Brain zaps are sensory disturbances that are believed to be possibly associated with erratic electrical activity of the brain. A person might also hear a fleeting buzzing sound and experience a momentary faintness or blackout. When you reduce or stop taking certain medications, especially antidepressants, brain zaps or brain shakes can occur. Individuals may be able to reduce or avoid brain zaps by progressively reducing their dosage under medical advice.
What Are Brain Zaps?
Brain zaps, brain shivers, and brain flips are all terms you may hear for sensations experienced in association with electrical charges in the brain. Most commonly felt while reducing the levels of antidepressant medication. It is a condition documented in less colorfully descriptive terminology in the psychiatric literature as one of the symptoms of antidepressant cessation.
Vertigo is the neurologic symptom that is most frequently described, and euphoria or orgasm-like feelings are only mentioned a few times. With antidepressant withdrawal syndrome, patients often experience brain zaps and other symptoms. More than half of those who try to reduce the amount of antidepressant they take or stop taking the medication entirely report experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
What Do Brain Zaps Feel Like?
Although no specific medical label exists for brain zaps, researchers classify them as a particular kind of sensory disruption. Burning, tingling, electric, or shock-like sensations in the body and brain that might result from sensory abnormalities.1 A person might also hear a fleeting buzzing sound and experience a momentary faintness or blackout. They are not dangerous and will not hurt the brain. They may, however, cause annoyance, confusion, and sleep disruption.
Brain zaps cause these common symptoms including:
- A quick electrical shock-like sensation in the brain
- A brief moment of blackout or loss of consciousness
- Vertigo or dizziness
- A zap followed by a buzzing sound
- Disorientation (a “brain blink”)
How Long Do Brain Zaps Last?
Brain zaps may occur if you stop using antidepressants, but they should go away quickly. Although some individuals have claimed to have had brain zaps for years, for the vast majority of people, they usually go away after a month.
Anxiety- and chronic stress-related brain zaps typically last a split second or less, happen infrequently, and occasionally last for a few seconds. For instance, you might experience one or two brain zaps in one day and then not experience any more for several days or weeks.
Are Brain Zaps Dangerous?
Brain zaps may indicate prolonged stress on the body, such as that caused by highly anxious behavior.2 Alternatively, these could be side effects from taking medication or from stopping it. Brain zaps are not dangerous and will not hurt the brain or body. They may, however, cause irritation, confusion, and sleep disruption.
What Causes Brain Zaps?
Head zaps and brain zaps often happen suddenly and intermittently. Brain zaps can happen on their own, or they might come before, after, or with an intensification of other anxiety sensations and symptoms. They can also occur “out of the blue” for no apparent reason, or they can come before, along with, or after an episode of trepidation, anxiety, fear, or heightened stress. Brain zaps can also happen when someone quits taking antidepressants or other drugs, reduces their dosage, or neglects to take some medications on time.
Antidepressant Withdrawal
Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, commonly called antidepressant withdrawal, is a typical issue in persons who abruptly stop taking antidepressants or substantially drop their dosage after routinely taking them for at least a month.3 About 20% of individuals who abruptly stop taking an antidepressant that they had been on for at least six weeks have antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. With selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) compared to SNRIs, the average length of withdrawal symptoms is noticeably longer. ‘Brain zaps’ and other neurological symptoms are more prevalent for those using SNRIs vs SSRIs.
Commonly prescribed SSRIs that can cause antidepressant withdrawal symptoms:
- Paxil (paroxetine)*
- Prozac (fluoxetine)*
- Zoloft (sertraline)*
- Celexa (citalopram)*
- Lexapro (escitalopram)*
*These medications have a black box warning, the most serious kind of warning from the FDA for a risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in certain people. You should talk with your doctor about these risks before starting any of these medications.
Commonly prescribed SNRI medications that can cause antidepressant withdrawal symptoms:
- Effexor XR (venlafaxine)*
- Cymbalta (duloxetine)*
- Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)*
- Fetzima (levomilnacipran)*
*These medications have a black box warning, the most serious kind of warning from the FDA for a risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in certain people. You should talk with your doctor about these risks before starting any of these medications.
Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
Treating anxiety and panic disorder can sometimes involve benzodiazepines (Benzos), a class of drugs that can be addictive.4Abruptly ending a regimen is discouraged because it may lead to benzodiazepine withdrawal, a condition with harmful symptoms that may require immediate medical care. Benzodiazepine users are may experience more severe withdrawal symptoms if they use the medication for more than six weeks.
There are numerous benzodiazepines available, including clonazepam (Klonopin) and alprazolam (Xanax). These drugs can sometimes reduce anxiety. Yet they also have several hazards and adverse effects, such as tolerance, dependency, withdrawal, and addiction. Benzodiazepines are typically only recommended for brief periods rather than as a long-term treatment due to these hazards.
Commonly prescribed benzodiazepine medications that can cause antidepressant withdrawal symptoms:
- Xanax (alprazolam)**
- Halcion (triazolam)*
- Serax (oxazepam)*
*These medications have black box warnings, the most serious kind of warnings from the FDA for abuse or misuse, risk of physical dependence, profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death when combined with an opioid.
** This medication has black box warnings, the most serious kind of warnings from the FDA for abuse or misuse, risk of physical dependence and risk of serious side effects, including death, when combined with an opioid.
ADHD Medication Withdrawal
In addition to counseling, healthcare professionals frequently use medication to treat ADHD. Stimulants, non-stimulants, and antidepressants are among the ADHD medications sometimes used for treatment. Stimulants are currently the most often prescribed treatment for ADHD. Some people, meanwhile, don’t react well to them or the side effects they experience may be intolerable. You may need to experiment with ADHD drugs to find the best one.
Commonly prescribed medications that may be used to treat ADHD symptoms that can cause withdrawal:
- Adderall: If taken for a lengthy period, Adderall medicine might cause withdrawal if stopped suddenly. This is a result of potential physiological dependence.
- Bupropion (Wellbutrin): After your last dose of the medication, the withdrawal symptoms from Wellbutrin can appear anywhere between a few days and a week later. Usually minor, the symptoms disappear in two to six weeks.
Treatment for Brain Zaps
Brain zaps treatment may encompass the following suggestions from your healthcare provider, Instead of stopping antidepressants abruptly, tapering down is a commonly recommended method to reduce or prevent brain zaps. Tapering does not ensure that a person won’t suffer from brain zaps or other withdrawal symptoms.5 Yet, it might make adjusting to the shift simpler. Before complete discontinuation, guidelines advise two to four weeks of short tapers, down to a therapeutic minimum or half-minimum doses. Receiving cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as one discontinues their medication under medical supervision may also be beneficial. Consult a trained medical provider to assess you and help you discontinue psychotropic medicines.
Below are tips for transitioning to a lower dose:
- Think about why you are stopping: Even though you may desire to stop taking your prescription, you may not be ready. Take your time. The risks and adverse effects of abrupt stopping are reduced by gradual tapering.
- Consider the delivery method: Ask your doctor or pharmacist if it would be easier to reduce your dose with a gel cap or capsule formulation; this enables you to divide the tablet more accurately.
- Keep track of your symptoms: It is critical to keep track of any mood swings, aches, pains, or rebound symptoms when you taper off any medicine. Inform your doctor if you are in pain or see a concerning pattern.
- Avoid stopping your medicine suddenly: Abrupt or “cold turkey” withdrawal might result in several distressing side effects depending on the medication.
- Your doctor may recommend another drug: If you have troublesome symptoms on a short-acting antidepressant, your doctor may prescribe a long-acting one. To reduce withdrawal symptoms, they may gradually discontinue the medicine.
How to Cope With Brain Zaps
The advantages of some medications taken alone can be matched or exceeded by psychotherapy. The benefits of therapy as a treatment for depression may also be more rapid, last longer, and have fewer adverse effects than those of medicine.
It is simpler to get through the stigma that has previously been associated with mental health disorders thanks to online therapy. People can meet for individual treatment, couples counseling, and even family therapy via video, phone calls, and text messages when they use online therapy, also known as video therapy or teletherapy.
Finding a therapist can also be part of your coping strategy for dealing with brain zap symptoms. Symptoms can be distressing, especially if they become prolonged. If your brain zap symptoms are part of a transition in your mental health treatment plan, you may find the additional support helpful while you adjust.
Below are tips for coping with brain zaps and transitioning to a lower medication dose:
- Getting adequate sleep: Sleep deprivation causes stress, worry, and depression. Sleeping fewer than 7-9 hours a night makes people more cranky, angry, hostile, impulsive, and distracted.
- Staying physically active: The physical and mental health benefits of exercise can help you cope with symptoms, though professional assistance may still be needed if your symptoms become worse.
- Stress management: Stress has many detrimental impacts on physical and mental health. However, you can learn to behave differently with stress management habits.
- Speak with someone: Sharing your concerns with someone who cares is one of the best methods to relax your nervous system and relieve stress.
- Make reflection and relaxation a priority: As you go about your day, take time to unwind, reflect, and focus on the good, even the little things.
- Consume brain-healthy foods to promote good mental health: Fatty fish, nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, and peanuts), avocados, beans, leafy greens (spinach, kale, and Brussels sprouts), and fresh fruit like blueberries may boost your mood.
- Engage your senses: Everyone reacts to sensory input slightly differently, so try different things to see what suits you the best.
Final Thoughts
Brain zaps may be annoying, but there is little risk of permanent harm to the brain due to them. Nonetheless, weaning off of antidepressants can be a challenging process. A person should work with their physician to determine the appropriate dosage and always ensure that they take their prescription following the instructions provided by their physician. It is critical to let a doctor know if the adverse effects or withdrawal symptoms impact your day-to-day life.
