Head Zaps - How can I stop worrying??

[BKF1515]

Hello, I have been having head zaps - a moderate stab of pain that mainly hits one area on the top left side of my head - usually in the same place. It is a bit sharper than just light pins and needles. Everytime it hits, which is 1-3x a day, I think maybe I'm having an aneurism or something else serious and scary. I've hit my head 2x - not that hard but hard enough to make me remember it - over the last 2 months and I constantly think that maybe a hematoma is slowly building up. Does anyone else have these worries? Does anyone know what causes this type of 'zap' and if there is a logical explanation other than tumor/aneurism/hemotoma/etc.?? Like could it be head/neck muscles on the outside of my skull causing this sensation? Thanks if you can make me feel better.... Texel

[jessieblue]

Hi there, I don't get this exact symptom, but I have read a lot of posts from people that do. It is def related to anxiety. You can get pains in the head from muscle spasm from tension too. I get random dizziness that comes in a flash like a sort of head rush, this freaks me out too, although I have had mri brain scan done and nothing was wrong. I am sure you are fine and someone with some more info will be along to help soon, just didn't want to read and run. Good luck.

[rjb2214]

I get fairly regular head zaps, its an electric shock type feeling which starts right at the top centre or the left hand side of my head which runs down behind my nose and my eye to the roof of my mouth (but not in all cases, but the general feeling is the same)

I went to the hospital, of course assuming I was about to have some kind of stroke, but after a series of coordination/physical tests to test the brains working, the diagnosis was migraines. I don't always get a headache after this, but the worst zap I had I then had a migraine after which I assume the doctor made his diagnosis.

I would say, whilst it feels totally scary, I'm slowly learning that it's anxiety related and would urge most to try their best to not be afraid. At the end of it, i've had nearly 10 this week and every time after the 2 seconds of uncomfortability, everything will go back to normal after a bit of relaxing, breathing exercises.

The tests I had done were to first, stick out my left hand palm upwards, and using my right hand repeatedly tap my left hand palm to palm then back of hand to palm. I then had to run my left heel along my right leg to the knee and then the opposite. I had to touch the tip of my nose with my right index finger and then touch the tip of the doctors finger which he floated in the air, then do the same with my other arm, on top of this all the other basic tests like following his finger with my eyes etc... All these tests showed the brain was functioning ok as if it wasn't, I wouldn't have been able to pass the tests

I have had all my head zaps whilst looking at computer screens which also lead me to beleive I had epilepsy, but the pain is usually short, sharip and only lasts a maximum of 2 seconds

[Tim2210]

I get this too. I get sometimes like a tingly or throbbing feeling in a spot on the left hand side of my head and I sometimes get panic attacks cause I think its like an anuerism or a stroke.

[SocialTool]

I have had this. They don't really bother me that much anymore. What you just said Tim about the anxiety AFTER the head zap is just that. Anxiety. There are so many small muscles that run on the side of the head and over the scalp. When I used to have my anxiety attacks, I would get a numbness from my lower back, up my neck, and over the top of my head to my forehead. Horrible, but once I realized it was anxiety, it didn't bother me much anymore.