Posted by SLS on September 22, 2011, at 22:30:59
In reply to Antidepressant Withdrawal, Zero Libido, Numb, posted by mogger on September 22, 2011, at 21:54:06
> Hi there,
>
> I am coming off clonzepam and down on zoloft and have been experiencing almost an aversion to sex and my girlfriend as well as being a bit mentally numb. I am mortified as she has come to visit me and just a few weeks ago I was fired up and attracted to her and ready for her visit and now for about a week I feel like perhaps she is not the right one as I can't get turned on or anything and I am mentally numb. I was wondering if anyone else has had this similar experience during withdrawals? I have partially come to a conclusion that perhaps she isn't for me however I don't really find any other women attractive right now and am wondering if it is just the withdrawals that are tricking me into being disinterested and detached? Has anyone sort of fallen out of love with someone going through withdrawals and then once it is over and you have recovered you realized it wasn't the girlfriend/boyfriend but the withdrawals that were changing your perception? Many thanks for your thoughts, I would really appreciate any experiences as I don't know what to do,
>
> mogger
Hi Mogger.Even in the absence of mental illness, one may have their romantic feelings ebb and flow. It takes some time for a relationship to evolve to a point where making a commitment becomes a strong desire. Stability is nice, but there will always be challenges to be encountered along the way.
Depression can mute one's physical and emotional responsiveness to a partner in a relationsip. I imagine a depressive rebound caused by discontinuing an antidepressant can do the same thing. Withdrawal from clonazepam can be hell, and this might produce too much fight-or-flight anxiety to allow for a healthy libido, and perhaps feelings of romance. Even physical beauty can be perceived differently under varying affective states.
Don't be in such a rush to determine if your current girlfriend is "the one". Allow Time to help you determine that. In the meantime, I would operate under the premise that your medication adjustments might be responsible for your lack of feelings. It helps to be comfortable with uncertainty. You won't know how you will come to feel until more time passes.
Do you feel trapped under your current circumstances?
I hope things work out.
- Scott
Some see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:997581
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110914/msgs/997595.html