Brain zaps

How it works

A zap lasts less than a second. It feels like a short electric jolt or buzz that starts in the head and sometimes runs down into the body¹. Moving the eyes from side to side is a common trigger¹. Some people hear a brief “whoosh” or feel a moment of dizziness with it¹.

There is no formal medical name for the feeling. Doctors list it as one symptom of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, the group of effects that can follow stopping an antidepressant². It is most common with medicines that leave the body quickly, such as venlafaxine and paroxetine². More than 50% of people who stop an antidepressant get some withdrawal symptoms, and brain zaps are among the most reported². People also report them during benzodiazepine withdrawal, and during anxiety, stress, or lost sleep¹.

The cause is not known. The leading idea is that a sudden change in the level of a brain chemical, most likely serotonin, makes some nerve circuits fire out of turn¹. Eye movement may be a trigger because the nerves that steer the eyes run close to those circuits. No study has confirmed this¹.

Is it a problem?

No. Brain zaps do not damage the brain. They are not seizures. They fade, usually within days to a few weeks, as the body adjusts².

If you get them after changing, lowering, or missing a dose of a medicine, tell the doctor who prescribed it. Do not stop a medicine on your own. Lowering the dose slowly reduces or removes the zaps². See a doctor if the zaps come with fainting, confusion, or jerking of the limbs.

History and culture

The name “brain zaps” was coined by patients describing the feeling to each other online, not by doctors¹. The medical literature adopted it later.