Are brain zaps dangerous? What causes brain zaps when tapering from a benzodiazepine or during protracted withdrawal?
What do brain zaps feel like? Some people describe them as a sudden electric shock sensation in the head.
What are brain zaps caused by? The causes of brain zaps include stopping an SSRI or benzodiazepine suddenly, or too quickly.
Additionally, taking a psych drug consistently may also cause brain zaps or head zaps, as a side effect. Why do brain zaps happen? The cause is thought to be changes in neurotransmitter levels, such as serotonin.
Have you ever felt a shock in your head, like an electrical shooting pain through your brain? Head zaps, or brain zaps, are uncomfortable and annoying. They can wake you up in the middle of the night.
People who have experienced brain zaps often worry about possible damage to their brain. They wonder if the sudden electric shock sensation in their head might have damaged brain cells or entire regions of the brain.
I stopped taking benzos months ago, so why do I get brain zaps and brain buzzing?
Do brain zaps go away after stopping a benzo or antidepressant? Some people still get random brain zaps long after quitting cold turkey, or tapering off of a benzodiazepine or other psych drug.
Long-term withdrawal symptoms are part of a protracted withdrawal syndrome, or post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). For example, people who have quit benzos, such as Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, or Valium, may experience long-term insomnia, anxiety, and other symptoms, such as benzo belly, histamine sensitivity, or mast-cell activation syndrome.
There are people who, as part of the protracted benzo withdrawal, experience brain zap symptoms. They may have constant brain zaps in their head, or electric shocks that go through both their head and body (body zaps).
When do brain zaps go away? While there are some brain zap remedies, in most cases, it simply takes time for these brain spasm symptoms to subside.
Most protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms eventually go away within months for most people. In some cases, it can take up to a few years or more for all withdrawal symptoms to go away.
What are some supplements that might help with brain zaps or body zaps?
One warning stands above everything else: never stop a benzodiazepine suddenly, and never let a taper turn into an abrupt stop. Sudden discontinuation can trigger seizures and can be life-threatening. However a taper is shaped, it should be gradual and medically supervised.
There is no medication approved for treating brain zaps. Likewise, there is no supplement that is specifically known as a brain zap remedy.
However, there are supplements that are known to generally help with brain-related issues. Some natural supplements are even thought to be neuroprotective, or protective of brain function and the nervous system.
Fish oil for brain zaps may be helpful, because fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are known to be good for the brain, heart, and for managing pain.
Fish oil omega-3 fatty acids are a neuroprotective supplement. There is no evidence that fish oil reduces brain zaps. Omega-3 fatty acids are reasonable for general health, but whether any supplement is worth taking during a benzodiazepine taper or protracted withdrawal is an individual decision to make with your doctor, not a general recommendation.
In addition to fish oil, there are other supplements that may be helpful. For example, there is folate, thiamine, pyridoxine, and B12.
What vitamins are best to help with frequent brain zaps?
Generally, the B vitamins are known to have neuroprotective properties and may help with brain zap symptoms. Folate, thiamine, pyridoxine, and B12 are all B vitamins.
It is interesting to note that some, or all of these vitamins are used during an alcohol detox. An alcoholic who has been consuming large quantities of alcohol over a long period of time is often deficient in these vitamins, which are essential for neurological functioning.
Part of the reason for the deficiencies is that alcohol blocks absorption of these vitamins in the intestines. Also, during a period of active addiction, a person may tend to not eat a well-rounded, healthy diet.
Of course, benzodiazepine use and protracted withdrawal after stopping benzos has nothing to do with alcoholism or addiction. However, one possible explanation for why a benzo withdrawal patient may have nutritional deficiencies is that they may have benzo belly or other symptoms that make it difficult to eat meals and maintain proper nutrition.
Even if there is no issue with vitamin deficiency, it may still help to take vitamin supplements. A B complex vitamin with all the above-mentioned B vitamins may help with brain zaps.
Are there other supplements that might help as remedies for brain zaps?
Many other herbal and nutritional supplements are marketed as neuroprotective. None of them has been shown to treat brain zaps, and some herbal products act on the same nervous-system pathways that benzodiazepines affect, so during withdrawal they deserve caution rather than a casual trial.
Before using any over-the-counter supplement, it is important to first see your doctor and ask if it is safe to take the supplement with your current health conditions, medications, and currently used supplements.
Supplements may interact with other supplements, or with prescription medications. Please ask your doctor before starting a new supplement, even if it has a harmless-sounding natural name.
Brain zaps are an uncomfortable symptom. Having brain zaps is disconcerting, but they are generally not considered to be dangerous. And, if you are recovering from benzodiazepine dependence, brain zaps should improve with time.
This article is educational. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Decisions about starting, continuing, or tapering any medication should be made with your own physician.
