1. < Depression & Anxiety

Try to wean off Effexor due to emotional blunting after on it 10 years

Posted by xyxy @xyxy, Jul 11, 2023

Hi everyone, hope you all are doing well. I am wondering if anyone has similar experiences and suggestions that may help, thanks!

I started to take antidepressants in 2012 when I was 13 because my mood was unusually low for long periods of time and sometimes felt tearful. I was first put on Zoloft for a year and then switched to Effexor. The dosage was 75 mg for most of the time. Since 2016 I also started to take Depakote, a mood stabilizer, because I was suspected of bipolar disorder (which was likely not the case in hindsight), and stayed on it because the doctor thought it could enhance the effect of Effexor.

For me, a palpable unwanted effect of these medications is emotional blunting. I consider myself a likable, confident, and sociable person by nature. I have always wanted to have a romantic relationship but have never been able to. The sexual attraction is there but my emotional responsiveness is just too low to develop the attachments needed for either friendships or relationships. In fact I think despite the sexual attraction I stopped having crushes (which I think are a sustained emotional effect) on girls since I started to take antidepressants. The emotional blunting made me mostly stay in a not-fully-conscious mental condition in the past 10 years.

I made several attempts to go off Effexor. For me, each time I reduce the dosage, after about 2 months I would start to feel tearful. Then, I had to go back on the old dosage, and the tearful feeling would be resolved almost immediately. Recently I tried to wean off Depakote. But the robot-like state worsened after I stopped.

Any comments would be helpful, thanks!

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kratz5 | @kratz5 | Jul 12, 2023

Why are trying to go off Effexor??
If I read this right when you tried to go off it, you went into a tearful depressed state, and went back on it.

REPLY
1 reply
xyxy | @xyxy | Jul 12, 2023
In reply to @kratz5 "Why are trying to go off Effexor?? If I read this right when you tried to..." + (show)
@kratz5

Why are trying to go off Effexor??
If I read this right when you tried to go off it, you went into a tearful depressed state, and went back on it.

Jump to this post

Yes, that's correct, but I think Effexor causes emotional blunting so I try to go off it.

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1 reply
suzanne75 | @suzanne75 | Jul 13, 2023
In reply to @xyxy "Yes, that's correct, but I think Effexor causes emotional blunting so I try to go off..." + (show)
@xyxy

Yes, that's correct, but I think Effexor causes emotional blunting so I try to go off it.

Jump to this post

Have you talked to your prescribing physician/therapist about this?
I have a long history of anti-depressant use, going back almost 50 years. Initially, for panic/anxiety attacks. Most severe episode was post partum depression about 30 years ago.
After being depression free for quite awhile, I restarted paxil in late 2020 due to stress of pandemic related income loss and death of several close friends/family.
Anti-depressants include a lot of options, and fortunately many more than when I was first prescribed one. Some have literally turned my life around. Others were actually toxic
(for me) and caused me to be nearly dysfunctional.
Of course I can't give you medical advice, but a few questions occur to me:
1. Many anti-depressants have sexual side effects. Have you discussed this with your medical team and tried something besides Effexor?
2. Are you stopping Effexor all at once, or trickling down the dosage slowly? I have not taken Effexor, many anti-depressants can have severe side effects if stopped cold turkey.
3. Are you in therapy as well as medication for your depression? Therapy, along with medication, saved my
ability to function and lead a (fairly!) normal, productive life. (Some therapists were worse than useless, by the way. If it doesn't feel helpful or even " right" , find someone else. Also with physicians.)
4. I have taken the time to educate myself about the medications I am prescribed. and would recommend reading all you can on reputable websites ( I have found Mayo Clinic, other major hospitals, Medscape and others helpful).
I understand where you're coming from and wish you the best.

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1 reply
dfb | @dfb | Jul 13, 2023

I take 450 mg of Effexor, it has a ton of side effects for me. That said getting off of it has so far been impossible for me.

I am going to need a lot of medical help to get off of it. It’s possible I will be on it until I die.

I wish you all best with whatever challenges you face.

REPLY
xyxy | @xyxy | Jul 13, 2023
In reply to @suzanne75 "Have you talked to your prescribing physician/therapist about this? I have a long history of anti-depressant..." + (show)
@suzanne75

Have you talked to your prescribing physician/therapist about this?
I have a long history of anti-depressant use, going back almost 50 years. Initially, for panic/anxiety attacks. Most severe episode was post partum depression about 30 years ago.
After being depression free for quite awhile, I restarted paxil in late 2020 due to stress of pandemic related income loss and death of several close friends/family.
Anti-depressants include a lot of options, and fortunately many more than when I was first prescribed one. Some have literally turned my life around. Others were actually toxic
(for me) and caused me to be nearly dysfunctional.
Of course I can't give you medical advice, but a few questions occur to me:
1. Many anti-depressants have sexual side effects. Have you discussed this with your medical team and tried something besides Effexor?
2. Are you stopping Effexor all at once, or trickling down the dosage slowly? I have not taken Effexor, many anti-depressants can have severe side effects if stopped cold turkey.
3. Are you in therapy as well as medication for your depression? Therapy, along with medication, saved my
ability to function and lead a (fairly!) normal, productive life. (Some therapists were worse than useless, by the way. If it doesn't feel helpful or even " right" , find someone else. Also with physicians.)
4. I have taken the time to educate myself about the medications I am prescribed. and would recommend reading all you can on reputable websites ( I have found Mayo Clinic, other major hospitals, Medscape and others helpful).
I understand where you're coming from and wish you the best.

Jump to this post

Thanks for your reply and helpful comments. Sorry about your loss. Yes, I have kept my doctors informed of my experiences. I think overall my current medications are doing me more good than bad. For therapies, it is a good suggestion. I have gone to therapies many years ago but I have been feeling well enough to have nothing to go to therapies for. This is also a reason why I want to go off medications.

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1 reply
gardener82 | @gardener82 | Jul 13, 2023

I have taken several antidepressants and other psychiatric meds over the years (especially when I was late teens / early 20s). Effexor was by far the hardest to withdraw from. You absolutely need a solid plan between doctor and pharmacist to taper off very slowly, and strategies for coping with the withdrawal. Do not wait for your medical providers to help you - be your own strongest advocate. You deserve to be supported by your care team during this. I found Effexor to be very effective, but the side effects were just too much. Especially if I ever missed a dose, I went into a tailspin. I also recommend (if you don’t have it already) finding a therapist you feel comfortable talking about emotional attachments to. They can help you dig into that a little and look at your thinking around it. I definitely think antidepressants play a role in this, but examining some of those thoughts and feelings with another person (a safe person, therapist) could really help you process and build some tools moving forward. If you’ve been on these meds for a lot of your formative years you may have some learning to do in how to function in a healthy relationship. Maybe not 🙂 just a thought… I just had a similar experience and a therapist helped me guide myself out of some unhelpful thinking patterns I was stuck on. Good luck!

REPLY
suzanne75 | @suzanne75 | Jul 13, 2023
In reply to @xyxy "Thanks for your reply and helpful comments. Sorry about your loss. Yes, I have kept my..." + (show)
@xyxy

Thanks for your reply and helpful comments. Sorry about your loss. Yes, I have kept my doctors informed of my experiences. I think overall my current medications are doing me more good than bad. For therapies, it is a good suggestion. I have gone to therapies many years ago but I have been feeling well enough to have nothing to go to therapies for. This is also a reason why I want to go off medications.

Jump to this post

Thank You for letting me know you found my reply helpful. And for your concern for my losses. I think one positive thing about experiencing depression is it gives us more understanding and empathy for others.
You sound like you have very valid reasons for wanting to get off your meds. My only other thought would be a possible trial of another antidepressant, since you seem to have somewhat of a relapse off the Effexor. Good luck!

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