Posted by ReadersLeaders on September 11, 2005, at 22:48:25
In reply to What are brain zaps and brain shivers?, posted by Kimbersaur on August 12, 2005, at 18:17:08
> What do you mean by "brain zaps" and "brain shivers?" Can someone please describe these withdrawal symptoms?
From the website: "Focus on Recovery"
More specifically this web address:
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/focussober/vpost?id=450903Poster: LittleBlue
Date Posted: 5/20/05
"I'm a nursing student, and I also happen to be going through hellish effexor withdrawal. Maybe I can try and explain what is happening in your brain!
Depression is often a result of lack of serotonin, dopamine and other neuro-transmitters in your brain. These transmitters pass signals from brain cell to brain cell. Sertotonin and dopamine are responsible for regulating mood and emotion.
Normally, the brain recycles these transmitters...that is, once they pass from one nerve to another and do their job, they turn back around and go through the transmission again. This is referred to as "reuptake" and ultimately lowers the concentration and effectiveness of the transmitter.
Anti-depressants like Effexor work by removing the recycling mechanism, blocking the reuptake process. This makes the transmitter stronger. The increased strength of the transmitter increases activity in the part of the brain which it effects, which in this case is the part of the brain that produces happy feelings.
When you stop taking Effexor, the "block" that has been placed in the return pathway of the transmitter is removed. This can have an effect like opening a floodgate. A concentraton of transmitters has built up behind the block, and this concentration is suddenly flooding into your brain. It is confusing because although it HELPS your mood to have MORE serotonin, it becomes counter-productive when there is this sudden increase that happens with withdrawal. This flood of transmitter produces a concentrated rise in the excitability of nerve cells. These nerve cells in your brain are suddenly dealing with more transmitter being circulated, which increases the rate and number of electrical impulses whizzing around in your brain.
In other words, there is a very unnatural amount of electrical activity going on. I think this is why the effects feel so "zappy" and so much like electric shocks.Also, I know that too high a concentration of dopamine causes what they call "overactive brain"...hallucinations, difficulty telling reality from imagination. This is probably what causes the vivid dreams and nightmares.
This is my understanding of why we get these withdrawal symptoms. Hope it helps!
If you want to read my story check my other posts. I am on day 13 now of withdrawal and still feel like crap, but I find that it really helps to understand what is actually happening in my brain. Keep asking questions!"
This helped me a lot!
RL
poster:ReadersLeaders
thread:540859
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050822/msgs/553981.html