made me feel hyper and emotionally numb. Recently under a psychiatrist's supervision, I tapered off Lexapro from 20mg to 5mg over about eight weeks. He put me on 250mg Depakote to "balance" my moods "just in case"......I felt fine and stable the whole time. THEN I went to zero mg Lexapro and within three days I started having brain zaps -- only I didn't know what they were at the time: I went to the ER and was admitted for testing for heart irregularities, but everything on that score was absolutely normal -- the doctor discharged me with a diagnosis of playing too much violin (said the upper chest and jaw and head sensations were from practicing too much -- why this hadn't ever happened during the past ten years that I have played the violin never occurred to the doctor) and put me on naproxen!!!! I learned about brain zaps after googling lexapro withdrawal!!! I'm now trying fish oil and potassium. If I tough it out and finally recover my old normal self, I will then taper off the Depakote. I hope that won't cause new unforeseen problems. Can it? Can I get seizures or anything else?
Related discussions
-
brain zaps (6 replies):I have been on anti-deppressants for ten years. I never ...[more]
