I wrote recently about the fact that I've been tapering off of my anti-depressant (Lexapro) this summer, and this week I stopped taking it entirely.
One of the symptoms that I've had every time I've tapered down my dosage or tried to stop taking Lexapro is a dizziness/tinnitus spike when I move my eyes quickly in any direction. It's hard to describe exactly what it feels like--it's a combination of buzzing/ringing/disorientation that lasts only momentarily but is very disconcerting.
It's hard to find any information online about this symptom. None of the standard medical or pharmaceutical sites talk about it. If you dig for a while, though, you'll find a number of blogs out there talking about "brain zaps" during withdrawal, which appears to be very much like what I'm experiencing. I particularly liked this description from Christine at "Watch me! No, watch me!", who experienced them when stopping Zoloft:
They are tough to describe. Essentially, for me, a Brain Zap feels like an electrical current briefly runs through my head, starting at the back of my skull. Not unlike a friction shock, but totally NOT like a friction shock in that it doesn't hurt at all. Just the fun part of the jolt. And yes, if you've had a Brain Zap you'd know there IS a fun part.
Brain Zaps were always my cue that I was behind on my Zoloft. If I missed a day, and went too long the next day, sure enough...zzzzzzzzzzztttttt. Oh, right, gotta take my Zoly.
The strangest thing about this (and yes, the strangest part is yet to come), is the physical action that would proceed the BZ. It seems BZ's require, again, at least for me, a quick eye movement. Not a simple annoyed eye roll (if that were the case, I'd pretty much have them constantly when running low on Zoly).
No, it requires a faster motion than that.
A quick over the shoulder glance.
Eyes darting to the other side of the room because I think one of my kids is trying to sneak some cookies.
A sudden look upwards after opening our hall closet because something is about to fall on my head from our overstuffed hall closet that I keep nagging my husband to sort through because I am not tall enough to reach the upper shelf otherwise I'd do it myself.
Thank goodness for the anecdotal descriptions out there--they let me know that it's not just me, which is hugely helpful when you're experiencing weird symptoms!
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