Tounge biting and brain zaps - medication discontinuation

[Bedge]

Hi,

I have just weened (about a week ago) off my doses of Citalopram and Pizotifen for suspected migraine variants (without headaches). I have been taking these medications for a few years.

I have been experiencing insane 'brain zaps'. They feel like surges of something in my brain in which sometimes relates to moving my eyes. I have also noticed that I think I am biting my tongue in my sleep. I have had two painful sores on my tongue over the last week or so.

We wondered, at one point if I was suffering temporal lobe seizures. EEG's came back negative. I had a really good and almost immediate response to Pizotifen / Sandomigran it was assumed my symptoms were migraine related. I have had one random tonic colonic siezure about 5 years ago.

My Neuro said the only way to be sure that it was migraine, is if I went on and off and on and off my meds, and the symptoms returned each time. I have tried to get off the Sandomigran once before and the symptoms did return.

This time I seem to be doing well, except for the brain zaps and the sores on my tounge / cheek and feeling generally very bla, tired, sick ... normal stuff. I am wondering if this could is epilepsy or seizure related? As I haven't had this type of thing before and I find it interesting they have appeared now my meds are gone. The brain zaps are dulling down a little bit now.

My Neuro is on holidays and will be back in two weeks. So I am just wondering if this is totally normal or something I should book in to see him about??

Thanks!

[MG (Admin)]

What other symptoms of temporal lobe seizures did you have?
Was the EEG a sleep EEG?
Where on your tongue do you find the bite marks?
Has anyone seen you at night on the occasions you bite your tongue?

[Bedge]

Hi,

I guess, technically my main complaint / symptom is prolonged aura with out infraction. The main part of aura (if that is what it is) is derealization. On top of that I would get attacks.

This is how I would describe the attacks. They usually last about 10 seconds at the peak and I usually get warning signs that something is going to happen:

May begin to yawn and fidget.

Start to feel very tired and weak.

Body feels heavy.

Generally I will have a sensation of feeling very short or tall, or as though someone of something it pushing down on the top of my head. I may feel like I am walking on a slant.

Things begin to look strange, as if I am in a dream or everything is 2D. Everything is looking fake and unreal. I don't connect with the world around me.

Everything starts to feel very 'inward'. I begin to stop functioning normally. Walking becomes a challange, even looking or keeping my eyes open is hard.

I stop responding properly to what is happening around me. I can see things, but its as though I dont process what I see. E.g. Will see a red light but drive through it anyway. I can't take in information from around me.

At this point I can't properly hold a conversation or speak properly. Anything that comes out of my mouth is very automatic, and might not make much sense. Just stock standard responses if questioned.

My left ear becomes muffled and it will ring briefly.

My feet may or may not feel very hot, and the heat will rise up mu legs rapidly.

My skin will crawl and feel dirty / grimey.

All ambient noises become very loud and then dim out maybe with a slight ring in my ear.


So the brain zaps are a new thing to me. As mentioned; they are dying down a bit.

The tounge thing has happened twice I think in the last week or so. First I had a sore on the front, slightly on the left of my tongue. Now I have a bit of a sore on the back right side of my tounge and in my cheek a little.

My husband would sleep through a freight training running through our house. He wouldn't notice anything.

I had a few EEG's including a 4 night ambulatory. Nothing really showed up.

[MG (Admin)]

Were any of the EEG's sleep deprived?
Did you have any attacks during the EEG recording?

[Bedge]

Hi,

All my EEG's came back completely normal.

I did a 20 minute EEG, then I did a 7 hour telemetric (with a sleep study), and then a did a 4 day and night ambulatory EEG. All were apparently fine.

I wouldn't say any of them were exactly or purposely 'sleep deprived', although I am usually pretty tired! ha!

[MG (Admin)]

Did you have any attacks of tongue biting during the EEG recording?

[Bedge]

Not that I know of. The tongue stuff is all new, since I stopped my meds about 1.5 weeks ago. Mind you, its only happened about three times - but its still new!

[MG (Admin)]

I see...so the EEG recordings were done before these episodes of night-time tongue-biting. In that case it may be worth repeating the test now that there are complaints which are more suggestive of night-time seizures.
Has your neurologist mentioned this option?

[Bedge]

My Neuro is still on holidays. I think he gets back on Monday. Im just a little unsure what to do.

I saw my Neuro in August to discuss going off my meds. And I think he wanted my GP to basically manage me when I go off them. My GP is great, but as I am not realllly sure what is going ... so I not sure what to do. I am going to see my GP on Tuesday.

What are the brain zaps? They are more of a problem that the tongue biting.

The 'zaps' sometimes have a sound. Something similar to a really really old fashioned camera with those huge flashes, or it might sound like lightening hitting the ground when it is close to you. Not thunder, the actual sound of lightening hitting the ground if you are close enough to it. It sounds electrical.

They can just happen randomly, or an environmental noise might set it off.I think, before I was making a cup of coffee and i tapped the tea spoon on the mug and that set it off. Sometimes moving my eyes might set it off.

They are quick little mini lasting things .. about 1 second, but I might get a couple in a row.

I have never had them before. Only since getting off my meds.

Does this sound like anything that might have an actual medical name or term?

[MG (Admin)]

When you say they have a sound, can you hear them in one ear or both?

[namratasnv]

I do experience such problem and I don't know where to consult actually someone told me to me that I am suffering from migraine but I want to consult it to the doctors once so that I can satisfy myself, I do get some blackouts and heavyness in my head and puffyness around my eyes which really puts me so off.

Please suggest me some docs or medication that will be helpful for me.

Thanks