What Are Brain Zaps?
Brain zaps are one of many symptoms you may have if you stop taking an antidepressant medication. They can feel like electrical flashes in your brain. You also might get one if you take your medicine late or miss a dose.
You might hear them called “brain shocks,” “brain flips,” or “brain shivers.” They were called “electric shocks” before brain zaps became the popular term. Experts consider them a symptom of a condition called antidepressant discontinuation syndrome (ADS).
“They're a recognized symptom most likely to occur with sudden or abrupt discontinuation of antidepressant medication,” says Christopher Jackson, MD, a psychiatrist at Family Care Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Jackson says they’re usually mild, harmless, and go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. If they happen because you miss a dose, the zaps usually go away when you take your normal dose.
“Brain zaps are not medically dangerous, but they can be startling and distracting,” Jackson says. “Consult your physician if you are experiencing extreme or persistent symptoms.”
How common are they?
It’s hard to put an exact number on it. Studies have found that anywhere from 27% to 86% of people who stop taking antidepressants will have symptoms of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.
For a 2024 study, researchers surveyed 1,148 people who either had stopped taking antidepressants or were in the process of stopping. The results showed that 4 out of 5 people had moderate to severe symptoms. Of the approximately 950 people who answered questions about brain zaps, just over 75% reported having had them.
Brain zaps usually happen if you stop an antidepressant suddenly. But almost a third of people who have had brain zaps say they experienced them while slowly tapering off their medication (by reducing their dose over time) or after they had finished tapering off of them. In some cases, brain zaps have happened to people taking their normal doses.
Brain zaps may be alarming, but experts do not consider them to be harmful.
“Brain zaps themselves are not dangerous, though they can be distressing,” says Drew Cumming, MD, a staff psychiatrist at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. “They typically last for only a second or two. They do not impair awareness or the ability to interact with your environment.”
What Is Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome?
This condition can happen if you stop taking an antidepressant medication that you’ve been taking for six weeks or longer. The risk is higher if you stop all at once rather than working with your doctor to plan a slow tapering off of your medication. But stopping an antidepressant does not cause the same type of physical reaction as some substances.
“What many people call ‘withdrawal’ from antidepressants is more accurately referred to as antidepressant discontinuation syndrome since these medications don't cause physical dependence in the same way substances like alcohol or opioids do,” Jackson says.
ADS can cause symptoms in addition to brain zaps, including:
- Fatigue, headaches, sweating, body aches, and other flu-like symptoms
- Nightmares or vivid dreams
- Nausea and vomiting
- Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
Brain zaps fall under a category of symptoms called paresthesia, which also includes tingling and burning sensations. ADS also may trigger changes in your mood. You may feel anxious, agitated, aggressive, or irritable.
“In general, brain zaps tend to be temporary and last, at most, a few weeks,” says Jeffrey Rado, MD, MPH, associate professor of general psychiatry at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine psychiatrist in Chicago. “For a small number of people they may last longer.”
Or they may never happen at all.
“Not everyone has side effects when stopping these medications,” Cumming says. “For those that do, brain zaps are relatively uncommon.”
He also points out that discontinuation symptoms are not unique to antidepressants.
“Any medication acting in the brain has the potential for various symptoms when you stop taking them,” Cumming says.
What Do Brain Zaps Feel Like?
People who have had brain zaps have described them in different ways.
“Brain zaps are commonly described as short-lived, repeated ‘buzzing’ or tingling in the head, sometimes with dizziness, 'whooshing’ sounds, and, in rare cases, feelings of disorientation,” Jackson says.
Other feelings that people have reported include:
- Electric shocks
- Momentary passing out or blacking out, like entering a dream state or having an out-of-body experience
- A sensation of the brain blinking or rebooting
- Pain
- Jolts
- Several brief bursts
What Causes Brain Zaps?
Experts say they’re likely due to sudden changes in brain chemistry that happen when you stop taking certain types of antidepressants. The ones most associated with ADS are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Drugs in this class affect serotonin, a brain chemical called a neurotransmitter.
“Medications such as SSRIs act, in part, by adjusting the amount of serotonin available between neurons, and when you take these medications away, the balance established by the medications is disrupted, which can contribute to withdrawal symptoms such as brain zaps,” Cumming says.
Some antidepressants are more likely than others to trigger brain zaps and other symptoms, he adds.
“Medications which are broken down more quickly in the body (i.e. those with a shorter half-life) are more likely to lead to withdrawal symptoms,” he explains. “Suddenly stopping these medications or lowering the dose very quickly also increases the risk.”
These medications include duloxetine (Cymbalta), paroxetine (Paxil), and venlafaxine (Effexor). But studies have shown that just about all antidepressants may cause brain zaps and other symptoms of discontinuation.
Another factor also contributes to your likelihood of brain zaps after you stop your antidepressant.
“They are also more common if you have been taking the antidepressants for longer periods of time, such as a year or longer,” Rado says.
Other conditions can trigger brain zaps, too.
“Similar electric or jolting sensations can also occur with migraine aura, panic attacks, sleep disturbances, or certain types of seizures,” Jackson says.
Note any other symptoms that you experience with your brain zaps. For example, says Jackson, if you have confusion, muscle movements, or loss of awareness, you may be having a seizure.
“If brain zaps occur on their own during medication changes, they’re usually harmless, but a medical professional should evaluate symptoms involving other neurological changes,” says Jackson.
Brain Zaps Treatment
“There is not really a treatment for them, [and] there is little information on what remedies help alleviate brain zaps,” Rado says.
One approach your doctor may recommend: restart your antidepressant at your previous dose. Your symptoms should go away within a day or so. After that, you can work with your doctor to make a plan to slowly wean yourself off of your medication to avoid brain zaps in the future.
Brain zaps and other symptoms can’t be treated, but you can take steps to prevent them. Talk to your doctor about the safest way for you to stop your antidepressant medication.
“Working with your doctor to gradually lower the dose is the best way to reduce the chance of experiencing unpleasant symptoms while your brain readjusts, particularly if you have been taking a high dose and/or taking the medication for a long period of time,” says Cumming.
If you take an antidepressant that your body processes quickly – such as duloxetine (Cymbalta), paroxetine (Paxil), or venlafaxine (Effexor) – your doctor may switch you to a different antidepressant that lasts longer in the body and that may be less likely to trigger symptoms of ADS when you stop taking it.
“Some people get relief by switching to an antidepressant with a longer half-life, such as fluoxetine (Prozac),” Rado says.
Jackson agrees. He says fluoxetine “has a smoother tapering profile and fewer discontinuation symptoms. This will also typically mean using a slower tapering schedule, where doses are reduced in gradually smaller steps over time.”
If you are very bothered by ongoing brain zaps or other persistent symptoms of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, make sure your doctor knows what’s happening. You have options to help you feel better.
“Additional supportive therapies such as stress management or cognitive behavioral therapy may also be helpful, especially if anxiety or sleep problems are contributing to persistent symptoms,” Jackson says.
Home remedies for brain zaps
Unfortunately, there’s no good evidence that anything other than slowly tapering off your antidepressant medication can help relieve or prevent brain zaps.
How Long Do Brain Zaps Last?
This varies from person to person, but in general, the name says it all: they’re “zaps,” so they’re quite brief.
“Each ‘zap’ usually lasts a few seconds, though some describe them lasting up to a minute,” Jackson says.
In a survey of people who had stopped taking antidepressants or were in the process of doing so, the most common way people described their duration was “a split second.” A few people described them as lasting a half second to five seconds. A very small number said they lasted as long as 30 seconds.
Most people in the survey said their brain zaps began right after they stopped their antidepressant or while taking it. Some said they had brain zaps a day or so after stopping, while others said they didn’t start until a week or two had passed.
Brain zaps and other symptoms of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome usually stop altogether within a few weeks of stopping your medication.
“For a small number of people, they may last longer,” Rado says.
When to See a Doctor
If you do have brain zaps when stopping your antidepressant, let your doctor know.
“Although brain zaps are generally mild and self‑limiting – often resolving within days to a few weeks with a slower taper – they can signal the need to reassess your tapering plan,” Jackson says. “Brain zaps may suggest the need to switch to a longer‑acting antidepressant like fluoxetine or slowing the taper to prevent worsening symptoms.”
Jackson says brain zaps on their own are not a medical emergency, but you should call 911 if you also have any of the following red flag symptoms:
- Sudden dizziness with fainting
- Chest pain
- Confusion
- Psychosis
- Signs of stroke
- Suicidal thoughts
Takeaways
Brain zaps are brief, unpleasant, electric shock-like sensations that can happen when you stop taking an antidepressant medication. They are a symptom of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. They are harmless and usually go away within a few days or weeks. The best way to avoid them is to follow your doctor’s instructions about slowly stopping your medication rather than stopping your antidepressant suddenly.
Brain Zaps FAQs
Are brain zaps dangerous?
They may be unpleasant, uncomfortable, and alarming, but they don’t indicate a serious problem, they don’t have long-term consequences, and they don’t increase your risk of neurological problems such as seizures. They can be distracting and disrupt your attention. This could be a concern in certain circumstances, such as driving. You may want to avoid activities that require significant attention until your symptoms clear up.
Can brain zaps happen without medication?
Yes. Some people have them during times of high stress or anxiety. They also can occur as you transition from sleeping to wakefulness. Most of the time, they’re harmless, but talk to your doctor right away if they come with other symptoms like loss of awareness, visual disturbances, muscle twitching, slurred speech, confusion, or weakness on one side of the body. These could point to a serious neurological condition like a seizure disorder or migraine with aura.
Do brain tumors cause brain zaps?
Tumors don’t cause electric shock-like sensations. Instead, tumors usually cause early symptoms like headaches with nausea and vomiting, mood and behavior changes, seizures, and problems with thinking and speaking.
Can brain zaps be cured?
Brain zaps normally go away on their own within a few days or weeks after stopping an antidepressant. But if they are very bothersome, they often can be stopped by resuming your antidepressant medication. After that, they usually can be prevented if you taper off of your medication more slowly under your doctor's supervision.
