If you’ve fought depression for any amount of time, you probably know the hope antidepressants can give you. Finally—a solution to the exhaustion, constant low mood, dark thoughts, and hopelessness that have been plaguing you.
If you’re reading this, then you also know the pain of having those hopes dashed. Taking antidepressants didn’t make you feel better; they made you feel nothing at all!
Feeling emotionally numb on antidepressants is a common side effect called emotional blunting. It can be a sign that your antidepressants aren’t working, and you should seek to change them. An Alexandria psychiatrist can help.
Yes. The emptiness and absence of emotions of a blunted affect is distressing and limits the joy you can feel in life. It might protect you from feeling the worst of life’s pains and disappointments, but it also keeps you from experiencing life’s joys and happy surprises. The goal of antidepressants and therapy is not just to limit pain, but to improve quality of life. Emotional blunting does not achieve this goal. Many other types of antidepressants could be better suited to your brain and body.
Yes. The emptiness and absence of emotions of a blunted affect is distressing and limits the joy you can feel in life. It might protect you from feeling the worst of life’s pains and disappointments, but it also keeps you from experiencing life’s joys and happy surprises. The goal of antidepressants and therapy is not just to limit pain, but to improve quality of life. Emotional blunting does not achieve this goal. Many other types of antidepressants could be better suited to your brain and body.
In many cases, emotional blunting is temporary. As your body gets used to antidepressants, you might experience more side effects. Emotional blunting is one of them. In these cases, emotional blunting should last no more than 2-4 weeks. If it lasts longer than that, talk to your Alexandria psychiatrist about changing your antidepressant dose or switching to a different type of medication.
Emotional blunting could be a sign of continued depression. If antidepressants aren’t helping with your depression symptoms, there are things you can do. First, talk to your Alexandria psychiatrist. Explain your symptoms before and after taking antidepressants, and how you would like to feel instead. A good psychiatrist will walk you through different options, including increasing or decreasing your dose or switching to a different type of antidepressant. Also, talking to a therapist and implementing good coping mechanisms and lifestyle changes can help support the work an antidepressant does.
There’s a better solution than not feeling anything at all. Let our psychiatrists in Alexandria help you find it. Fast, affordable solutions for depression.
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