Maddy felt ‘brain zaps’ after stopping antidepressants. No-one told her they were a common symptom of withdrawal

Maddie Britton knew that when she stopped taking her prescribed antidepressants, she could experience a condition called withdrawal symptoms.

But the days and symptoms that followed were “scary and unexpected.”

“Coming off antidepressants was a very unpleasant experience, unlike anything I've ever felt before,” she said.

“It was pretty scary. I didn't know what was happening to me.”

Adelaide University psychiatrist and academic John Jureidini said her experience was all too common.

“Studies have already been conducted showing that antidepressant withdrawal problems are underestimated and underreported,” he said.

Maddy, a 26-year-old retail worker from Brisbane, was taking low doses of escitalopram, or Lexapro, an antidepressant in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class.

This drug is mainly prescribed by general practitioners to treat depression and anxiety.

Maddie had been on 10 milligrams for two years, but at that time her calendar ran out and she couldn't make an appointment to get a refill for several days.

She said she wasn't warned enough about how quickly the withdrawal side effects would occur.

“I was at work when I started noticing the withdrawals being activated,” she said.

“My arms and legs felt numb or full of needles.”

She was so worried that she felt unable to drive and felt extremely tired and emotional in the days leading up to her GP appointment.

Users can experience a “brain zap” with SSRIs

Maddy knew about the side effects of taking the drug, but she didn't know about the effects of stopping it.

Her doctor had told her not to suddenly stop taking the drug, but she was unaware of the potential side effects of withdrawal..

“I felt like my vision was decreasing,” she said.

“It felt like my brain was behind my eyes for a second or three.”