Why am I having brain zaps while still medicated?

September 13, 2013 1:01 PM

I know you are not my doctor and I will ask him as soon as I can but I'm wondering if anyone here has experienced "brain zaps" while on antidepressants that are not withdrawal related.

I have been on Sertraline (Zoloft) for a year and a half to treat depression and anxiety. I take 100mg daily and while I had a few side effects when I started taking them, they went away within a month and didn't include brain zaps.

For the past week, however, I've been experiencing brain zaps on and off even though I am on the same dosage and I haven't missed (or been late with) a dose. I have been late with doses a few times in the past and felt zaps as a result, but I'm certain that's not the case now. I should mention that I know what they are/feel like from when I tapered off Effexor a good 10 years ago.

If nothing has changed in my medication and dosage, what reasons could there be for the brain zaps to be happening?

I recently had a full physical and blood work done and everything came back fine, in case out matters.

Thanks in advance!

posted by legendarygirlfriend to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

I used to get them occasionally while taking Cymbalta, even when I was on a regular dose schedule.
posted by jjwiseman at 1:28 PM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Did you have blood work re your liver? Wonder if your body is processing the same.

Also, are you eating or drinking or taking anything different? Grapefruit juice, maybe?

Also, did you just refill a prescription?


I would start by asking your pharmacist. And then checking with your doctor.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 1:40 PM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

My mother had problems when she changed generic brands of Zoloft. Most are fine, but one particular brand (whatever the mail order pharmacy was using) gives her brain zaps. After that she ended up having to go up to 200 mg per day to keep the zaps away, but that seems to be pretty unusual.
posted by monopas at 1:42 PM on September 13, 2013

I occasionally get these on Celexa/Citalopram. Sometimes I seem to react differently to medication even when I have been on it for ages/am not withdrawing. Maybe just mention it to your doctor when you get the prescription refilled.
posted by Dorothea_in_Rome at 3:12 PM on September 13, 2013

Best answer: Generics are allowed to vary up to 10% from the stated dosage level. Different brands of generic sometimes differ in formulation as well.

If you are taking a generic, don't assume that nothing has changed in your medication.
posted by yohko at 3:28 PM on September 13, 2013

I had "zaps" on Wellbuterin, ick. Getting off the horrible drug was worse and had far more zappiness.
posted by Invoke at 4:38 PM on September 13, 2013

Response by poster: I didn't realize that generics could vary like that, thanks for the info, yohko. That's especially interesting because I did just refill my prescription, St. Alia, just over a week ago. Nothing else has changed regarding my eating/drinking (no grapefruit juice). I'll talk to my pharmacist and then doctor as suggested. Thanks for the help, all!
posted by legendarygirlfriend at 1:23 AM on September 14, 2013

I take Lexapro and when it went off patent last year I began getting generics. I've never had any problem with generics so was really surprised when I started feeling very low and anxious again, similar to a too-low-dose of the Lexapro. I told my pharmacist about it and he said he'd order from a different company the next time - he didn't seem too surprised. Sure enough, the next time the pill was obviously different and worked just fine.

So another vote for poor quality generic antidepressants. I think the pharmaceutical companies want you to think you need a new antidepressant, one that's UNDER PATENT - and costs a fortune, of course.
posted by aryma at 1:53 AM on September 14, 2013 [2 favorites]

I too was convinced that certain brands of generic Zoloft just plain didn't work as well.

It is perfectly plausible that your last batch of pills was +10% on the dosage, and your current batch is -10% on the dosage. Going from 110mg to 90mg is enough to cause a little zappiness. Even more plausible if one of the batches was out of specification.

You might try asking you doctor if Prozac might be something to try. It has a much longer half life and will be less prone to giving you the zaps. I like it much better than Zoloft, whose shorter half life seemed to cause me to have daily mood swings. Super content and non anxious as the pill was taking effect, and the opposite in the evening as the day's dose was wearing off.
posted by gjc at 5:01 AM on September 14, 2013 [1 favorite]