Electric shocks (Brain zaps) to my head

[REDZULU2003]

As the thread is titled I have been getting what is sometimes dubbed 'Brain Zaps' in my head. Its a fucking horrible feeling and happens every few days and always at night. The trigger is when I move my head suddenly or move my eyes I get a sharp sidden zap to my head, just like an electric cuurrent ... it last milliseconds but it can keep comming for approx anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours.

I dont get them everyday but every few days or so. Feelings around this time are I have a heavy headedness and some confusion. Now and again I get slight head aches at the time but not severe ones.

Went to the Doctor about it and he said its down to my meds which are Venlafaxine 150mg eachday Extended Release variant. However I know the connection with SSRI's & SSNI's which this drug is having the effect but only mentioned on cutting down or cumming off the stuff. I had the zaps last year when cutting down and that was expected, they went when the meds were increased.

Currently I'm not cutting them or skipping these things. Not sure what to make of it tbh. I also have had over the past months pains from my right eye alongwith head ache on the right side. Saw an eye specialist who checked it out and said nothing untoward and my eyes and pressures were fine, that I have Optonic Migraines.

Lastly again the right side, is my ear sometimes goes down in volume. I feel a whoosh sound inside now and again like grit is moving about. I told the Doctor about this and he seems to think its something about a tube and pressure, so he gave me these nose sprays called Avamys to take eachday.

I dont have all three of these things together and I dont think they are related. I'm more concerned about the zaps. I'm not sure but at night when in deep sleep I have felt half awake and like my head is seizing up, like its seizing ... hard to describe and that has been going on for several years.

Not sure if I may have some kind of Epilepsy but doctors dont really take you on. Anyone with experience on what any of this, particularly the zaps could be?

[CZi]

First I want to say good stuff for keeping your doc and specialists in the loop! Yeah, Venlafaxine/Effexor is notorious for the ol brain zaps, it's just one of the common side effects. Some people have em continually though treatment, though usually like you said they're indicative of dosage problems or when starting or stopping the drug. If you've been feeling good lately (mood), then you might wanna discuss with your doc/psych possibly lowering the dosage and see if that helps. No need for too many chemicals bumping around the noggin if you can help it. I'm on Effexor myself and had those brain zaps when I first started. Freaked me out the first time I had one hahaha. Not a big fan of the drug IMO.

As for the pain around the eye, yup retinal migraine. Do you have allergies? It's peak pollen season for the fall in the US atm, and sinus pressure contributes to retinal migraines. As does (shocker) sleep and stress. I'd recommend Naproxen/Aleve or Excedrin from experience.

Night seizing hmmm. Since your doc is informed, it's probably nothing to worry about. I might say it has to do with your meds too. When I first started anxiety/depression treatment I'd occasionally wake up from a nap or sleep STARTLED, kinda similar to waking up from a nightmare where you flinch to defend yourself and replicate the move IRL lol. Yours just seem to focus on the head.

Felt good to contribute some knowledge for once!

[doublelongdaddy]

I would seek an alternative medication. I am currently on a low does of Serequel and Lamictal, at the current level I seem good. I have tried so many meds and have had very bad luck until I found what worked. I was on much higher does of these meds (800 Serequel and 200 Lamictal) over the past 2 months I cut everything down to 100 MG of Serequel and 25 MG of Lamictal, feel much better at this dose.

[REDZULU2003]

First I want to say good stuff for keeping your doc and specialists in the loop! Yeah, Venlafaxine/Effexor is notorious for the ol brain zaps, it's just one of the common side effects. Some people have em continually though treatment, though usually like you said they're indicative of dosage problems or when starting or stopping the drug. If you've been feeling good lately (mood), then you might wanna discuss with your doc/psych possibly lowering the dosage and see if that helps. No need for too many chemicals bumping around the noggin if you can help it. I'm on Effexor myself and had those brain zaps when I first started. Freaked me out the first time I had one hahaha. Not a big fan of the drug IMO.

As for the pain around the eye, yup retinal migraine. Do you have allergies? It's peak pollen season for the fall in the US atm, and sinus pressure contributes to retinal migraines. As does (shocker) sleep and stress. I'd recommend Naproxen/Aleve or Excedrin from experience.

Night seizing hmmm. Since your doc is informed, it's probably nothing to worry about. I might say it has to do with your meds too. When I first started anxiety/depression treatment I'd occasionally wake up from a nap or sleep STARTLED, kinda similar to waking up from a nightmare where you flinch to defend yourself and replicate the move IRL lol. Yours just seem to focus on the head.

Felt good to contribute some knowledge for once!

Thanks thats really helpful. This medication does seem to be pretty strong and I know when I cut down last year to 37.5mg my eye sight was much clearer, it was great to see more clearer you dont realize until you drop the dosage. However taking them has plus points in my recent crisis times currently in my life, so is why I have persevered with it. Some in my family think I may have a brain injury of some sort from the many blows to the head I've had over the past couple of years which was when I was having some kinda seizure back in 2009 and my head repeatadly smacked into the floor at the front. I was never classed as having fits, no one was sure and at the time I was drinking heavily, on another med called Cipralex while also having a mental breakdown.

I know blows to the head can do things and pop up later in life. Fingers crossed this is not that. I have wondered though that with the pain I get on the right side of my head going to the right eye and the sensation with the inner right ear that even something like a tumor may be present. I know this is wild thinking and I dont believe it but you often just think the occurrences may be linked and all the shit on tv gets you thinking. I've had a few episodes around the zapping and through the day where my head feels heavy and like its in a vice, not aching but like its being squashed ... the sensation isnt painful, just uncomfortable. I think thats cranial pressure from all that shit going on with the ear, eye and zaps. Like star wars or something.

[MAXAMEYES]

Red, old buddy, I feel your pain. I've had the same type of zaps ever since I survived a bout of undiagnosed (and, of course, untreated) meningitis back in the winter of 95-96. One of the most painful, persistent and perplexing "zaps" was one that felt like a bolt of lightning shot straight through my left eye. Always top to bottom...it was almost like the charge had to build sitting on top of my eyeball before it shot through...and fucking LINGERED! That was the worst part, this shit would last 20-30 seconds to a minute or so.

Then in JAN 2001 I got caught as the meat in a three car crash sandwich on the highway and that did things to my neck that were unholy at best.

Out of all this, though, I discovered a few things that'd help keep the "attacks" down to a minimum and lessen their severity when they actually did hit.

One is I upped my magnesium intake, well all trace minerals-but magnesium especially-after I found out that migraines are closely related to epilepsy.
Next was chiropractic and therapeutic massage, the form of massage that worked best for me was called Structural Integration: http://www.structuralintegration.com/ ; chiro helped decompress all the nerve roots up & down my spine and the massage helped all the rest.

(I went in for my neck mostly, but only when the massage tech started working on things like wrists, ankles, fingers & toes did I realize that; Holy Fuck! ALL of me feels like hammered horseshit ! When I fell asleep during an ear massage, yes: ear massage, I knew I'd found heaven.)

And then doing whatever I could to reduce the internal pressure in my head. From meditation to self-hypnosis to wearing looser clothing to watching my blood pressure. Staying hydrated and constantly working on my flexibility keeps me up to speed so to speak on my self-maintenance program.

I don't know which of these, or combos of these could help, but I hope you find something, 'cuz pain sucks.

Good luck brother!

[REDZULU2003]

Thats great thanks