Both were very interesting. Wikipedia is a strange animal, in that anyone can post information there. I'm not arguing the accuracy of the information, just saying use some caution when using it as a resource.
Interesting
Started by schmb01, Jun 15 2008 11:29 PM
3 replies to this topic
#2
iliao93
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Posted 21 August 2008 - 01:31 PM
Graybeard, funny you should mention that. Yesterday I was doing some research and had justnot gotten aroung to posting. Thought I needed to maybe add more to it before I did. I'm going to go ahead and post it now. Cymbalta is mentioned but by it's pharmacutical name. I was researching on youtube(more on that later) and was sent to google, search term " brain zaps" and you can see I was redirected to the SSRI thing in Wickpedia!
SSRI discontinuation syndrome
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Brain zaps)
http://en.Wikipedia.... ... sations.22
As you know people can post there also, and this is accessed from the main results page:Bobbie
SSRI discontinuation syndrome
(From the talk area of main pg.)Bobbie
-- Anonymous, I doubt you'll ever see this, but it's worth mentioning that there is no test for levels of seratonin in the brain. Until technology moves on, we still have to cut a slice off a brain to test neurotransmitter levels - it's possible to test for levels of seratonin in the blood, but this is not even close to an accurate indicator of what's going on in the synapse. If more people were aware of this, then the unscientific "chemical imbalance" schtick used in SSRI advertising would look more like what it is, a crass oversimplification used as a marketing tool, and an attempt to sell these effective-but-HEAVY psychiatric medications to the general public as though they were vitamin C.
Ok, cut out a piece of my brain. I'm cool with that. It would be less painful and disturbing than the constant dizziness and brain zaps and shit. (although I am so glad that "brain zaps" are a recognised side effect with a name and a definition I think I could cry). Ragnarokmephy 03:53, 6 February 2007
SSRI discontinuation syndrome
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Brain zaps)
http://en.Wikipedia.... ... sations.22
As you know people can post there also, and this is accessed from the main results page:Bobbie
SSRI discontinuation syndrome
(From the talk area of main pg.)Bobbie
-- Anonymous, I doubt you'll ever see this, but it's worth mentioning that there is no test for levels of seratonin in the brain. Until technology moves on, we still have to cut a slice off a brain to test neurotransmitter levels - it's possible to test for levels of seratonin in the blood, but this is not even close to an accurate indicator of what's going on in the synapse. If more people were aware of this, then the unscientific "chemical imbalance" schtick used in SSRI advertising would look more like what it is, a crass oversimplification used as a marketing tool, and an attempt to sell these effective-but-HEAVY psychiatric medications to the general public as though they were vitamin C.
Ok, cut out a piece of my brain. I'm cool with that. It would be less painful and disturbing than the constant dizziness and brain zaps and shit. (although I am so glad that "brain zaps" are a recognised side effect with a name and a definition I think I could cry). Ragnarokmephy 03:53, 6 February 2007
#3
iliao93
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Posted 21 August 2008 - 01:43 PM
(I posted this in another thread but thought the info was worth reposting here also)bobbie
Brain shivers… brain zaps… brain shocks…
This is from a site I just found while researching "brain zaps" & the link just incase:
http://theblondephar... ... in-shocks/
Brain shivers… brain zaps… brain shocks…
Posted on November 17, 2007 by B
I do not know if many in the medical community are aware of this term that is thrown out there for such offenders as venlafaxine (Effexor), duloxetine (Cymbalta), paroxetine (Paxil), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), fluvoxamine (Luvox), citalopram (Celexa), and escitalopram (Lexapro), but it is a very real phenomenon. Unfortunately, though many in the medical community have not had to rely on any of these meds in their own personal lives, I had a 2-3 year stint with venlafaxine from 2002-03. Basically, I presented with the inability to sleep due to anxiety of some personal issues (which we all have from time to time), and did not want a controlled substance. I tried paroxetine first and absolutely despised the drug. I quit cold turkey. Very smart for a pharmacist, right? (You can’t just stop cold turkey and expect to not endure some uncomfortable sensory disturbances.)
I found venlafaxine, at 75 mg extended release, to be a very good drug for its purpose of 9 to 12 months. However, what I didn’t expect was that weaning from the drug would be so uncomfortable. 75 mg in itself is not even a moderate dose, falling more into the lower dose category. I’ve seen higher doses much more than the lower doses.
To explain what I felt, I will do my best to try to break down into words the feelings. Initially, there was a sinking feeling in my brain. If you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon or a very tall building and looked down, there is a falling feeling that your brain sometimes throws at you though you are not falling at all. That feeling would happen for very short bursts, 2-3 seconds, enough to disrupt my thoughts, my work, and my being. I would just think, “What was that?” If I tapered over the recommended taper schedule (usually a week at a time step down, but keep in mind there’s only one strength lower than the 75 mg XR - the 37.5 mg XR. Then where do I go? Literally it didn’t matter. The big divide between the 75 mg and the 37.5 mg was enough to cause the “shivers” in my brain - a disorientation, falling, weird, and uncomfortable feeling.
“Brain zaps” are said to defy description for whomever has not experienced them, but the most common themes are of a sudden “jolt,” likened to an electric shock, apparently occurring or originating within the brain itself, with associated disorientation for a few seconds. The phenomenon is most often reported as a brief, wave-like electrical pulse that quickly travels across the surface of (or through) the brain. Some people experience these “waves” through the rest of their body, but the sensation dissipates quickly. They are sometimes accompanied by brief tinnitus and vertigo like feelings. Immediately following this shock is a light-headedness that may last for up to ten seconds. The sensation has also be described by many as a flashbulb going off inside the head or brain. Moving one’s eyes from side to side quickly while open has also been known to trigger these zaps and sometimes causing them to come in rapid succession. It is thought to be a form of neuro-epileptiform activity.
As withdrawal time increases, the frequency of the shocks decreases. At their peak, brain zaps have been associated with severe headaches. They may last for a period of several weeks after the last dose and usually resolve completely within a month or two. However, anecdotal reports of “zaps” during a protracted withdrawal are known to last a year or longer.
My remedy was to open the capsule and to count the tiny beads and literally make capsules with less and less tapering over a 6 week period rather than the usual 2 - 3 weeks at this dose. It did eliminate the feeling, but it definitely helped. One could go as far as asking the physician for a 37.5 mg immediate release tablet and maybe breaking it up into pieces and tapering at the very end that way. Any way you dice it, venlafaxine was a pain and taught me right away a bigger lesson in remembering the side effects than any package insert ever could.
Filed under: Drugs
Another interesting article on brain zaps:
http://WWW.Dr-bob.or... ... 53981.HTML
? ? ? ?
Brain shivers… brain zaps… brain shocks…
This is from a site I just found while researching "brain zaps" & the link just incase:
http://theblondephar... ... in-shocks/
Brain shivers… brain zaps… brain shocks…
Posted on November 17, 2007 by B
I do not know if many in the medical community are aware of this term that is thrown out there for such offenders as venlafaxine (Effexor), duloxetine (Cymbalta), paroxetine (Paxil), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), fluvoxamine (Luvox), citalopram (Celexa), and escitalopram (Lexapro), but it is a very real phenomenon. Unfortunately, though many in the medical community have not had to rely on any of these meds in their own personal lives, I had a 2-3 year stint with venlafaxine from 2002-03. Basically, I presented with the inability to sleep due to anxiety of some personal issues (which we all have from time to time), and did not want a controlled substance. I tried paroxetine first and absolutely despised the drug. I quit cold turkey. Very smart for a pharmacist, right? (You can’t just stop cold turkey and expect to not endure some uncomfortable sensory disturbances.)
I found venlafaxine, at 75 mg extended release, to be a very good drug for its purpose of 9 to 12 months. However, what I didn’t expect was that weaning from the drug would be so uncomfortable. 75 mg in itself is not even a moderate dose, falling more into the lower dose category. I’ve seen higher doses much more than the lower doses.
To explain what I felt, I will do my best to try to break down into words the feelings. Initially, there was a sinking feeling in my brain. If you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon or a very tall building and looked down, there is a falling feeling that your brain sometimes throws at you though you are not falling at all. That feeling would happen for very short bursts, 2-3 seconds, enough to disrupt my thoughts, my work, and my being. I would just think, “What was that?” If I tapered over the recommended taper schedule (usually a week at a time step down, but keep in mind there’s only one strength lower than the 75 mg XR - the 37.5 mg XR. Then where do I go? Literally it didn’t matter. The big divide between the 75 mg and the 37.5 mg was enough to cause the “shivers” in my brain - a disorientation, falling, weird, and uncomfortable feeling.
“Brain zaps” are said to defy description for whomever has not experienced them, but the most common themes are of a sudden “jolt,” likened to an electric shock, apparently occurring or originating within the brain itself, with associated disorientation for a few seconds. The phenomenon is most often reported as a brief, wave-like electrical pulse that quickly travels across the surface of (or through) the brain. Some people experience these “waves” through the rest of their body, but the sensation dissipates quickly. They are sometimes accompanied by brief tinnitus and vertigo like feelings. Immediately following this shock is a light-headedness that may last for up to ten seconds. The sensation has also be described by many as a flashbulb going off inside the head or brain. Moving one’s eyes from side to side quickly while open has also been known to trigger these zaps and sometimes causing them to come in rapid succession. It is thought to be a form of neuro-epileptiform activity.
As withdrawal time increases, the frequency of the shocks decreases. At their peak, brain zaps have been associated with severe headaches. They may last for a period of several weeks after the last dose and usually resolve completely within a month or two. However, anecdotal reports of “zaps” during a protracted withdrawal are known to last a year or longer.
My remedy was to open the capsule and to count the tiny beads and literally make capsules with less and less tapering over a 6 week period rather than the usual 2 - 3 weeks at this dose. It did eliminate the feeling, but it definitely helped. One could go as far as asking the physician for a 37.5 mg immediate release tablet and maybe breaking it up into pieces and tapering at the very end that way. Any way you dice it, venlafaxine was a pain and taught me right away a bigger lesson in remembering the side effects than any package insert ever could.
Filed under: Drugs
Another interesting article on brain zaps:
http://WWW.Dr-bob.or... ... 53981.HTML
? ? ? ?
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