Brain zaps are commonly reported electrical shock sensations that are often experienced during discontinuation of antidepressant medications. Other common names for brain zaps include: brain shivers, electrical shocks, and brain shocks. People often describe them as feeling electrical current uncontrollably zapping their brains, which can be extremely frightening and uncomfortable. A person experiencing these zaps …
Many people who take antidepressants notice ringing in their ears or “tinnitus.” This tinnitus is usually temporary, and can be a result of changes in levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. In other cases, the tinnitus may emerge as a result of an ototoxic reaction that a person has to a specific antidepressant. Ototoxicity is …
Serotonin syndrome is a potentially fatal condition resulting from abnormally high levels of serotonin in the CNS. This may be caused by using various drugs that influence the neurotransmission of serotonin in the brain such as SSRIs, MDMA, various opioids, and even natural substances such as 5-HTP and St. John’s Wort. Typically it is only …
Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) were developed in the 1950s as a way to treat depression with chemical compounds. These drugs are known for their specific chemical structure consisting of three rings of atoms, hence being referred to as “tri”-cyclic. Tricyclics were developed after researchers began exploring derivatives of the first typical antipsychotic medication Thorazine. Experimentation with derivatives …
There is a newer class of antidepressant drugs called Triple Reuptake Inhibitors (TRI’s or SNDRI drugs) being developed that target all major neurotransmitters involved in depression: serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. The thought process behind the creation of this new class of triple reuptake inhibitors is that they will target all three major neurotransmitters that are thought …
Based on the symptoms experienced as a result of lower levels of dopamine, it is thought that dopamine plays just as big of a role as serotonin in treating depression. Why then are medications used to treat depression primarily dealing with targeting serotonin only? Because people have been brainwashed by pharmaceutical companies? Maybe. It could …