Electric Jolts in My Head

kitkat1

hi there,i know exactly what you mean.i spent years asking doctors and other people that i know if they have ever had electric shocks in their head.i think they all thought that i was mad.the only person who ever knew what i was talking about was my dad.he suffered from them too.
i started to get them when i was a teenager.mine only happened usually when i was just about asleep.i would get a terrible electric charge in what felt like the middle of my brain.it happened often and it happened for years.
i am now in my mid thirties and they slowed down about 6 years ago.after i stopped smoking i hardly ever got them.i do still get some small ones when i'm feeling anxious.these are usually on the right side of my head on top of my temple area.
the good news is that it was finally diagnosed a few years ago.a local doctor knew my symptoms.he told me that lots of people get it.although it is painful and terrifying,it is harmless.it is a nerve.i can;t remember the name of the nerve.i think it was trigmal or something like that.there are about 5different ones that run through the head.
have you ever been nearly asleep and you actually hear a big bang in your head?like an explosion.its really scarry and it kind of goes buzzzzzz for a minute or two.
have the electric shocks ever happened to you when you are going to sleep.just trytaking a couple panadols before sleeping.
i cannot believe that someone else gets it.ithought me and my dad were the only ones.i know its scarry,but its nothing to worry yourself sick over.
i also get lots of headaches.always have.i also get migraines about 3-5 times a year with the horrible moving patterns beforehand.these leave me sick and unable to do anything for about five hours.
hope i have helped.when i think back,my shocks actually felt like a lightening bolt through my brain.very scarry.

kitkat1

hi again,i had an attack of vertigo last year that lasted 8 months.it happened every time i turned my head to the right.i had every test you can imagine.all negative.it disappeared about 8 months later as quick as it came.

also,my elelctric shocks in my head lasted no more than a second.maybe even half a second.the buzzing sound lasted a little longer.

Max'sMom

I agree with the above poster -- it may be that you are experiencing trigeminal neuralgia. It is caused by your trigeminal nerve firing off and causing extremely painful electric shocks. There is a lot written on this ailment, it is fairly widespread and it is something you could ask your neurologist about. I am not a physician, but my impression is that if it is disruptive and extreme (as it sounds in your case it has become), physicians can give you meds that will lessen its severity.

barkingshark

some medicines cause odd side effects when you miss a dose. always take your medicine regularly and never miss a dose.
also you could get your tonsils checked for infection because infected tonsils cause BAD headaches without any symptom of sore throat.

The electrical sensation is a seizure which indicates it is caused by medicine.
Other symptoms are not symptoms of epilepsy.

notpain

I have injury as a result of compter work. You need to cut back. Sitting is very hard on the spine and will only make worse whatever condition you have. Most people do not drink enough water. This is not going to fix you but might help some. Also get the best chair and workstation you can afford. I used to think my 21" Sony Monitor was all that, then I got a 19" NEC flat panel (almost the same size of screen) and it is so much easier on the eyes. The constant flicker of the CRT (even though you may refresh it fast enough to not see the flicker) is very hard on the eyes. The LCD is much easier to read. Try this test look at an object at a 45 degree angle to your screen. You're perhipheral vision will pick up the flicker... but not on a flat panel.

Junk the stand the panel comes with and get an LCD Monitor Arm so you can position your screen right where you want it. As you get tired it is a sign you should get up and take a break, walk around and stretch.

Human beings were NOT designed to sit in chairs in front of computers all day. I never thought that my PC would be my downfall, but it did. I used to work 60 to 70 hours a week minimum. I now limit computer use to about 6 hours a day.

What most do not know is the spine starts degenerating around age 25. Each inch you move your head forward from it's ideal position on top of your shoulders doubles the pressure on your spine. The C6/7 C5/6 can herniate and buldge quite easily as the result of computer use.

Get in and see the Neurologist. If that doesn't help (I've been to 3 now and the one I am seeing now is much better than the first two but still has not solved my problem) then move on to the ENT. I am supposed to see a Neuro-Otologist - And advanced ENT (basically an ENT with additional surgical training).

I have chronic sinusitis as well - so far not luck curing that problem. The nasal steroids and antihistimines just made me dizzy. Be careful with the Ativan or any Benzodiazipines - they have nasty side effects and are difficult to get back off. I believe most would be better without these "minor tranqualizers".

Unfortunately it does not appear that a diagnosis of your problem is going to come quick or easy. But keep looking. Keep a diary of symptoms - when they occur, what you were doing before they occur, how long they last, etc.

And while some whould choose not to believe that food can play a role, there are foods that do trigger certain conditions.