Posted by Jem on October 29, 2003, at 21:25:54
In reply to Re: SSRIs, emotional blunting, and love, posted by Gusto on October 28, 2003, at 13:54:40
Hi Gusto, and all,
I find this interesting Gusto. But I'm confused - are you saying you're now taking Zoloft plus Buspar, in which case the Buspar would have seem to have counteracted Zoloft's emotional/sexual blunting effect? Or did you go off the Zoloft when you went on to Buspar? What other effects does Buspar have?
I started this latest emotional blunting part of this thread with a question about why I wasn't missing a girlfriend with whom I'd just split up (and wondering whether it was because I was on citalopram [celexa]). Well, for what it's worth, I did a bit of an experiment recently: I went off citalopram, tapering myself off gradually, and waited to see if I would start missing her. I didn't! And I think I had waited long enough - my anxiety definitely returned! But not the missing. So unless the citalopram made me not miss her by stopping me from experiencing the initial pangs, which seems an unlikely hypothesis, I don't think I can really put my not missing her down to an SSRI emotional blunting effect. (Maybe I just didn't love her.) Which is not to say the blunting effect doesn't exist! I think it does. But I just thought I'd clarify that, for the interests of being accurate.
My main response to citalopram/celexa is increased confidence, better mood, and a reduced tendency to care what happens to me or what other people think of me. This last thing is mostly welcome, as I usually worry too much, but sometimes I do feel a little TOO 'blunted'.
What other experiences do people have of emotional blunting/other affects of SSRIs?
Best wishes,
Jem
> I'm taking zoloft (50mg), had some of the same feelings. My shrink let me add buspar (30mg) back in (I was on it before the zoloft). I'm doing much better. Anxiety and depression are gone, I'm horny most of the time again. Still a little tired feeling though. For me it's close to being a miracle drug. For the first time in my life I really feel "normal".
>
poster:Jem
thread:110134
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031025/msgs/274824.html