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unnamed
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29 Aug 2007, 8:05 am

Higan957 wrote:
No, no migraines. It's normally different thoughts that trigger it. I can't think of any examples, but it's normally a "different" thought for me. Something I normally wouldn't think, and I think A LOT. What'll happen is, I'll think the thought, get the "zap", think the thought again, get the zap a little weaker, try to think the thought again, a little weaker zap, then after 3-8 times, the zap is gone and the thought doesn't mean much to me, so I stop thinking it. Again, it's not common, it's rare.

Yes!! I get these every day, and I was wondering whether or not anyone else here got them. I'll think of something, usually it's when I suddenly remember something I have to do later that day, and I'll get a quick, sharp rigor or shiver that goes all the way down my spine. It lasts about 5 seconds max, and I have them several times a day. It feels like what I assume a mild electric shock would feel like. I'd love to know the exact name for this, and what really causes it. It definitely seems triggered by thoughts, but not necessarily anxious or negative ones.



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29 Aug 2007, 1:20 pm

i think ive gotten this before. also if i lay really still i can shock my body i like the way it feels and do it often at nite :)



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29 Aug 2007, 1:29 pm

Higan957 wrote:
Hey, this is my first post. Until two days ago, when I found this website and other information about Asperger's, I didn't know what to think about myself. I'm not diagnosed, I'm not even sure I have it, although so far everything is lining up. All that being said...now I'm trying to figure out other things not able to be explained by doctors/friends/family. Here's the first.

Anyone get brain zaps or brain shivers and definitely have Asperger's? The zaps are like electrical shorts/zaps in your brain, it's pretty weird, feels like something is shorting out. Brain shivers are when you feel like you're moving back and forth, or in a direction, but you aren't. It's not vertigo, it's a completely different experience. I've done some research and the only people I could find experiencing this were people going through withdrawals of anti-depressants...which I've never taken in my life. So, the only explanation I've found doesn't apply.

I'm curious to see your responses. Thanks to everyone on this site.


Are you sure you don't have epilepsy? What your describing sounds like a minor seizure.



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29 Aug 2007, 2:45 pm

unnamed wrote:
Higan957 wrote:
No, no migraines. It's normally different thoughts that trigger it. I can't think of any examples, but it's normally a "different" thought for me. Something I normally wouldn't think, and I think A LOT. What'll happen is, I'll think the thought, get the "zap", think the thought again, get the zap a little weaker, try to think the thought again, a little weaker zap, then after 3-8 times, the zap is gone and the thought doesn't mean much to me, so I stop thinking it. Again, it's not common, it's rare.

Yes!! I get these every day, and I was wondering whether or not anyone else here got them. I'll think of something, usually it's when I suddenly remember something I have to do later that day, and I'll get a quick, sharp rigor or shiver that goes all the way down my spine. It lasts about 5 seconds max, and I have them several times a day. It feels like what I assume a mild electric shock would feel like. I'd love to know the exact name for this, and what really causes it. It definitely seems triggered by thoughts, but not necessarily anxious or negative ones.

I wasn't even gonna' respond to this thread because I don't get this in my head/brain-yet I do get zapping in my wrists-at least that's where I notice it. I get headaches (don't seem to be migraines, though-no associated phenom. such as auras or nausea), don't have epilepsy or seizures, and those are the 2 things I imagined would be suggested replies to the original post about "brain zaps/shivers."

Mentioned to my counselor, and she said it was likely rushes of adrenaline, since I explained it happened when I drop (and sometimes catch before it hits the floor) something. It happens when I'm startled, physically in 3 dimensional space, perceived direct bodily threats-does not occur when I'm being given bad news (which would make me angry & my heart race).
Not painful, but is uncomfortable tingling fuzzy shooting sensation-makes me want to wring my hands & wriggle my fingers just to get out that "ugh"-ness, to get my wrists feeling back to "normal"/usual for me. Feeling wears off after awhile, but not always as soon as I'd like. Couldn't say whether this is what anyone else is experiencing, though.

When I remember something important which I've forgotten, my stomach feels like it drops, that's a kind of panic vertigo pattern. Certain "loaded" or freighted with issues thoughts or images trigger my panic, then I feel terrified, dizzy, nauseated-akin to vertigo or motion sickness. They're just too intense & overloading for me to wrap my brain around or get a handle on. I practice thinking about upsetting things in hopes of being able to get used to them, but some quandries never seem to get resolved. My emotions become way over-stimulated & out of control, so at some point my brain justs freaks out and has to blank out, flip over, and eventually latch onto a different but easier problem to work on.


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29 Aug 2007, 8:32 pm

Higan957 wrote:
Hey, this is my first post. Until two days ago, when I found this website and other information about Asperger's, I didn't know what to think about myself. I'm not diagnosed, I'm not even sure I have it, although so far everything is lining up. All that being said...now I'm trying to figure out other things not able to be explained by doctors/friends/family. Here's the first.

Anyone get brain zaps or brain shivers and definitely have Asperger's? The zaps are like electrical shorts/zaps in your brain, it's pretty weird, feels like something is shorting out. Brain shivers are when you feel like you're moving back and forth, or in a direction, but you aren't. It's not vertigo, it's a completely different experience. I've done some research and the only people I could find experiencing this were people going through withdrawals of anti-depressants...which I've never taken in my life. So, the only explanation I've found doesn't apply.

I'm curious to see your responses. Thanks to everyone on this site.


ive read somethin on here that describes that weird sensation thing... forget what it's called but it is a phenomenon

edit: im referring to the sensation of movement... it's a kind of sensory misconnection thing.... if that's what you have.


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Higan957
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29 Aug 2007, 8:42 pm

Yeah maybe. It really doesn't happen all that often. I was just curious to see if maybe other people on here had it happen too. Mainly because a lot of my "quirks" fit into Asperger's syndrom. My wife is a little blown away by how many traits I show. Anyways, for my first post, it seems to have generated a lot of hits. I just want to say "thanks" for everyone giving me their input. Thanks guys!

P.S. It's not epilepsy.



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29 Aug 2007, 8:49 pm

I had that coming off Zoloft. It was pretty weird, but exactly like you described. Zoloft also did some other weird stuff to me.


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30 Aug 2007, 12:23 am

I often get the shocky/zappy feeling, but not the feelings of motion. The zaps happen at random, and mainly occur when I quickly turn my head or move my eyes. The zap generally goes through my head and down my arms. I have taken anti-depressants, and they occurred more frequently when I was coming off of them, but I've been experiencing the zaps for a number of years.



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30 Aug 2007, 1:56 am

I get them when I have fever. Efexor withdrawal symptoms also cause them, because I forget to take my medicines quite often.



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30 Aug 2007, 11:27 pm

I had those zaps while I was on Buspar.

I'm glad to be off it.



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01 Sep 2007, 10:15 am

For me, the feeling is identical to my reaction when I hear fingernails scraping down a chalkboard - it's like a shock and then a hard shiver running down my spine. Ugh.



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01 Sep 2007, 12:34 pm

Higan957 wrote:
Hey, this is my first post. Until two days ago, when I found this website and other information about Asperger's, I didn't know what to think about myself. I'm not diagnosed, I'm not even sure I have it, although so far everything is lining up. All that being said...now I'm trying to figure out other things not able to be explained by doctors/friends/family. Here's the first.

Anyone get brain zaps or brain shivers and definitely have Asperger's? The zaps are like electrical shorts/zaps in your brain, it's pretty weird, feels like something is shorting out. Brain shivers are when you feel like you're moving back and forth, or in a direction, but you aren't. It's not vertigo, it's a completely different experience. I've done some research and the only people I could find experiencing this were people going through withdrawals of anti-depressants...which I've never taken in my life. So, the only explanation I've found doesn't apply.

I'm curious to see your responses. Thanks to everyone on this site.


Higan, it sounds like brain buzzes. Like someone's running an electrical current through your brain and it reaches peaks? And there's this jutting forward?

If that's what it feels like, then you're likely having seizures. But don't freak. I have seizures like these, along with other symptoms. It is Neocortical Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. For auties, we often start our epileptic seizures in teenager- or adulthood, and up to 1/3 of us will have seizures.

Currently, mine are mild enough that I don't need medications (if you don't have to take meds, it's better that way).

How often do these happen to you? Is there a particular trigger (e.g., any sounds or lack of sound, etc.)? Do they happen consistently at a particular time of day, like when you're getting tired?

Best thing is to keep calm. You may want to get them diagnosed; if that happens you'll likely be put on an antiepileptic. But the BEST way to prevent these seizures and keep them from getting worse is to really work on lessening your stress levels (stress only feeds seizures because the two have related neurotransmitter mechanisms). Meditation is great, eat a healthy diet, exercise. And if a seizure comes on, see if you can distract yourself from it (yes, it's possible). Listen to some music, do something active. The best way to keep seizures from getting truly ingrained and then getting worse and spreading is by preventing them, and distraction can often be a good tool for someone who has simple partial seizures. If you are put on medications though, you'll still want to use these methods because meds aren't always a fix-all.

Higan-- or anyone else for that matter-- if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me. :)


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01 Sep 2007, 12:38 pm

Higan957 wrote:
Yeah maybe. It really doesn't happen all that often. I was just curious to see if maybe other people on here had it happen too. Mainly because a lot of my "quirks" fit into Asperger's syndrom. My wife is a little blown away by how many traits I show. Anyways, for my first post, it seems to have generated a lot of hits. I just want to say "thanks" for everyone giving me their input. Thanks guys!

P.S. It's not epilepsy.


Just as an aside, I'm curious why you say that?


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01 Sep 2007, 6:36 pm

The sensation of the brain moving back and forth in the head is due to a malfunction in the brain signal that normally originatse from the otoliths. The otoliths are organs in the inner ear that are stimulated by horizontal or vertical acceleration of the head. These organs sense g-forces rather than spinning or tilting motions (which are sensed by the semicircular canals).

I'm guessing that the "brain shivers" are false signals telling you that the otoliths are being stimulated when they are not. It feels like the brain is moving inside the head because the accompanying motion cues from the eyes and neck muscles aren’t there.



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03 Sep 2007, 3:34 am

YES!

I always wondered what those "zaps" were -- most of the time they travel from the back of my head down my brainstem but occasionally they don't. Asking NTs what the deal was just left me with a lot of blank looks, so one day I asked on an aspie forum (not this one) and someone actually brought up some kind of answer.

Generally it happens more when I'm stressed or in the middle of some kind of mental overload.


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