Are Withdrawal "brain Zaps" In Face?

[falling_wave]

So I thought I was done with withdrawal process off lexapro. Maybe I am and maybe not. I've suddenly been having so much anxiety and just disappointment about who I turned out to be as a person. I keep telling myself some days won't be as painful as others and that keeps me going. What has been giving me a lot of anxiety is this electrical pulse feeling I keep getting in my face and sometimes my hands. Its really weird. I didnt know what it was and I called the nurse helpline and she didnt know but then I remembered reading about brain zaps with withdrawal. Ive been off for a few weeks so its odd it would start now and I always imagined brain zaps being in my head but these are in my face and come very often but especially when I get strong feelings of sadness. Is this just withdrawal or something deeper. I have never felt this before.

 

[Nam]

Can you tell me what meds you are on? I have a hunch but I don't want to jump to conclusions.

Edit to Add: It apparently is common. Lots of forum boards that claim shocks and reboots with withdrawal from lexapro.

Shocks is the nervous system. I get them in my left arm frequently. After much researching, I decided to add Choline and Complex B vitamins. Choline helps the neurotransmitters fire correctly. (Kind of. It binds to something else to make the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Other b vitamins help that, hence the complex B.) This helped so many weird symptoms I was having. The only thing all the symptoms had in common was the vagus nerve. Almost all of my problems cleared up with choline added. It's a supplement that GNC carries and lots of places online.

 

[falling_wave]

Can you tell me what meds you are on? I have a hunch but I don't want to jump to conclusions.

I was on lexapro for 18 months and have been off after tapering down slowly for 2 weeks. I was also on xanax but not everyday.

 

[falling_wave]

Choline helps the neurotransmitters fire correctly.

Thanks so much. I will get that and give it a try. I was just scared because it's in my face and not my head. I guess for a lot of people it is in their head not face?

 

[Nam]

Yeah, I venture to say it's not as much as a brain thing, more like a nerve pathways kind of thing.

 

[Intrepid]

When I took Buspar it made me at times dizzy when I turned my head too fast or in the wrong way. I told my prescriber and she was concerned I might have other problems causing the dizziness, but I think it was a simple side effect.

When I stopped the medication it took 6 months for that effect to wear off. I was really worried that the side effects would last for ever.

 

[ekane]

I took lexapro for about 6 weeks and was like a vampire or sleeping beauty. Slept 18 hours a day and developed joint pains that made it hard to even move small amounts. I abruptly stopped taking it and saw 1000s of people online with joint pain and brain zaps and that's how I decided I will never ever use SSRIs again. The joint pain took several months to fade away. I believe you are having brain zaps despite the location. I wish you the besof luck getting rod of them. A few people had them ongoing, but it seems like most went a way over time.

 

[Lucycat]

I was just scared because it's in my face and not my head. I guess for a lot of people it is in their head not face?

I think of my face as part of my head.

 

[falling_wave]

It was so difficult working today. The electrical pulsing and tingling was rushing through my face, chest, and arms. I had this sort of nervous energy and I really felt like my heart might start having problems due to all the stress. I'm not sure if my heart is actually being shocked or if it just feels like it. I also was worried people at work might think I'm on something because it's hard to hide the enormous effort of working when my body is actively fighting me. I sweat and get flushed every time it happens which is about every three minutes. I know this will pass so I just keep telling myself that. I'm also working on noticing and lettings it go because if I add any additional stress I think I would pass out or have a heart attack or something. Really all people should be warned of this before they go on. I ended up just telling my roommate what was going on because it is so terribly hard to pretend like nothing is going on inside me while I go about daily life. I actually feel so much better she knows now.