Antidepressant Emotional Blunting

Hi Everyone,   I used to be a highly motivated, driven person. Extremely creative but emotional for my entire life. I was driven by success. I was diagnosed with depression 13 years ago. I found out I had six familiy members with it. Electroconvulsive therapy and suicide were in my family.   I started taking 40mg then switched to 20mg Prozac 2 years ago. It worked, but gave me an inner tension that was too much. I switched to Zoloft which required 150mg to start working. It doesn't give me inner tension, but I am always tired, and most of all I am “emotionally detached”. It is better than living with an impending sense of doom and reacting to everything like before, but I have come to a spot where I "hardly care" about much of anything. Some times this is good. But it is very difficult to get motivated and to keep my focus. My inner drive has stopped. This seems to be little known symptom at least for my doctor and there isn't much on the internet either.   Has anyone experienced this? Have you been successful in finding an antidepressant that did not cause this? Any input would be appreciated. Thank you.  

Carl

I agree with Karen on this one for sure. I did not experience emotional blunting but always the opposite..........to much emotion, to many tears and anxeity on the ADs.

Do check with you physician.

Kitt

The problem with the blunting is that it is also an effect of the depression. I have it and am not sure what cause's what.

I love my fiancee but feel very little love for her. It is not that I fell out of love as this holds true for everything and everybody. My niece gave birth a few months ago and I felt nothing!

I love my niece as one loves a child of their own and this blunted affect hurts.

I have recently started to feel a little better and I owe this to the longer days and a lifting of my depression. So, in my case I think it is the depresion that cause's my "blunting"

Good luck and God bless

Glen

Hi Carl,

Yes, I did experience what you are describing. I found that I missed the wide emotional range that I had, too. I agree with the suggestions to try a new med, and hopefully you will find one that is a good fit for you. All the best to you.

Hi Waterfaller,

I just wanted to jump in here and welcome you to the forum. I hope you will continue to post with us!