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And of course, all patients read the long pamphlets extensively /s. We depend on our doctors to explain risks like this. And at the time I was discontinuing (no
by dimal 9y ago
And of course, all patients read the long pamphlets extensively /s. We depend on our doctors to explain risks like this. And at the time I was discontinuing (not abruptly) the concept of “brain zaps” was met with great skepticism. I am fairly certain that some of the side effects you list (electric shock sensations) were added more recently. It took years of patients being ignored for the idea to be taken seriously.
- pasabagi 9y agoI've also rarely received accurate advice regarding the likely effects and side-effects of anti-depressants - but I think calling brain zaps a 'risk' is a bit much. Maybe my zaps were nicer than yours, but I don't remember them being particularly painful - except one time I fell in the shower. Anti-depressants, especially something like venlafaxine, are strong meds for a strong condition. It would be surprising if they had no side effects - and honestly, if you go to a psychiatrist instead of a normal doctor, you usually get a dose that's fine-tuned to the extent that you don't get them.
- dimal 9y agoActually, I remember now, I called mine "brain shivers". Whenever I moved my head, my visual field would stutter as if the room was only lit with a strobe light. It didn't hurt, but it was nauseating and it made standing up and walking around very difficult. It was terrifying. I did go to a psychiatrist. He didn't fine tune anything, but at the time, I trusted him. In hindsight, I can see he was a terrible doctor.
- verylittlemeat 9y agoI had brain zaps and they were very distracting. I took 2 SSRIs for about 3 years and went off them close to cold turkey. When I would move my eyes it felt like there was a delay between moving and seeing. This lasted for about a month. In general everything felt very disconnected/fuzzy/unreal. Sometimes it was close to what I imagine people describe as an out of body experience.
- pasabagi 9y agoI think if you come off any kind of brain med cold turkey, you're gonna have a very bad time. I still find articles like the above absolutely horrible, and wish people would stop writing them. Meds saved my life. They save the life of millions of people every year - and they make depression hands-down easier to manage and to live with. That doctors over-proscribe is another problem. Muck-raking and fear-mongering about what are already scary drugs to very scared depressed people has real costs - people probably die because of articles like the above. Many, many people suffer for years without medication because they're afraid to start them.
- DanBC 9y agoIf you don't read the leaflets you need to learn to say "doctor, I never read the leaflets. please can you explain what's in there?" Or ask that of the pharmacist filling the scrip.
- dimal 9y agoWhen you're in the grip of major depressive disorder, you tend to forget things like this.