Are these the "brain zaps" everyone talks about?

I don't know i always think of zaps as painful lol but here's my situaiton:

my last dose of my taper off of lexapro was yesterday. Today throughout the day and especially when very tired or just waking up I get these "jolts" when I move my eyes or blink. Not in my brain, in my body physically. Also sometimes when I walk, each step feels a little electric through my legs.

so I guess obviously not "brain" zaps. But is this a typical sort of discontinuation effect? I've had the same feelings often before while ON the lexapro but never to this degree.

Sounds like 'em to me.

oh goody, yay for me! lol

I keep hearing random stuff that may or may not be perfectly normal for the environment I'm in, too - I'm outside on the patio as I usually am when on the computer this time of year ... for example, either my tree is dropping its pine cones, or there is some animal up there rustling around, or I'm just imagining it. There's either static on my radio from the computer interference, or I'm imagining that too. That one I tend to believe is more reality than fiction though. Keep hearing yard sprinklers coming on, but then they don't, so either it's the sprinklers of one of the neighbors, or again I'm slightly out of my mind.

At least I'm fairly confident this won't be permanent

brain zaps have to be the weirdest thing. i only had them in my brain but yes it did feel just like a little jolt of electricity. they weren't painful at all just very strange. thankfully, they do go away but they might get pretty frequent before that happens. hang in there!

Sounds to me like the doctor took you off the med too fast still.

Please tell the MD about this, they need to learn to take more time weaning people off these brain meds!

yes. that sounds exactly like the "zaps" I felt when I went off lexapro. like my brain was jello bouncing off the insides of my head too, but definitely the "zaps" when I took a step, sort of like an electric shock from my foot all the way up to my head. sorry :-( hang in there, it does get better with time.

Sounds like it to me too. I think I'm experiencing the same thing, only a little bit different. For me it's dizziness, but so bad that even when I move my eyes or head a little or blink, I get so dizzy and nauseous. Not sure if it's the same thing..

I've had brain zaps quite often from different meds. Is there any connection between brain zaps and an actual seizure? Sometimes it almost feels like the start of one.

Yes, it sounds like you have a case of the "zaps".

I get them if I miss a day of my cymbalta. When they first start, I feel them at the base of my brain/back of my neck. It is just like a jolt of electricity. The longer I wait to get the meds, the more intense they become. Usually after two-three days they start in my neck and travel all the way down my arms/legs and my jaw gets really stiff/tight. My anxiety goes through the roof too. (I know this isn't about me...just sharing my experience)

It does sound like maybe your taper went too fast for your system. Hopefully they won't become more intense, but if they do, I would call your MD and talk with them about it. Hang in there....your system is resetting.

My zaps are more like a zooming feeling in my head, I feel I can almost hear a woosh in my head. Hard to describe. People confuse it with dizziness, the two go together but it's not just dizziness.

Yes, it's like the sound of race cars zooming by.

I read such withdrawal symptoms go away in a week or so:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_d..._symptoms_last