What are brain zaps? A brain zap is what you experience when you stop taking an antidepressant medication. And what that feels like is an electrical flash in your brain. And it is seen as a symptom of a result of discontinuing an antidepressant medication, and this is referred as ADS. It usually goes away after a couple of days or weeks.
How often does it happen if you stop taking an anti-depressant medication and will you experience symptoms? A 2024 research study revealed that 4 out of 5 people who stopped anti-depressant medications experienced moderate to severe symptoms.
What are brain zaps? iStock-photo credit: Olivier Verriest
A brain zap is not dangerous, but it can be surprising and distracting to folks when you experience an electrical flash in your brain. But it is nothing to be concerned about as long as you are not experiencing extreme symptoms. Essentially a brain zap is a withdrawal from stopping an antidepressant medication.
And some of the other symptoms are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Feeling Dizzy or light-headed
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Body Aches
This is what people have reported when they have experienced brain shock:
- buzzing
- tingling
- jolt
- pain
- some have even experienced momentary black-outs or an out-of-body experience.
How Long Does A Brain Zap Last?
It can last a few seconds and up to a minute at times. If it persists for an extended period, then you need to contact your medical provider immediately.
Brain zaps can be experienced with high stress and anxiety and without medication so it’s not only a discontinuation of medication.
The Bottom Line is Brain Zaps is an electric shock withdrawal symptom when you stop taking anti-depressant medication. It typically doesn’t last for that long, but it is a common withdrawal.
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References
- Cleveland Clinic: “Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome.”
- Journal of Affective Disorders Reports: “The nature and impact of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms and proposal of the Discriminatory Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms Scale (DAWSS).”
- Drew Cumming, MD, staff psychiatrist, the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
- Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine: “Discontinuing antidepressants: Pearls and pitfalls.”
- The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders: “Brain Zaps: An Underappreciated Symptom of Antidepressant Discontinuation.”
