Brain Zaps,Numb

I am a 38 year old female .I have been on Zoloft for around 11 years, 100 mg per day along with Bupropion HCl 75 mg twice daily. I recently started having brain zaps every night ,where as in the past they only occured a couple of times a month, usually when I missed a dose.The feeling I get is like a sensation going from one side of my brain to the other , and somewhat a numbness.

I am under no more stress than before and nothing has changed in my life. I don't have any type of health insurence , my husband was in the military and got out and the job he has now doesn't provide insurence. My primary phycian told me he didnt know anything about a brain zap or what it could be so with research I found a common link between these and antidepressents. Does anyone know what to do to stop these zaps and could it be life threating?

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

It is difficult to classify your headache or brain zap based on the information provided. Headaches are typically grouped into primary and secondary causes. Primary causes include migraine, etc. Secondary causes are headaches with an underlying identifiable cause, such as a tumor.

There is a type of a primary headache called SUNCT which is a unilateral pain that is short duration (5-240 seconds). The pain is usually around the eye and can occur up to 30 attacks/hour. An important feature of these headaches are same sided eye tearing/redness.

There are other causes of headaches. One cause you suggest is possibly a neuro-psychological component (such as stress, depression…)

I would suggest that you follow up with your PCP regarding your headache. Depending on the history and examination, you may need further workup such as an MRI of the brain and/or consultation with neurology.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.