Posted by Dave@MT on February 28, 2001, at 21:18:28
In reply to Re: Electric Shock » Sunnely, posted by Cam W. on February 27, 2001, at 6:47:27
> > Sunnely & Cam
I appreciate both your helpful responses, thanks.
For the record what I referred to as "electric head" - courtesy of Abbi - is surely what you two are talking about.
It feels to me as if an electric charge builds up in your head, then discharges through your entire nervous system. The intensity of the "discharges" can vary. At worst, it can momentarily disorient you - just like receiving a sharp smack to the head. At times, especially when you are standing up, you can feel it in the soles of your feet, just as if an electric current were trying to go to ground through them.
I - and a few others I have netted with - agree that it seems to be brought on by moving your head or even just your eyes. Or, it can occur spontaneously, even when you are sitting perfectly still.
When I first began ramping off Luvox, and I went past the point where I "should" have taken a dose, the sensations would build to the point the sensations would build in rapidity and intensity until I had to take a low dose just to get some relief.I am very happy to say that I've been completely off now for about 8 days and I hardly notice it anymore. See the Luvox withdrawal thread if you are interested in the details - I ramped down fairly slowly, and that is surely the key here.
Thanks again
Dave@MT> Sunnely - I have heard of this "electric shock" in the head. It seems to be a long-term symptom of seroternic drug withdrawl and can last months. It has been described as a "kind of vibration/crackling or short-lived pop/buzz" in the head. This is one side effect that has made me wonder on several occasions. It does seem to start upon abrupt withdrawl of the short acting serotonergic agents and can even continue when a weaning regimen is reinstated. I have never personally heard of someone mention this, but have read of it in the literature. I do not know what kind of weaning process was eventually initiated,
> either. It seems to be a real phenomenon, though, and could have to do with either a problem of reinstating appropriate levels of the serotonin reuptake transporter, the 5-HTB1 receptor, or the norepinephrine reuptake transporter; all of which have recently been shown to be linked to one another. I have a feeling (and it is just a feeling) that the inability of certain people's biochemistry to "renormalize' or upregulate the norepinephrine transporter upon withdrawl of the serotonergic agent may be at the heart of these "electric shocks".
>
> Do you have any comments or thoughts on this? - Cam
poster:Dave@MT
thread:54758
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010221/msgs/55177.html