HELP! I keep getting shocks
Question:
Jackie, I don’t think that I took more than 20 mgs due to the increased anxiety. I do remember telling the doctor about the "electrical shock sensation" and about the "loss of perception of where I was placing my feet". I was going through the weaning of Paxil when I told him, so he added a small dose of Prozac, which stopped the "electric shock" sensations. Interestingly Lhermitte’s sign is brought on when a person bends their head.
The feeling I get in my head comes when I move my head back and forth, I haven`t noticed it when I bend my head. I think that you may remember when I went cold-turkey on the Klonopin. I had "electric shock" sensations during that bout, too.
I do remember that very well. The way you described it, you had me cracking up…..I don`t recall you fightened but more annoyed with that sensation. Take care. Jackie ~~I’m not in denial, I’m just selective about the reality I accept~~
Response:
I have anxiety disorder and PA and I began having these shocks in 1996. The only medication I was on at that time was Xanax. I thought maybe that was what was causing them so I switched to Klonopin. I had never been on an SSRI before when these started. I was put on Zoloft. The shocks have never gone away. They are most bothersome when trying to sleep. I just thought it was interesting that I have had these things without being on an SSRI. Susan aka LonelyGirl – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I have had PD for 1.5 years now and I find this symptom to be a very wierd thing and I hope I can explain it. I take paxil 20mg, the clomazepan & ativan .5sl I find often that I get what is like an electrical shock to the body. It seems to come from the brain and make its way through my limbs. it is not severe enough to hurt but it is annoying. With this comes anxiety and it feels like my throat is closing when they happen. I get dizzy and faint as well. Does anyone else experience this. If I have not explained myself enough, please let me know. PrincessDucky
Response:
I was having some "shocks" in my face and head area from time to time while taking my regular daily dosage (i.e no missed doses) of Zoloft a few years back. My psych said fluctuating blood levels of SSRIs could, on occasion, cause some of the same symtoms found in the SSRI withdrawal syndrome. This syndrome is most likely to occur in SSRIs with a short half life, and Paxil has the shortest halflife (24 hours) of all the SSRIs.
Hi Chip, I saw a post from you yesterday that explained the short half life of Paxil and it can cause these shock feelings. I really appreciate that info. I was positive the funny feeling in my head at times was the Paxil, but it is nice to see that it is a documented side-effect. It doesn`t scare me at all, not even annoy me, but I do notice it. One clustering of symptoms in the SSRI withdrawal syndrome involves sensory abnormalities, often brought on by movement (such as turning the head to one side or neck flexion), and includes "shocks, jolts, rushes, electric waves, burning, or tingling" which lasts a second or two.
Yup, with me it is side-to-side head movement, and the sensation lasts a few seconds. If I am very tired, it seems more exaggerated. This may explain the sensation you feel when you move your head.
I think it does. You also mentioned in some other post that since you’ve been on Paxil, you noticed frequent vivid dreams. Another symptom of Paxil withdrawal (or fluctuating blood levels) is excessive vivid dreaming and nightmares.
I have always been a dreamer, since being on Paxil they are very vivid, and seem so real. They are very colorful and they seem to last a long time. Some mornings I wake up and feel like I dreamed all night. Since being on Paxil, I have had a few periods of having nightmares. I just got over one of these periods. It is not one night…..but several in a row of nightmares. I am not one to have nightmares, so this does bother me alot when this happens. You may find taking your daily dose of Paxil in the evening instead of the morning (or vice versa if you take it in the PM) causes less vivid and more normal dreaming.
I tired switching the time I take the Paxil in March, I wanted to see if taking it in the PM would alleviate some of the daytime fatigue that Paxil was causing me. I ended up with pretty bad insomnia. So I have no choice but to take it in the AM. P.S. I’m not one to make smart-ass comments like alot of the other guys at ASAP. BUT, how can it take awhile for your brain to catch up if you’re a blonde? Then again, maybe some blondes do have brains. : ))
LOL…….this blonde does have a brain, it messes up alot, but it works fine enough for me<g. Jackie ~~It`s this brain of mine, it’s always makin’ mistakes… it’s got a mind of it’s own.
Response:
Hello, I have had PD for 1.5 years now and I find this symptom to be a very wierd thing and I hope I can explain it. I take paxil 20mg, the clomazepan & ativan .5sl I find often that I get what is like an electrical shock to the body. It seems to come from the brain and make its way through my limbs. it is not severe enough to hurt but it is annoying. With this comes anxiety and it feels like my throat is closing when they happen. I get dizzy and faint as well. Does anyone else experience this. If I have not explained myself enough, please let me know. PrincessDucky
Response:
Hi. Yes, I know the shocks well. I got them when I weaned off of prozac. They stayed for about 4 or 5 months. I’ve talked to others on this ng who also experienced the shocks either while on an AD, or while weaning off of one. Apparently, they are harmless. But they are annoying, and can definitely cause anxiety when you don’t know what the hell it is! Hope this helps, jb – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hello, I have had PD for 1.5 years now and I find this symptom to be a very wierd thing and I hope I can explain it. I take paxil 20mg, the clomazepan & ativan .5sl I find often that I get what is like an electrical shock to the body. It seems to come from the brain and make its way through my limbs. it is not severe enough to hurt but it is annoying. With this comes anxiety and it feels like my throat is closing when they happen. I get dizzy and faint as well. Does anyone else experience this. If I have not explained myself enough, please let me know. PrincessDucky
Response:
Schweiz Rundsch Med Prax 1998 Mar 4;87(10):345-8 [Withdrawal syndrome caused by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: apropos of a case]. [Article in French] Bryois C, Rubin C, Zbinden JD, Baumann P Clinique psychiatrique universitaire, Departement Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte (DUPA), Prilly-Lausanne. During the past 4 years, several case reports have been published on the withdrawal syndrome which may be observed after acute interruption of a treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressants (SSRI). Paroxetine is the most frequently cited antidepressant in the literature, whereas fluoxetine is the less frequently cited of this type of drugs. The withdrawal symptoms appear a few days after stopping treatment or after a decrease of the dose. The typical symptoms are of the gastro-intestinal type, such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Other symptoms are sensation of instability, vertigo, dizziness, headache, malaise, muscular pains, asthenia, as well as a syndrome of pseudo-influenza. Brief electric shocks throughout the body, which last one or two seconds, have also been reported. A case is reported in detail by the authors, who observed some of these symptoms in a patient after stopping his treatment with paroxetine. This withdrawal syndrome may be due to a rebound phenomenon of the serotonergic systems after interruption of the treatment with SSRIs. It is, therefore, recommended that treatment with SSRIs is progressively stopped over a period of several weeks.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Not too sure about this, but I seem to remember having read about this as a med side effect in which case Paxil would be the culprit. If so the thing to do is switch to another SSRI (Luvox has the lowest side effect profile) which can be done quickly and without washout period. I would have to read up on this though. Maybe someone else can confirm or disprove my recollection? Philip Hi Philip, I will confirm what you said in your post. A matter of fact when I saw the thread title "Help I keep getting shocks", I knew without reading any of the posts, it was about Paxil<g. I do know this "electric" shock feeling is a common withdrawal side-effect and also happens when a few doses of Paxil are missed. Take care!! Jackie "I never encountered failure, all I ever met were temporary setbacks."
I’ve been reading this thread with interest. I used to experience *shocks* all the time with my MS. They are called *Lermeet syndrome* shocks. <<phonetic spelling I mean that’s what MY shocks are called, after the Frenchman who first described them. I had no idea you could also feel this on certain meds. Although I’m sure your shocks aren’t called Lermeet syndrome shocks. But I imagine, by what you all have described, that they feel pretty much the same. You’re right. They’re not painful, just very odd. I described it to my doc once as the feeling you get when you test a 9 volt battery on your tongue. The tingle would shoot down my spine from the base of my neck everytime I bent my neck down. My doc said I was lucky. Some people with MS feel like they’re testing a car battery on their tongue. YIKES!! And the shock would radiate through their arms and legs as well. Thank goodness I haven’t felt them for several years. They were beginning to get on the one nerve I have left. Karen
Response:
I experienced the "shock" once and I do not take AD. At the time I was taking an occasional Xanax. IMO, I am not sure it is caused by the Anti-depressants. Cathy P.H.O.B.I.A. People Helping Others Become Independent Again Off-line Panic/Anxiety Support Group Learn about us at http://community.nj.com/cc/phobia
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi. Yes, I know the shocks well. I got them when I weaned off of prozac. They stayed for about 4 or 5 months. I’ve talked to others on this ng who also experienced the shocks either while on an AD, or while weaning off of one. Apparently, they are harmless. But they are annoying, and can definitely cause anxiety when you don’t know what the hell it is! Hope this helps, jb Hello, I have had PD for 1.5 years now and I find this symptom to be a very wierd thing and I hope I can explain it. I take paxil 20mg, the clomazepan & ativan .5sl I find often that I get what is like an electrical shock to the body. It seems to come from the brain and make its way through my limbs. it is not severe enough to hurt but it is annoying. With this comes anxiety and it feels like my throat is closing when they happen. I get dizzy and faint as well. Does anyone else experience this. If I have not explained myself enough, please let me know. PrincessDucky
Response:
Hello, I have had PD for 1.5 years now and I find this symptom to be a very wierd thing and I hope I can explain it. I take paxil 20mg, the clomazepan & ativan .5sl I find often that I get what is like an electrical shock to the body. It seems to come from the brain and make its way through my limbs. it is not severe enough to hurt but it is annoying. With this comes anxiety and it feels like my throat is closing when they happen. I get dizzy and faint as well. Does anyone else experience this. If I have not explained myself enough, please let me know. PrincessDucky
Not too sure about this, but I seem to remember having read about this as a med side effect in which case Paxil would be the culprit. If so the thing to do is switch to another SSRI (Luvox has the lowest side effect profile) which can be done quickly and without washout period. I would have to read up on this though. Maybe someone else can confirm or disprove my recollection? Philip
Response:
It helps alot. I suppose I am just going to have to live with it for now. Carolynn – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi. Yes, I know the shocks well. I got them when I weaned off of prozac. They stayed for about 4 or 5 months. I’ve talked to others on this ng who also experienced the shocks either while on an AD, or while weaning off of one. Apparently, they are harmless. But they are annoying, and can definitely cause anxiety when you don’t know what the hell it is! Hope this helps, jb Hello, I have had PD for 1.5 years now and I find this symptom to be a very wierd thing and I hope I can explain it. I take paxil 20mg, the clomazepan & ativan .5sl I find often that I get what is like an electrical shock to the body. It seems to come from the brain and make its way through my limbs. it is not severe enough to hurt but it is annoying. With this comes anxiety and it feels like my throat is closing when they happen. I get dizzy and faint as well. Does anyone else experience this. If I have not explained myself enough, please let me know. PrincessDucky
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Response:
Hello, I have had PD for 1.5 years now and I find this symptom to be a very wierd thing and I hope I can explain it. I take paxil 20mg, the clomazepan & ativan .5sl I find often that I get what is like an electrical shock to the body. It seems to come from the brain and make its way through my limbs. it is not severe enough to hurt but it is annoying. With this comes anxiety and it feels like my throat is closing when they happen. I get dizzy and faint as well. Does anyone else experience this. If I have not explained myself enough, please let me know. PrincessDucky
To Princess Ducky, I am curious to how long you have been on the Paxil? How long have you been experiencing these shock feelings? Paxil is known for electric shock feelings, especially when weaning off Paxil or when you have missed a few doses. If you have been on Paxil for while, I would suggest a med change to another SSRI. with, not when there are other meds out there that could help you without these side-effects. I think you should mention this to your doctor too. Take care!! Jackie
Response:
Not too sure about this, but I seem to remember having read about this as a med side effect in which case Paxil would be the culprit. If so the thing to do is switch to another SSRI (Luvox has the lowest side effect profile) which can be done quickly and without washout period. I would have to read up on this though. Maybe someone else can confirm or disprove my recollection? Philip
Hi Philip, I will confirm what you said in your post. A matter of fact when I saw the thread title "Help I keep getting shocks", I knew without reading any of the posts, it was about Paxil<g. I do know this "electric" shock feeling is a common withdrawal side-effect and also happens when a few doses of Paxil are missed. Take care!! Jackie "I never encountered failure, all I ever met were temporary setbacks."
Response:
Jackie, I was having some "shocks" in my face and head area from time to time while taking my regular daily dosage (i.e no missed doses) of Zoloft a few years back. My psych said fluctuating blood levels of SSRIs could, on occasion, cause some of the same symtoms found in the SSRI withdrawal syndrome. This syndrome is most likely to occur in SSRIs with a short half life, and Paxil has the shortest halflife (24 hours) of all the SSRIs. One clustering of symptoms in the SSRI withdrawal syndrome involves sensory abnormalities, often brought on by movement (such as turning the head to one side or neck flexion), and includes "shocks, jolts, rushes, electric waves, burning, or tingling" which lasts a second or two. This may explain the sensation you feel when you move your head. You also mentioned in some other post that since you’ve been on Paxil, you noticed frequent vivid dreams. Another symptom of Paxil withdrawal (or fluctuating blood levels) is excessive vivid dreaming and nightmares. You may find taking your daily dose of Paxil in the evening instead of the morning (or vice versa if you take it in the PM) causes less vivid and more normal dreaming. Take care, Chip P.S. I’m not one to make smart-ass comments like alot of the other guys at ASAP. BUT, how can it take awhile for your brain to catch up if you’re a blonde? Then again, maybe some blondes do have brains. : )) Hi Mel, What dose were you on and how long? Did you wean off Paxil or go cold turkey? I have noticed on occassion, and I believe it is the Paxil, sometimes catch up( no smart ass comments from the guys). It is not a dizzy feeling, and I have never had a feeling like this until I missed one Paxil dose in March. I get the feeling even if I have taken my Paxil, and it seems worse if I am tired. That had to be a scary feeling not knowing where you were putting your feet…..I wouldn`t have liked that. Take care. Jackie
Response:
Karen, Apparently, that symptom named after the Frenchman can occur with both Paxil and MS. Chip J Clin Psychopharmacol 1996 Oct;16(5):411-2 Lhermitte’s sign in paroxetine withdrawal. Reeves RR, Pinkofsky HB No abstract available. Thank-you, Chip. Now that I have the correct spelling, which I should have known, (where DO you find all this stuff you post??) I looked up Lhermitte’s sign in my handy-dandy Merck Manual and it said you can also experience this electric shock after having radiation therapy to the neck or chest. Wow. I learn something new here every day. Karen
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – One other point of interest that occurred during my Paxil withdrawal was that I had lost the ability to determine where I was placing my feet. I was constantly concerned with slipping and falling, especially at the hospital where the floors were so thick. This thread really brings back those memories. Did others have this symptom occur with Paxil withdrawal? Hi Mel, What dose were you on and how long? Did you wean off Paxil or go cold turkey? I have noticed on occassion, and I believe it is the Paxil, sometimes when I smart ass comments from the guys). It is not a dizzy feeling, and I have never had a feeling like this until I missed one Paxil dose in March. I get the feeling even if I have taken my Paxil, and it seems worse if I am tired. That had to be a scary feeling not knowing where you were putting your feet…..I wouldn`t have liked that. Take care. Jackie
Jackie, I don’t think that I took more than 20 mgs due to the increased anxiety. I do remember telling the doctor about the "electrical shock sensation" and about the "loss of perception of where I was placing my feet". I was going through the weaning of Paxil when I told him, so he added a small dose of Prozac, which stopped the "electric shock" sensations. Interestingly Lhermitte’s sign is brought on when a person bends their head. I think that you may remember when I went cold-turkey on the Klonopin. I had "electric shock" sensations during that bout, too. Mel
Response:
One other point of interest that occurred during my Paxil withdrawal was that I had lost the ability to determine where I was placing my feet. I was constantly concerned with slipping and falling, especially at the hospital where the floors were so thick. This thread really brings back those memories. Did others have this symptom occur with Paxil withdrawal?
Hi Mel, What dose were you on and how long? Did you wean off Paxil or go cold turkey? I have noticed on occassion, and I believe it is the Paxil, sometimes when I ass comments from the guys). It is not a dizzy feeling, and I have never had a feeling like this until I missed one Paxil dose in March. I get the feeling even if I have taken my Paxil, and it seems worse if I am tired. That had to be a scary feeling not knowing where you were putting your feet…..I wouldn`t have liked that. Take care. Jackie
Response:
One other point of interest that occurred during my Paxil withdrawal was that I had lost the ability to determine where I was placing my feet. I was constantly concerned with slipping and falling, especially at the hospital where the floors were so thick. This thread really brings back those memories. Did others have this symptom occur with Paxil withdrawal? Mel
Response:
Karen, Apparently, that symptom named after the Frenchman can occur with both Paxil and MS. Chip J Clin Psychopharmacol 1996 Oct;16(5):411-2 Lhermitte’s sign in paroxetine withdrawal. Reeves RR, Pinkofsky HB No abstract available.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Karen, Apparently, that symptom named after the Frenchman can occur with both Paxil and MS. Chip J Clin Psychopharmacol 1996 Oct;16(5):411-2 Lhermitte’s sign in paroxetine withdrawal. Reeves RR, Pinkofsky HB No abstract available.
With the correct spelling, I was able to find out that this is also a symptom of radiation damage to the brain, also a sign of cervical myelopathy, and that it occurs in cervical spondylosis… This is really interesting to me because I have been diagnosed with a spondyloarthropathy. I wonder if the people that experienced these electric shock type sensation were all in one of these categories? I wonder if the Paxil exacerbated the spinal and neurological problems? Mel
Response:
Princess, Minor fluctuations in blood levels of Paxil are triggering these "electric shocks", and then you’re having a PA in response to these "shocks" I have experienced them from time to time on Zoloft which I have successfully continued using for the last 6 years. I never developed PAs secondary to them, perhaps because my anxiety level was lower than yours, or because on was also on enough Klonopin to block PAs. I any case, it’s possible to stay on the Paxil, and when the "shocks" occur, while unpleasant for 1 or 2 seconds, they don’t have to lead to secondary PAs if you’re on enough benzos, or if you become desensitized to the "shocks" so you don’t experience the PAs. Paxil, an SSRI with a short half life, is biggest offender in the "shock" arena because it’s blood levels, even while on a constant daily dose, can have minor fluctuations. Prozac, an SSRI with a very long half-life is the least likely of the SSRIs to have "shocks" while using, or upon withdrawal from an SSRI. There are several other SSRIs with half-lives between the extremes of Paxil and Prozac, which may be useful to you. So, if you can hang in there with the "shocks" for awhile longer, they may decrease in frequency, and may not be associated with seondary PAs. You may reach a point where they aren’t much of a bother, just an minor annoyance. But if you can’t, change antidepressants Take care, Chip getting shocks Hello, I have had PD for 1.5 years now and I find this symptom to be a very wierd thing and I hope I can explain it. I take paxil 20mg, the clomazepan & ativan .5sl I find often that I get what is like an electrical shock to the body. It seems to come from the brain and make its way through my limbs. it is not severe enough to hurt but it is annoying. With this comes anxiety and it feels like my throat is closing when they happen. I get dizzy and faint as well. Does anyone else experience this. If I have not explained myself enough, please let me know. PrincessDucky
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -ubject: Re: HELP! I keep getting shocks Hello, I have had PD for 1.5 years now and I find this symptom to be a very wierd thing and I hope I can explain it. I take paxil 20mg, the clomazepan & ativan .5sl I find often that I get what is like an electrical shock to the body. It seems to come from the brain and make its way through my limbs. it is not severe enough to hurt but it is annoying. With this comes anxiety and it feels like my throat is closing when they happen. I get dizzy and faint as well. Does anyone else experience this. If I have not explained myself enough, please let me know. PrincessDucky I experienced that when I tried Paxil. It feels like an unpleasant "rush" or like "chills/shivers going down your spine". I’ve seen it called "tactile hallucinations" in medical literature. Whatever the h*ll that they call them, they were not fun! Mel
Sounds like the paxil-strong adrenal rushes can make one feel like an electric shock to the body or that old what a rush feeling but electrical discharges that feel like dc or fast action muscle or neuronal surges are not a good sign-get off the paxil charger and onto a smoother acting ssri-unless you get an odd charge out of it- but I would also assume it is doing the charging to not just your peripheral muscles but to your heart as well so best to make a change. Paxil can be a bit rougher then some others so makea switch and dont get all charged up LM ps anybody who really gets uncomfortable side effects like these should call your docs and or make headway to another med-you dont have to go through pharmaceutical hell its not written in stone- LM
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I have had PD for 1.5 years now and I find this symptom to be a very wierd thing and I hope I can explain it. I take paxil 20mg, the clomazepan & ativan .5sl I find often that I get what is like an electrical shock to the body. It seems to come from the brain and make its way through my limbs. it is not severe enough to hurt but it is annoying. With this comes anxiety and it feels like my throat is closing when they happen. I get dizzy and faint as well. Does anyone else experience this. If I have not explained myself enough, please let me know. PrincessDucky
I experienced that when I tried Paxil. It feels like an unpleasant "rush" or like "chills/shivers going down your spine". I’ve seen it called "tactile hallucinations" in medical literature. Whatever the h*ll that they call them, they were not fun! Mel
