I have had social anxiety attacks in the past, with varying degree of intensity. Some attacks feel like my brain is being shocked, receiving a jolt of electricity, sometimes real bad, others are more mild. I read an article in the newspaper about a month ago, and it was discussing that such brain shocks (jolts) are sometimes experienced by people who withdraw too quickly off of anxiety medication. The thing is, i've never been on medication. Has anyone else experienced these type of jolts? Any thoughts?
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:36 pm Post subject: Woah!
YES. I just didn't know how to explain it.
This happened to me when I took Tryptophan 2 gm (I think this was the dose).
I tried to explain it to the psychiatrist, but he looked at me like I was NUTS!
I wasn't weaning off it then, it was when I was on it! And it happened at night..after I took it! Woah!
Not surpisingly, I don't think you're nuts at all. Did you experience a rapid flow of thoughts prior to the jolt, like your brain is going into over drive? That's what happened to me by the way. As your brain workings are both chemical and electrical, this is not at all far fetched.
Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 11:33 am Post subject: ..
No. Well, maybe. It was just as I was almost asleep. Then that jolt would happen, I'd feel a rush of adrenaline (maybe..), that and it made me a bit nervous because I had no idea what that was.
It was either a rush of adrenaline or anxiety. Not sure which.
I tried to explain it to him (lol) and all I could come up with was a 'firework' in my brain.
Well, from my understanding, adrenaline and anxiety attacks (AA) are linked fairly closely. One rarely if ever has an AA without a surge of adrenaline and other stress related hormones. Some people speculate that AA's are from too much adrenaline. One hypothesis I have is that the adrenaline was speeding up my thoughts, thus the electrical activity along the nuerons, which may be causing these jolts that I have been experiencing. Or the reverse may be true (chicken or the egg), the adrenaline may be speeding up the electrical activity, thus speeding up the thoughts and a flow of memories (think about experiments when electricity is applied to the brain and patients experience past memories).
As for being harmful, I don't know, but it does hurt like hell, depending on the severity of the jolt. It messes up my nervous system for a good while also, as does any form of AA. I just started seeing a new psychologist, and he had never heard of these 'jolts/fireworks' either (dispite a recent article on the front page of the online Washington Post regarding these jolts as side effects of rapid med. withdraw. (some meds anyway). That is why I posted my question, and I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to respond. I hope that this makes you feel a little better about your experience trying to discribe your "fireworks" to your doctor. You truely are not the only one who has had this problem.
You wouldn't happen to have a copy of that newspaper article would you? Internet or actual copy. I could pay you to send it if it's not on the net. Yes? I would LOVE to show the psychiatrist that.
I remember trying to research it online..but I could only, again, desribe it as 'firework'. Or a 'twinge'. I never thought of 'jolt'..
I think what would happen would be a jolt and then I would have a quick panic like "What the heck was that, am I dying?" Like, ..when..all is well when you are driving and then you have to slam the breaks on (that quick adrenaline/panic feeling that rushes through your whole body).
You know, it makes me wonder all the time how 'safe' drugs really are. What braindamage are they doing to us..like when we are 80..
I am sure that if you put in a little time, you can find plenty more, but these already make the point. One article talks about during withdraw from SSRI, there is a sudden decrease in seratonin as the uptake inhibitory effects are no longer occuring. They speculate this may lead to the shocks.
If these stories don't satisty you, I can try a little harder, but I think they make the point. The article in the post was about a month ago. I don't have much time right now, but if you want to read more links about this, do the search I did. I just scratched the surface of the results. Also try substituting the word shock for jolt and see what come up.
By the way, I read your post about having troubles with your in-laws, and I can relate to your situation. Except in my case, its my step mother who is being 'not nice' and has turned my father against me long ago. It is not good when SA problems are from family members, as you can't just ditch them like you can strangers, friends or co-workers.
Last edited by Bearly on Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
You're welcome. Our exchanges have been helpful to me also. I am glad that you found this thread helpful, and I appreciate your replies, especially as I haven't heard from others yet. Considering people may be on meds, this should be a relevant subject to some. I don't want to scare people off meds, just recommend caution while using them, especially coming off them.
I find that when just dropping off to sleep, when very tired I get like jolts running through my body that will make me kick my leg, twitch an arm. It is like a shot of adrenaline is shot to my brain and it almost jump starts my body.
It's really weird, and I think I twitch in my sleep, but this is linked more to nervous exhaustion and relaxing of the mucles. Simply like a way of exerting knotted energy.
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