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Are SSRIs numbing & blunting agents?

Lacquerman Steve said:
My own experience on Zoloft (Sertraline) was overall emotional flattening - reduced sadness, but also reduced joy, reduced motivation, reduced desire to socialize, reduced interest in everything. It was really disconcerting, because things would happen like a major car malfunction, or a roommate disappearing with $2K of my stuff, and I'd be thinking "this SHOULD piss me off, but, meh.. whatever..". The reduction of the happy side of life (joy, friendships, love, accomplishment), the loss of satisfaction with anything, began to feel like it was reinforcing and affirming the depression. And then, shadows started to "dart around" in the corners of my vision. So, I quit taking it. Haven't looked back.

(Disclaimer: Consult with your doctor before adjusting your dosage schedule. Tell them about any and all symptoms/experiences/side effects which you are aware of that you think might be related to your medication.)
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Yeah I was the same way before we figured out the right mix. Just no feelings whatsoever either way. Finally found it after 6 years and ended up stopping them a year later lol
 
Username369 said:
What I meant was . . .
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I know, I know, I wrote two different unfunny jokes just to say I was on meth (which is not a joke) forgot what I was doing and posted that.

Speaking of meth:

Lacquerman Steve said:
My own experience on Zoloft (Sertraline) was overall emotional flattening . . . And then, shadows started to "dart around" in the corners of my vision. So, I quit taking it. )
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I know I shouldn't make light of that, but it does sound like a weird side effect for sertraline. You didn't mention how long you you were taking it?

Then again, I CAN say, that after a cold turkey quit from 200mg, and about 2 weeks at 0mg, a sudden restart at 300mg gave me open-eyed visuals, in a matter of 20minutes. The whole situation was . . . odd, but there wasn't anything else happening that would cause these vivid, definitely unique hallucinations.

Sorry OP for veering OT there.
 
Basically, 5HT2 receptors inhibit dopamine firing when activated by serotonin. SSRIs increase overall serotonin transmission, which activates these inhibitory receptors. If you block them, you reverse this inhibition.
This would greatly reduce the incidence of sexual, emotional & other side effects.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2674976/

Sustained administration of escitalopram robustly decreased the firing rate and burst activity of DA neurons. There was no difference in the mean number of spontaneously active DA neurons per tract among the 3 groups (citalopram, escitalopram, control). This inhibition was reversed by the selective 5-HT2C receptor antagonist SB 242084
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Free full text, nice for us academic pariahs.

So rather 5HT2c agonism is inhibitory of some DA action. I probably read that the first time, blocked it. I'd been poking around after my hallucinogenic reminiscences in search of yet more HT2a stuff, and not paying attention.

The case study (but that's sample size one anyway) just put some blame for "apathy," which I'd also complained about, on DA suppression, which doesn't seem to fit MY apathy, and hypo-noradrenergic stuff, which . . . no it doesn't either. At least, not without considering it's all more complex than I just made it sound.


"Apathy" is probably stunningly precise in psychiatric context. I may not have cared about my grades any more, but I was far from apathetic otherwise. So really, maybe not applicable (literally, that year),
 
Monaminine oxadase inhibitors are generally used for bi polar manic depression..where as selective seritonin reuptake inhibitors are used for depression..hence my diagnostic question
 
Lacquerman Steve said:
My own experience on Zoloft (Sertraline) was overall emotional flattening - reduced sadness, but also reduced joy, reduced motivation, reduced desire to socialize, reduced interest in everything. It was really disconcerting, because things would happen like a major car malfunction, or a roommate disappearing with $2K of my stuff, and I'd be thinking "this SHOULD piss me off, but, meh.. whatever..". The reduction of the happy side of life (joy, friendships, love, accomplishment), the loss of satisfaction with anything, began to feel like it was reinforcing and affirming the depression. And then, shadows started to "dart around" in the corners of my vision. So, I quit taking it. Haven't looked back.
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Yeahh, it's the same with me!
My car could be on fire and I would be like "mehh, whatever..."
Did you try something else besides Sertraline?

Lacquerman Steve said:
(Disclaimer: Consult with your doctor before adjusting your dosage schedule. Tell them about any and all symptoms/experiences/side effects which you are aware of that you think might be related to your medication.)
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I will.

Username369 said:
Yeah I was the same way before we figured out the right mix. Just no feelings whatsoever either way. Finally found it after 6 years and ended up stopping them a year later lol
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What was the right mix for you?

jaiho said:
SSRIs numb/reduce affect via inhibitory 5HT2 receptors.
Add agomelatine, nortriptyline or mirtazapine to counter this emotional side effect.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pcn.12032/pdf

Agomelatine reversal of escitalopraminduced apathy: A case report
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I've heard and read about this! SRI reduces Dopamine transmission...
I've also heard that Mirtazapine counteracts those negative effects.

To my dismay, my doc prefers the SSRI merry go around aka SSRI carousel (next stop: Venlafaxine or Citalopram)
Nortriptyline is no longer available, it's being withdrawn from the market in parts of central Europe.

jaiho said:
Basically, 5HT2 receptors inhibit dopamine firing when activated by serotonin. SSRIs increase overall serotonin transmission, which activates these inhibitory receptors. If you block them, you reverse this inhibition.
This would greatly reduce the incidence of sexual, emotional & other side effects.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2674976/
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Is there like a list of ADs and anxiolytics that counteract those negative effects?
I know of Mirtazapine and Nortriptyline, but besides that?

http://www.socialanxietysupport.com...sexual-dysfunction-and-zombification-1999625/
 
@MikePyle For me it was venlafaxine 300mg with Wellbutrin xl 150mg. Venlafaxine was pretty rough in terms of side effects though. Lots of memory loss that still affect me today and almost complete loss of sexual appetite when I was taking it.
Now, I keep balanced with healthy living (eating well, daily exercise), lots of mental reflection and occasional visit with my demons through carefully executed psychedelic experiences.
 
I feel like too many people knock the libido drop with SSRIs. For me, being at a point where I really needed high-dose SSRIs (or a point where the shrinks said I did) was also a point where I was much better off without it. Lost drunk ugly and broke--adding sexual thoughts would have only left me more of all three and still ugly.
 
Scrofula said:
adding sexual thoughts would have only left me more of all three and still ugly.
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I don't mean to be rude but this made me lol. I have heard a lot of people say the same though. For me, as a single guy desperately looking for companionship at the time, having no sexual drive was horrible. Sex is also the #1 best medicine for me.
 
Well, see, are you sure you didn't have a libido then? Cause 200mg Zoloft, couldn't sign the deal anyway, and honestly, not a worry about it. Being single and then desperate for companionship sounds more like me as a teenager. And early twenties. Big chunk of thirties. And at 40.
 
Scrofula said:
Well, see, are you sure you didn't have a libido then? Cause 200mg Zoloft, couldn't sign the deal anyway, and honestly, not a worry about it. Being single and then desperate for companionship sounds more like me as a teenager. And early twenties. Big chunk of thirties. And at 40.
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You just made me lol again. I had no sexual drive whatsoever, but could still easily get it done if the woman initiated it. Once it got going, my brain remembered how much it love it. Finishing the deed was sometimes difficult, but never had complaints for that lol They always left cause they thought I lacked interest though

Sorry OP for going OT but it's still somewhat relevant in terms of experience.
 
Username369 said:
Y
Sorry OP for going OT but it's still somewhat relevant in terms of experience.
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no problem.

time for a little update

on the pro side:
# helps with social anxiety and somewhat with depression
# some subtle psychosomatic symptoms have diminished
# diarrhea no longer an issue! Mr. Hankey is hard and cohesive.


cons:
# insomnia | ****ed up sleep cycle
# weight loss. My appetite is nearly back to normal, but I am still loosing weight or at least not gaining any. BMI 19 right now. That is bothering me. I don't want to become underweight.
# heat intolerance (my entire life I've been loving warmth and heat. I was the guy who could sit at the top row in the sauna for 20min @ 100°C (212 °F), but right now I cannot even stand the mild summer.
# agitation / motoric restlessness seems to be worse than before taking Sertraline
# and the many times mentioned "zombification"
# mild heachache and "pressure" in my neck. Nothing bad, but very annoying in the mid and long term.
 
Interesting, that sounds exactly like a chronic stim user's profile. Although I don't experience agitation/akathisia, but most do, and if anything, psychosomatic symptoms usually multiply (say it with me) like bugs with stims.

Have you had any thought aberrations?
 
I take lithium and effexor for major depression with repeat suicide attempts and with flat affect and slow movement. Before taking lithium and zoloft (later effexor) i would just gaze sober like im so drunk im barely concious. If you asked the day i couldnt tell you.if you gave me the choice between just flat gaze and watching tv reading a book id just choose to watch the floor. I had a full scholarship and would rather die and everywear when theyd make me learn to walk again id be furious at the world for not letting me die. After taking them i do feel flatter but i feel like my suicidal thooughts are totally gone for years and on average idnfeel like a 1 90% ofnthe time and a 9 5% and a 0 the other five percent where my heads telling me jump infront of a train this misery is unbearable and lacking a cause. To like 3 20%, 5 20% 6-7 50% 8 10% i do find myself self stimulating myself because i feel like my senses are slightly number so i drink my coffe extra dark workout till. It hurts, listenin to intense music , tapping guitar on my pone case listening to music while shoping
 
Username369 said:
Venlafaxine was pretty rough in terms of side effects though.
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I've heard Venlafaxine has pretty rough discontinuation symptoms?

Scrofula said:
Interesting, that sounds exactly like a chronic stim user's profile. Although I don't experience agitation/akathisia, but most do, and if anything, psychosomatic symptoms usually multiply (say it with me) like bugs with stims.
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I don't drink alkohol, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs ^^

Username369 said:
Have you had any thought aberrations?
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I am more aggressive, antagonistic and impulsive...
 
MikePyle said:
I've heard Venlafaxine has pretty rough discontinuation symptoms?
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That would be an understatement in my case tbh. I tapered off far more quickly than recommended though so that really didn't help. The first 2 weeks were excruciating with extreme vertigo and loss of balance paired with near constant "brain zaps" which felt like getting a 220w jolt straight to the back of my brain. They eventually diminished and lasted over the next two months. I also had those effects, but much milder, for the first 2-3 weeks when I started taking it. Sadly considered common side effects. They also occured mildly within 3-4 hours of missed dose, which forced me to have "spare" doses at work, in the car, literally everywhere I could keep one
 
Username369 said:
That would be an understatement in my case tbh. I tapered off far more quickly than recommended though so that really didn't help. The first 2 weeks were excruciating with extreme vertigo and loss of balance paired with near constant "brain zaps" which felt like getting a 220w jolt straight to the back of my brain. They eventually diminished and lasted over the next two months. I also had those effects, but much milder, for the first 2-3 weeks when I started taking it. Sadly considered common side effects. They also occured mildly within 3-4 hours of missed dose, which forced me to have "spare" doses at work, in the car, literally everywhere I could keep one
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Venlafaxines short half life is a pain in the ass.
Especially missing the dose can fuck you up.
Hail to the Fluoxetine and its long half life ^^
 
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