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buzz under my skin and brain zaps

Hello,
I have been under SSRIs on and off for the past 10 years. I have what I believe permanent "brain zaps" since my first treatment (8 years ago) after I had quit the meds. It feels like an electrical current goes through my brain, my left arm and the front of my face. It does not last nor it's painful but it's disturbing. I am lowering my meds (again) to eventually get off of them (again) and where the back of my right thigh meet the buttocks area I feel like I am sitting on something that's buzzing. It's intermitent, not painful but so annoying. Could all this be related to SSRI treatment and withdrawl symptoms? I am so over anti-depressant.
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Avatar universal
hey,
thanks for your input. What I meant by on and off with the meds means I had my first treamtent 8 years ago for 1 year. got off of it, and remained with brain zaps up until my second treatment 2 years ago. Now that I am getting off of it second time around, I am concerned that I will have more "permanent" side effects with me eventhough off meds.

I finally come to acceptance with the fact that there is no cure for depression, and that unfortunately the meds are only a band aid, you may feel "ok" while on it but once you get off, back to square one. I have been taking 5HTP under the supervison on my MD who is specialized in easten medecine. It's been helping me tremendouslly through the pain of withdrawl. Anyway, thank you.
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Avatar universal
I agree with Dr. Noopur.  I've been on Zoloft for eight years.  But when they switched me over to Lexapro in the middle of that span, I got those brain zaps too.  It was like a rapid electrical surge that went up my spine and kind of made a zing in my head.  My body hummed.  It was because I was changing dosage.  So, if you keep going on and off the SSRIs, you will have those brain zaps.  I also think Lexapro is a stronger version of Zoloft, so if you gotta be on them, you can try the sister drug Zoloft, and you'll have less side effects, especially at a lower dose, like between 50 and 100mg.

I also feel like you do about antidepressants.  I wish I had never gotten on the SSRIs, mainly because I still have depression.  It helps with other things, tho.  But years and years ago, when I got depressed, they would temporarily put me on tricyclics for a month or so, and then take me off them, and I would be depression-free.  But the SSRIs are almost a kind of life medicine, and I think that's because it is so hard to get off them.  I think you should either stay on them or stay off them, and if you find yourself wanting to go back on them after you've been off for a while, perhaps you should ask yourself why you're doing that, and perhaps try a different type of antidepressant than the SSRI.  But keep in mind that the tricyclics will make you hungry.  

I myself want to do exactly that, get some serious weekly psychotherapy and use tricyclics, but I've been thru so much, I'm going to wait about a year before I rock the boat, because just in the last six months I have finally reached a place with the many medications I take, to where I'm stable... but still depressed.
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Avatar universal
Hi,

How are you?
Yes your symptoms are very likely to be related with the use of SSI for a prolonged period of time.
Please remember to consult your doctor before lowering the dose of your medication. It should be done only under medical supervision.
Take care!
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