Posted by SLS on May 31, 2014, at 9:13:10
In reply to Re: Brintellix seems to deliver what it promises » sk85, posted by g_g_g_unit on May 31, 2014, at 6:49:58
Nice discussion, guys.
> > I currently have my OCD symptoms quite in check. They certainly haven't changed going from sertraline to vortioxetine...i.e I was already doing OK in terms of OCD when on sertraline, despite having a lack of efficacy for depression and also the forementioned sexual SEs.
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> That's good to hear.
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> > In terms of anhedonia, I don't feel much help from Brintellix (yet). Maybe just slightly. But over time I've come to the conclusion that anhedonia is a very complex and difficult aspect to deal with anyway. Pramipexole did seem to work for it, yes, but not in a very consistent way and I gave it up for other side-effects I ended up experiencing. I certainly seem to continue experiencing anhedonia, as I'm always finding an excuse to reach out for cigarettes to relax or "find pleasure".
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> I'm not sure if I was expecting Brintellix to help with anhedonia per se, but SSRIs are very good at leaving me in a hazy, emotionless, cognitively-defunct state. I am almost literally content to stare at a ceiling all day, unless I need to get up to shove some form of sugar/carbohydrate down my throat.
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> > What do you think about anhedonia being at least partly brought on by lack of skills to entertain oneself? That is being psychologically rooted. I've noticed that one of the core problems for me in experiencing more pleasure is that I just can't "relax" and rest..I'm always switched on to do something, but obviously this can't work indefinitely. There is a lack of balance...
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> Perhaps you're right. I suffer from comorbid ADD and am sure that plays into things. I've read that inattention and anhedonia don't always go hand-in-hand .. and I find that when I'm adequately stimulated, things aren't wildly more enjoyable, but I experience this greater inherent interest in what I'm doing. Anhedonia, on the other hand, I associate with a lack of: spontaneity, joy, positive emotion, spontaneous emotion, emotional associations (with time, places, events, experiences). I was also operating at a diminished hedonic/emotional setpoint, in my opinion, but I used to get wild crushes on girls, enjoy being around people, felt moved by music, the seasons etc. While I can still intellectually enjoy certain things, most of that core human experience has vanished, seemingly for good. The last time I felt anything resembling true joy was on Parnate.Nardil might work even better than Parnate for anhedonia. I wonder if intact serotonin function is necessary for the experience of pleasure. Unfortunately, any reduction in anhedonia produced by serotonin reuptake inhibitors is often nullified by the emergence of apathy and amotivation. Anhedonia and amotivation are often confused. Both result in a lack of positive, pleasurable experiences. Do you think Effexor and Pristiq are less likely to produce these unwanted effects? Speaking for myself only, I prefer to be on Effexor than Lexapro because I don't experience these things on Effexor, but do on Lexapro.
Perhaps anhedonia arises from the mind constantly numbing itself to any kind of stimulation in response to negative experiences and emotions - sort of like learned helplessness.
Combining anhedonia with anxiety could possibly result in depersonalization or derealization.
- 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:1065908
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140512/msgs/1066291.html