brain shivers

[fantasy]

Brain shivers are an unpleasant experience. I've heard them described as similar to the feeling of someone vomiting inside of your brain. Some people experience a feeling almost like that of an electric shock, the sense of having hit one's funny bone, or like a strobe light pulsing inside of your head

[Dboo]

I am using Effexor myself and a month ago missed one dose and my blood pressure went dangerously low. I didn't know at the time it did that, so now I make sure I take it every morning. When I miss that dose, I actually blacked out.

[Dboo]

Originally Posted by d3stiny

my aunt decide to stop Effexor because she thinks it is not working for her for she used it like 2 years already. She lessen the doses and eventually stop altogether just recently and she's in the middle of experiencing withdrawals. she can't sleep well, and have mood swings which we as her nieces get so irritated because it came to a point that she is totally unpredictable. She said she feel that her brain shiver. it gives her pain in the back dizziness and the feeling of coldness maybe for the reason she is having lack of sleep. For the past few weeks when she missed one dose of she's really having a bad experienced. Its not good to be totally dependent with the drug and i am just concern with her because she is suffering so much of it. How long these symptoms last?

Be careful with missing doses because it can cause your blood pressure to go dangerously low, I did that and I blacked out. Now I make sure I take it like it's prescribed every morning.

[Willie]

Hi all. I'm a noob to the forum, but not to Effexor or brain zaps.
Five years ago I was diagnosed with depression. That was right after going through treatment for alcohol abuse. Guess that was my crutch, but who knew.
Certainly not me.
Started out with prozac generic (fluoxetine) 20mg, no zaps yet. But 20mg's wasn't working so the doc up it to 40. That's when the brain zaps started. But I really didn't put two and two together. A year later went back to see Doc and asked if I might try something else because the fluoxetine just wasn't working and anxiety seemed to be showing it's ugly face now to. I did not tell him about the zaps. I diagnosed myself and figured it was the fluoxetine.
Well, he prescribed Effexor 50mg. That lasted a year, still getting zapped.
Six months ago my depression and anxiety would not subside so he up me to 150mg.
I'm feeling a lot better these days, but the zaps are still there.
Here's what I feel:
When I turn my head it feels and sounds like the gears of an electronic robot are jerking my
head sideways in short movements, and my eyes following in short little ,very unsmooth spurts, still with that robot sound. These sounds are really there. I think. I know it's not visible to anyone else, but some times this can go on for hours. Then it just passes.
I'm going to see the doc in two weeks. Maybe I should bring this up. I was going to maybe switch meds again. But then
I did read what Zen said about the zaps. Made me think again about switching.
Well, thanks for reading, hope I didn't bore you to bad.
I just wanted to let you know that the zaps are a real deal.

[Jeffrey]

Make sure if you are having ANY problem with antidepressants you need to contact your doctor or healthcare professional IMMEDIATELY! This is nothing to fool around with. Some of the side effects can be permanent if you don't get help from the doctor.

[Willie]

Thanks for the comment and concerns Jeffrey.
I spoke with Doc today. I told him the same thing I posted, and he was concerned. But not as much as I had expected.
It was something like," that doesn't seem right, maybe we should try a different med". I also told him I was tired all the time and was concerned about that.
But my depression and anxiety seems to be kept at bay.
Well he asked if I was willing to try Pristiq 50 mgs for two weeks.
I know that Effexor's patent is running out, It this could just be a new name they're giving it to keep the price up, but what if it works? Can they just change a name without changing the ingredient? I don't know. I'm going to try it for two weeks and see.

[Jeffrey]

They do sometimes change the carrier the drug is processed in or change to a longer acting form of the drug. Then they can call it a new name and have a new patent for it. Drug companies do want to make their money back for the research they have done on these drugs.