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Brain Zaps, Lorezapam withdrawl

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Posted 3/24/2010 4:05 AM (GMT 0)
I want to thank all the moderators and all who put up this site. It certainly is very comforting and informing.

Over the last six months I had experienced anxiety attacks. Was prescribed Lorezapam 1 mg  dosage, that helped me throughover these last six months when I would only take it when an attack came on . At most I was taking one pill at evening for a week, then decided to come off.  The dosage was 1mg. Over this period of six months,  I may have gone through sixty pills.  Over the last six or so weeks I have quit taking them by cutting dosage tapering slowly. I have slowly cut daily dossage one week at a time from 1 mg. to .5 mg.  in second week to  to .25 daily in third week to .25 mg. every second day on forth week to nothing in these last two weeks.  The postive is that I am starting to feel like myself which is fantastic. The negative is that I am getting these brain zaps periodically through the day and just having my head feeling like someone hit me with a bat over the head sometimes.  I am just wondering whether these symptoms will stop and how long will it take for them to stop given the amount of medication I have been on. The brain zaps are the most uncomfortable and a bit scary .

I would appreciate any information on this.

 

Posted 3/24/2010 5:27 AM (GMT 0)
I know it sounds like you're tapering slowly, but in fact you may be going a bit too quickly. When coming off a benzo it would be wise to get the advice of a medical professional.
Posted 3/24/2010 5:35 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your comment. I will speak with a doc. I live in a rural community, doc comes only once a week. He was the one who prescribed the Antivan, but never mentioned anything about withdrawl symptoms at all. I dont want to start again being that I have not taken any for approx. two weeks, but not sure what to do now.
Luckily there are fantastic people who put on and are part of these forums which has helped a lot. Thank you.
Posted 3/24/2010 1:13 PM (GMT 0)
I think since you have come this far, the best advice is to continue being off the med. I have heard of others getting the brain zaps, but I think within time that should ease up. If it continues or is bothersome, then do speak to your doctor. Good luck!
Posted 3/24/2010 1:52 PM (GMT 0)
Good Morning,

Brain zaps, also known as "brain shocks," "brain shivers," or "head shocks" are a fairly common withdrawal symptom experienced during discontinuation (or reduction of dose) of certain drugs. They are more common with the SSRI and SNRI antidepressant drugs.

As withdrawal time increases, the frequency of the shocks decreases. They may last for a period of several weeks after the last dose and usually resolve completely within a month or two.

I am sorry to hear you are experiencing the brain zaps and please do check in with your physician.

Gentle Hugs,

Kitt
Posted 3/24/2010 2:07 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for your comments. Recognition of what is going on, wins half the battle. The not knowing is the disconcerting portion that sometimes just creates a bit of the anxiety which from what I have heard also creates the brain zaps. I will stick it out, get through the bad day, think positive thoughts, and thinking of Feelin Good.
Best Regards.
Posted 3/25/2010 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome and glad you are going to see this thru..i know you will make it and i do hope you continue to keep posting..becoming part of the family here
lyn
Posted 3/25/2010 3:26 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you very much Lyn.  I look forward to participating in this forum.  Today, my day was a bit better with the brain zaps. Quite a bit fewer  than the first day I posted, with each further in between.  My head continued to feel like a bit of a concussion though especially as the day went on.  A little dizzy, just not there totally as my head was jarred or the feeling you get if someone just gave you a fairly heavy wack against your head.

In the morning I felt fantastic for the first few hours of work though which was great. As the afternoon ground on, then concussion feeling started coming back on. It seems that when my energy level goes down the  bad concus head feeling comes on. It is an amazing feeling though in the morning when I feel fantastic though. Luckily  I am able to experience a few hours of that, which also gives me that additional motivation to bear out the concus feeling hoping that the next day will have an additional hour or two of fantastic feeling great than the one before. One step at a time I guess.

Thank you all again.

 

Posted 3/25/2010 1:07 PM (GMT 0)
Good Morning...happy to hear you had a better day for the most part yesterday
Since i was found by daughter with head inbedded in coffee table in a seizure i have gone totally deaf\this causes me to hv the noises like when telly goes off the air and volume full blast with that static in my head ya know
it literally drives me nuttier than i am..if thats possible..lol..
you mention energy levels with this feeling
have you had blood sugar tested.
you have a great attitude about this and i know it has to be difficult at the best of times
keep on posting and talking about this or anything else that bothers you
it really does help
have a great day
lyn
Posted 3/25/2010 1:26 PM (GMT 0)

Thank you very much Lyn.  Your story and your outlook that I read is quite inspirational. I hope you have a fantastic day today. I plan to as well.

George

Posted 3/27/2010 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
You too George n remember we are here for you....huggs
lyn
Posted 3/28/2010 7:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hello;

Well its almost one a.m. and about forty five minutes ago, I had an anxiety attack. Hadnt had one of those in quite a few weeks. Well what happened is all of a sudden my heart started beating like crazy. I think I have run myself down from work. So I grabbed my Lorezapam and cracked open the bottle, had the pill in my hand, with all this going on, and I then put it BACK IN THE BOTTLE and worked at getting a hold of myself. I didnt want to go there again but I am wondering whether if I did even half a pill would that have been disasterous? Non the less I didnt take anything and  I ended up calling a nurse (24 hour hotline) and just needed to speak to someone to get me through this episode and so far it is working. No pills. I thought of even halving the pill, but I didnt. Its back in the bottle.

I have worked myself into the ground this week, is probably why. I have been drinking coffee again and I hear that is not so good. I think I will stop that for a while. I have been dealing with alot of stress at work, my own business and have been working to much. There are some days that my body feels so tense when I am done that there is almost a vibrating going through my neck into my head. Do you think its my muscles just being so tense. I am really trying to tackle the stress. The stress is absolutely horrible. I wonder if there are folks I can talk to about helping me manage stress?

For anxiety I think I had the perfect storm.  Being alone, also in a rural community, no hospital near by,  no family, no one to really talk to, and a business that I was running by myself that consumed my so much energy and time and of course me financially. No long weekends, or much time for myelf for the last three years.  Its better now financially. But I think being alone is the worst with no one to talk to and just being alone. I just wished, for example when my anxiety happened tonight I could just call someone. Be it a little late at night, but just to have that opportunity sometimes would be enough. Oh, I also heard that one glass of wine after work would take the stress edge off so I did. But I had three glasses, small as they were, still I believe I am going back to not having any at all.  I had totally stopped consuming any alchohol over the last few months. Not that I drink much at all except for a glass or two of wine.

Excuse for the lenghty post this time.

George

 

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