Brain Shivers Before Panic Attack (not Ssri-related)

[Solve]

I've had PTSD symptoms for more than 3 years at this point and I'm currently not taking any medication at all.

I always experience brain shivers after I'm triggered, so I was curious to know if anyone else had this type of sensation before a panic attack or flashback. I did a google search on this topic but I wasn't able to find any descriptions of brain shivers happening to people who were not taking SSRIs.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Shivers? Are they like electrical zaps?

 

[Solve]

Yes, exactly. I'm not too familiar with the terminology involved but it does feel kind of like an electrical discharge or a twitch almost.

 

[franciemarnie]

I had them after I stopped taking anti-depressants, especially when trying to sleep. It was awful. I am sorry this is happening. Mine went away after a couple months.

I've also had a thing where my brain feels like it is literally turning in my skull, which is momentarily terrifying but it is rare that happens.

 

[macca]

I'm probably not much help here, as you are looking for non-ssri related, but I had them coming off a very low dose of Effexor. I was coming off only half of a 37.5mg tablet (approx 18mg), and even a quarter of that (9mg), way too small a dose to be therapeutic (75mg minimum), and had been tapering very, very gradually due to the severe withdrawal. I would get the brain zap and then flashbacks straight after. Same flashbacks as always, but more frequent and more intense. But outside of that, I haven't had the brain zap thing, so I don't know if it's relevant.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Sorry, no personal experience here outside of SSRI withdrawal.

 

[macca]

Sorry to hijack the thread for a moment but @Solara did you get flashbacks as well in withdrawal?

 

[DharmaGirl]

I get a feeling of pressure that start in the back of my brain, not my head, and moves forward right before and during the beginning of big ones.

 

[snappy_turtle]

I also experience what @DharmaGirl just mentioned, however, I can't remember if I every experienced brain zaps. :/ hmm

 

[Deleted member 1860]

@macca,
I went through withdrawals a long time before I was diagnosed or even knew that I have been experiencing flashbacks since I was a child.

 

[macca]

@Solara Thanks for that. Same here - diagnosed about 2-3 years after withdrawal, but flashbacks since childhood. I didn't equate the experiences in withdrawal to flashbacks until my diagnosis, when I realised that I'd always had these experiences. They were just intense during withdrawal for some reason, and seemed to be set off by the brain zaps.

 

[shimmerz]

I am not certain that we are speaking of exactly the same things, but I went through what you call brain shivers a ton at the beginning of my ptsd rekindling. To me the feeling was (and t-doc concurred) that they were new connections in the brain being made. I try to direct as much as I possibly can the feeling that these things are good and that I am learning the truth about my situation and therefore becoming a more whole person and these zaps simply confirm this to me.