Is there a technical term for the phenomenon known as "brain zaps"?

Question

Many people (especially those who take antidepressants), including myself, are familiar with the experience of what has been called "brain zaps". I was not aware that the sensation had a name or that it was experienced by other people until very recently. I always thought of it as a mental strobe effect or mental flashes. However, it appears that the popular term for it is indeed "brain zaps". People who take antidepressants know this feeling because it often reminds them that they haven't taken their medication that day. This is quite obviously not a medical diagnosis, and it is difficult to imagine a less technical term for the symptom. Is there a real name for this condition or symptom?

Answer 1

No, there is no medical term for "brain zaps."

"Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome" is the medical term used to describe the cause of the brain zap sensation (and the cause of other unpleasant symptoms that can happen during withdrawal of certain psychotropic medications).