Brain zaps ???

Hi I am having like mini electric shocks/ brain zaps every couple of minutes I know this is a withdrawal effect, but has anyone found any thing that helps. (I was on seroxat 20 mg for 3 1/2 years then 40 mg for 4 months then cold turkey that was nearly 3 weeks ago was on mirt for a week but stopped it last night to many side effects.) any ideas/ help would be gratefully received as I can't drive and find it difficult to do anything at present due to these zaps!!

I had the brain zaps starting mirtazapine, not stopping, but they are very real.

If the zaps are interfering with something like driving, then you shouldn't drive. Call and cancel / say you can't come in. Call a mobile doctor to come and write a medical certificate if necessary.

I don't know of any way of reducing the zaps - but be assured, they are temporary. It's possible that a benzodiazepine like diazepam might reduce them, but since it's only for a day or so, it's probably better to ride it out.

Take care.

Thanks a lot but they where to severe for me to cope with plus numerous other side effects so I stopped mirt on Saturday, still getting them now going to docs tomorrow and I haven't driven in over 2 weeks and have been of work for same time. Hopefully I will find some help tomorrow as things are bad at minute but thanks for your advice

You should never cold turkey any antidepressant, especially one with a short half-life that you've been on for such a long period of time.

If I were you, I'd go back on at 20mg and see if the brain zaps go away, then taper off this dosage very, very slowly - maybe over the course of a year or more. You can get liquid paroxetine which can make the process much easier.

Thanks but my psychiatrist took me of it when I took an overdose I didn't have a choice. Don't have any to go back on and they won't prescribe it :(

Unlike earlier ADs (tricyclic antidepressants - TCAs), the newer ADs like mirtazapine aren't dangerous in overdose. But of course nobody should get to the stage of even wanting to try to OD.

You need to talk to your psychiatrist about why you wanted to overdose. It's guaranteed to make you feel uncomfortable, but worth it in the long run.

Hopefully now the mirtazapine brain zaps will be over, but there are challenges ahead, so keep posting.

Thanks the brain zaps are getting less but still there, I am sticking with no antidepressants for a bit. It isn't easy and my emotions are all over the place, but I know that I must keep at it :)

I'm not recommending anything here, just stating my experience.

I came off duloxetine cold-turkey (with GPs knowledge if not approval) and found Fish Oil (Cod Liver Oil, Omega 3 etc) with high EPA and DHA contents helped me reduce the brain zaps.

I was on mirtazapine as well, which might have helped guard against withdrawal, but when I reduced the Cod Liver Oil the brain zaps got worse, so I certainly feel the fish oil helped.

I kept on them for about 10 weeks, now I'm back to my usual brand CLO at standard dosage.

Think that sounds like a good idea thanks Mark. :)

The fish oil appears to be working :) it has certainly reduced them although they get worse at night. Out of interest I am taking 1000mg of cod liver oil what did you take mark