VariousNSundry

Hi everyone,

I'm new here. I've reduced the amount of alcohol I've been drinking a LOT over the past week and I've been having some strange physical sensations. I wanted to know if anyone else had these or if they knew what they were.

As background, I became a very heavy drinker two years ago after a series of traumatic events and a PTSD diagnosis.

The physical sensations are:

• A surge of "electricity" passing though my body
• A "zap" that goes through my upper body

The feeling isn't necessarily bad, but it's definitely weird. I appreciate any feedback.

zjw

finally someone else has this problem. i had that exact sensations for months and months after i sobered. up felt like electricty down my arms nd legs my spine up my neck. and teh whole zapping feeling as well.

good news it goes way. Bad news at 4.5 years sober Once in a blue moon i do still have an episode.

it took me god i dunno 8 or 9 months till it calmed down. it was downright awful all day long non stop i felt it.


ALl i could ever find about it was people who get of anti depressents sometimes described the same sensations and would just end up back on those pills to avoid it. But in my case i was never on anti depressents all i did was quit drinking and had to deal with that.

I'm sorry our dealing with this but i'm so glad to finally hear i'm not alone. I've never heard of anyone other then me having this issue.

Fabat50

I had a very similar experience once when I started taking a new antidepressant. Zaps through my upper body and head.

Have you started any new meds recently?

zjw

yeah i read that myself in my case i never took one of those in my life.

Andante

Could be withdrawal related. With consistent heavy drinking, your central nervous system (CNS) becomes accustomed to being artificially suppressed. When you take the alcohol away or even just reduce it, the CNS bounces back like a coiled spring, and all kinds of weird symptoms can result.

I'm obliged to add the standard response that if it's bothering you, see a doctor.

SoberinSyracuse

Yes, I had this while I was drinking. Usually in the wee morning hours when withdrawal symptoms would start.

I'm pretty sure it's a withdrawal symptom. If you were drinking very heavily before, be careful not to withdraw too quickly. It's dangerous. I had a seizure when I tried to cut back too rapidly.

Why don't you call your doctor? They hear this stuff all the time so you don't need to be embarrassed. They can give you advice on how to get off booze, and they can prescribe some meds short-term to make you more comfortable, and they'll keep you from having a seizure.

After 25+ years of drinking, I'm sober and comfortable, all because I got medical advice and help.

Fabat50

Sorry i didn't read through your post properly and just repeated the same thing as you! It was very weird sensation. The Doc stopped the meds straight away in my case

zjw

yeah i've read some docs just up the dose too. I guess whatever works??..

but its an awful sensation

I agree with the others its obviously got something to do with alcohol withdrawel and seeing a doc might be useful.

I never saw a doc myself. i just went through hell instead but thats me if not for the hardway.... *Sigh*

babycat

I think I have had what you are talking about, a kind of jolting zap. I only get them the first day or 2 of sobriety and they are definitely not fun. I assume as Andante said it really has something to do with Central Nervous System kind of freaking out.
Another weird thing that will happen to me in the first couple days of sobriety is in addition to the shake, I will get a weird sensation in my head and neck almost like I can't control it, kind of shakes. Only lasts about 3 seconds but those suck too. I wonder if those are mini seizures?

VariousNSundry

I think you're right about it being the Central Nervous System bouncing back like a spring. I am currently on an SSRI but I have been for over a year so I doubt it's related to that medication.

Thanks for the advice on not cutting back too quickly. I have gone down to one glass of wine a night from about 1.5 bottles two weeks ago. Tonight I'm planning on having nothing. That said, I will talk to my doctor about what I'm experiencing. Luckily though, I think the fact that I've tapered this slowly will hopefully prevent any major withdrawal symptoms. I actually slept last night really well without any medication except for some melatonin.

Soberwolf

Welcome VNS

Dropsie

Scary stuff, nothing to add but welcome.

Good news is that it seems to go away, although poor zjw, that is a heck of a long time.

Wishing you well.

Doctors can be very very helpful if that is an option.

ant385

I know this is an old thread but if it’s any benefit I had these brain zaps as a symptom of my own PAWS. I’m at 9 months and I still get them when a wave hits. For me it was the biggest clue that this was not your usual run of the mill anxiety but due to a neurotransmitter imbalance. In this case surge of glutamate activity causing neutrons to fire and fire over and over again. These brain zaps I read are like mini localised seizures in the brain.

Dave9185

I have done countless research on this subject, and could not determine exactly what causes this. However I do suspect it's alcohol related. I began to have this issue last year, they would usually only occur when I was trying to sleep. A zap/electric shock would hit me like in the abdominal area and move up to my head, I also noticed that often this would occur at the same time that I felt my arms becoming numb. The zaps only last a few seconds, and the numbness goes away quickly too, however it wakes me up so the damage is done. It was a really strange thing that I never experienced before, I would try to go to sleep, and the split second before I would actually "fall asleep", the zap would arrive and wake me up. This would repeat many times throughout the night. It was scary, I was really worried about my self. I started going to sleep earlier, but would end up tossing and turning, and getting zapped until 3 am. There was usually a time 3 - 4am where I would be so tired either the zaps stopped or I would just fall asleep despite them. The zapping just continued and I had a very rough half a year trying to figure out what was going on. Towards the end of 2019, I took around 3 months off from drinking, and after a few months, the zaps and hand numbness went away. I started drinking again early this year, and really went on a long binge in March. The zaps came back as well as the numbness. I have been sober for around 4 months, and it's slowly getting better. The hand numbness seems to have passed, but the zaps are still there most nights, although they are not as severe as before. Also good to note that it took 2+ months of sobriety to stop them last time, but this time it seems to be taking longer.

Also, on top of the zaps I noticed that my body started having spasms, most of the time it's just my legs, but there have been scary times where my whole body would spasm like my body wants to jump out of bed. The spams are much rarer than the zaps but do happen, and looking back they seem to be happening on days where I have really high stress/anxiety.

Right now at 4 months, I'm still getting the zaps as I'm falling asleep, although they aren't as severe, and some nights I just go to sleep and don't even recall them happening. Also I think stress days bring them on stronger than non-stress days. I think it's paws/anxiety related.

Dropsie

That sounds tough. But glad to hear that with time they stop if you don't drink.

This would be another great reason to stay stopped.

All the best.

Grymt

What you're describing sounds just the way I would. Very uncomfortable. I've looked into it as 'restless leg syndrome'. For me it often starts in the leg and zaps up towards head. What's made a huge difference for me is to cut out anything wheat/wheat gluten. On top of that meditation helps to settle and it passes and I get a good sleep.