What is happening to me?

[dreamer1989]

Hi,

I have had anxiety and severe depression on and off since I was 16, been on Venlasfaxine XL 375mg for a few years, slowly increasing the dose.

I dont know what is happening, but I keep getting these jolts, where I can tell when they are about to strike, I just get these feeling.

When it happens, I cant really speak for about a couple of seconds, I feel very faint and i need to sit down alone. I feel really sad and scared, and it will pass after about a minute or so. Nothing triggers these, I can be doing anything. I dont cry, but I just feel so weird.

I have never told the GP about this, becuase I cant describe it properly.

Someone please help me :(

[aggiecuttler]

how long have you been having them? as it could be brain zaps caused by some medication, does it happen after increasing or decreasing meds, i am not a dr but it feels like your head kind of stutters for a second and throws you off could this be it blessings

[dreamer1989]

I have had them whilst unmedicated and medicated. They are worse at
The moment

[fruity]

i,ve had body joilts & brain zaps they are nasty & scary.

[dreamer1989]

I havent upped my dosage in about a year, been stable on 375mg. Which has really been helping. I cant decide if the meds are pooping out on me. Its a totally separate feeling to the brain zaps I got when i came off citalopram overnight- that was like a crack in my head every few minutes

[xvolatileheart]

That's how I feel at the beginning of my attacks, which I understand is a rush of panic/adrenaline. I'm sure it's nothing serious but you should mention it to your doctor.

[dreamer1989]

I arranged a telephone appointment with my GP today, after skipping work yesterday, because I knew I just could not face it. I was prescibed Propranalol and Zopliclone, the former just for a few nights, as I am not sleeping well.

[applewine]

A basic thing to start with would be nutrition. Start by getting rid of gluten (wheat, barley, oats) and corn. You can also get rid of dairy if you have lactose problems. That should help guarantee you will absorb the nutrients you need. Then eat basic foods and nothing processed.

Get yourself a multi-viamin and b-complex and don't drink alcohol, coffee or tea. That should be a good nutritional foundation.

I don't know if this is relevant, but there are also special forms of vitamins that are more easily absorbed for treating deficiency. One example is Thiamine TTFD (Allithiamine) which is used vitamin B-1. Also for b12 there is methylcobalamin. These may help with anxiety if they are the problem.

Your symptoms don't seem to be preceded by a psychological event such as verbal abuse. Perhaps you could describe the jolts more. I don't know how you could know when they are going to happen.

[dreamer1989]

I have now been off Venla for over a week now, moved onto
To Lexapro/Escitalopram 10mg. I was also dianosed with Shingles, which has been hell. Still getting the brain zaps/tingles, which make me desperately paniced and just filled with the need to be with my partner, a few seconds of desperate loneliness