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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by poser938 on March 25, 2013, at 22:34:26
I'm thinking of trying asn SSRI again (zoloft) and have been wondering about the effect of when they can numb your emotions. They've done this to me before. This usually sets in after as few weeks and I'm wondering if this effect goes away with continued taking of the ssri? Is this just part of the ntidepressant effect?
Posted by Justherself54 on March 25, 2013, at 22:51:06
In reply to SSRI's and numbed emotions, posted by poser938 on March 25, 2013, at 22:34:26
It doesn't go away for me but the addition of modafinil helps.
Posted by Phillipa on March 25, 2013, at 23:13:51
In reply to Re: SSRI's and numbed emotions, posted by Justherself54 on March 25, 2013, at 22:51:06
Almost off all of SSRI's at this point. I just don't like not feeling all feelings. Phillipa
Posted by SLS on March 26, 2013, at 7:26:06
In reply to SSRI's and numbed emotions, posted by poser938 on March 25, 2013, at 22:34:26
> I'm thinking of trying asn SSRI again (zoloft) and have been wondering about the effect of when they can numb your emotions. They've done this to me before. This usually sets in after as few weeks and I'm wondering if this effect goes away with continued taking of the ssri? Is this just part of the ntidepressant effect?
I can say with confidence that the emotional numbing you experience with some SSRIs is not the antidepressant effect you should be looking for. Some people who have become cynical of the effectiveness of antidepressants espouse the notion that the numbness produced by SSRIs mutes emotional upset and thereby reduces a depressive thinking and emotional reactions to psychosocial stress. When an antidepressant works, the improvement in mental state produced is broad and pronounced. The features of depression that are improved include anergia, anhedonia, anxiety, psychomotor retardation or agitation, cognitive slowing, memory impairments, depressed mood, sadness, lack of interest and motivation, reduced libido, emotional blunting, flat affect, fatigue, muscle weakness, hypersomnia or insomnia, guilt, changes in appetite, irritability, indecisiveness, ruminating, difficulty concentrating, suicidality, etc.
My experience with SSRIs is that I am not universally affected by them with respect to experiencing the side effects of blunted emotions and apathy. Lexapro and Zoloft were worse for me than Prozac and Paxil. You might be affected in an opposite manner. I had none of these side effects with the SNRIs (Effexor, Pristiq, Cymbalta, Savella). I was also free of these side effects when taking Viibryd.
- Scott
Posted by poser938 on March 26, 2013, at 16:22:05
In reply to Re: SSRI's and numbed emotions » poser938, posted by SLS on March 26, 2013, at 7:26:06
Interesting. Well, my thinking has been very pessimistic these days. I've had experiences with ssri's and snri's and adderall, ritalin and mirapex. Like I've said in the past, he first month on something like adderall is amazing. They brighten my emotions, clear my thinking, increase motivation, decrease anxiety, for about a month they'd seem like the perfect medicine. Then it all goes away and it leaves me feeling like I'm hell. Mirapex was the most recent to do this at the end of 2009 and I've been stuck like this. I don't respond to normal dopamine incressing meds anymore nor can I feel antipsychotics.
Cyproheptadine fixed this in the past when adderall did this. This time with Mirapex I took it for about 5 months and slowly got better every day on it. But I slowly had to raise the dose until I got to a very high dose and had to sto taking it. Since then I've slowly gotten worse.
My idea is that cyproheptadine helped by antagonizing either the 5ht2a or 2c receptor therefore taking the brakes off dopamine release. I'm thinking I could have the same result withan ssri by downregulating those receptors instead of antagonizing.
Oh and snri's seem to delete my motions rather than numb them like ssri's. I think the longest I've taken an ssri is 4 weeks
If I remember right. And yes I just experienced emotional numbing. I've wondered where they get the idea of these meds
Promoting neurogenesis because all it seems about 2/3 of the people that take them are emotionasl numbing. Sexual dysfunction and things like that.
Posted by poser938 on March 26, 2013, at 17:04:48
In reply to Re: SSRI's and numbed emotions- Scot, posted by poser938 on March 26, 2013, at 16:22:05
I'm trying to find an article to support my ideas.
This is the end of the thread.
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