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SSRIs, emotional blunting, and love

Posted by Jem on August 15, 2003, at 22:57:14

In reply to Re: SSRIs and emotional blunting/making worse.. » tabitha, posted by jay on June 19, 2002, at 2:10:34

This takes up a year-old thread which I've only just seen!

The issue of SSRIs and emotional blunting is fascinating - and scary. I've been trying citalopram for anxiety for the past few months, during which time a relationship I was in ended without causing me much emotional pain at all - very untypically for me. I'm trying to work out whether this meant I just didn't love the woman, or whether I didn't feel the pain because of the citalopram! Have people experienced any tendency of SSRIs to blunt their capacity to feel such emotions as love, and the pains associated with it?

Jem

>
> After my 7-8 years on mostly Effexor, and now being 'sober' from it for almost a month, I see every single point in this article. The 'who cares' attitude being the strongest, and was deeply harmful regarding my quality of life.
>
> I neglected a number of very important things on Effexor, things I used to always be very vigilant about. I didn't complete my taxes for three years; I have neglected getting dental care, and am just now making an appointment for a large number of cavities that I *new* I had years ago; I hated going out, shopping, with friends, as I just had no inclination to these things; I stopped dating, and only now am 'in the mood' again; I neglected to pay bills I did have the money for; I lost interest in 'bothering' with family members during birthdays, and celebrations of the like; I lost most of my desire to make my career better, not even wanting to bother with college again; I neglected things in some basic jobs that ended up gettting me fired...even though I *knew* they would if I didn't 'shape up'.
> The thing is, these qualities are quite the reverse of whom I was pre-SSRI/SNRI days.
>
> Sorry if that sounds like a lot, but that is my past 8 or so years with Effexor. (And some trials of a few SSRI's). I will NEVER return to Effexor because of it, as all of those things above where putting 'nails in my coffin'. The only med I find a bit helpful is benzos, which seem to unlock all of that weighted-down feeling Effexor and SRI's caused me.
>
> As I pointed out in another post, I am not 'anti-med', but I think the performance level of the SRI/SNRI's is weak, at best. I also think in many people with large clusters of personal problems, these meds can really mess your life up further.
>
> 'Detox' from Effexor was hell, to say the least, and this is from somebody who has no problem with any benzo 'withdrawl'. I can take benzos on and off...no problem..as I tend to use them as an 'emergency' sollution on days when the tension and like is far too much.
>
> I wonder if the tricyclics have the same effect. I did try a few over the years, and I remember the time when I switched from a tricyclic to an SSRI, and it was pretty nasty, to say the least. The 'emotional blunting' didn't seem to exist on the tricyclics.
>
> Anyhow...great thread...I'd like to hear more from others...
>
> Jay
>
> >
> > This article is long but really interesting. Much of it rings true for me.
> >
> > http://ourworld.cs.com/ssobo2/myhomepage/index.html
> >
> > I found the link on the Depression Central site.
> >
> > -tabitha
>
>


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poster:Jem thread:110134
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030812/msgs/251223.html