Some people may also find that while taking antidepressants, they no longer feel romantic love or are sexually attracted to their partner, or that they can't reach orgasm during sex. It's important to note that emotional blunting is different from feeling emotionally flat or numb.
Roughly half of people taking antidepressants report some degree of blunted emotions, according to a study published in the October 2017 issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders. For people with MDD, dulling one's emotions can be a mixed blessing.
Unfortunately, dopamine is also responsible for the feelings of elation and ecstasy that accompany falling in love. By suppressing dopamine, Fisher argues, drugs like Prozac block your ability to have these feelings, thus making it harder to fall in love and stay in love.
Almost everyone who takes an SSRI or SNRI will be affected sexually to some degree, and these drugs can also cause emotional blunting, potentially affecting feelings of love towards a partner.
Diminished Sex Drive
SSRIs may cause sexual dysfunction, which typically presents as a decreased sex drive, delayed ejaculation, inability to have an orgasm, and an overall lack of sexual satisfaction. When serotonin is increased by an SSRI or other means, other essential hormones and neurotransmitters can be impacted.
Some people may also find that while taking antidepressants, they no longer feel romantic love or are sexually attracted to their partner, or that they can't reach orgasm during sex. It's important to note that emotional blunting is different from feeling emotionally flat or numb.
“Antidepressants tend to tone down the emotions. But they don't interfere with the ability to fall in love. No,” says Otto Kernberg, director of the Personality Disorders Institute at the New York Presbyterian Hospital and author of six books on love. But Tuch says the theory is challenging.
“This is very common, particularly with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs),” she says. “Antidepressant medication can interfere with libido, so that a patient has no or very little interest in sex. It can also make arousal slow and sluggish so people have trouble getting excited about sex.
In particular, depression and certain antidepressant treatments may lower your empathy levels. If you think that you or someone you know has lower empathy levels, it can help to learn more about it.
Living with depression comes with challenges, including overcoming barriers to nourish and maintain meaningful relationships. According to a 2015 study, couples indicated that depression negatively influenced their romantic relationships in the following ways: emotional toll. romance and sexual intimacy.
Some research also indicates that sexual side effects of SSRIs may be in part due to their effects on our bodies' serotonin levels. SSRIs are extremely common — in fact, many SSRIs are currently used as first-line treatments for depression and other conditions.
4 According to the research, the antidepressants most commonly associated with emotional blunting are: Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as Cymbalta (duloxetine), Pristiq (desvenlafaxine), and Effexor XR (venlafaxine)
Emotional blunting can be temporary, lasting from a few minutes to a few hours at a time. It can also occur over the long term, from months to years. It all depends on the underlying cause.
Some studies reported that dissociative effects are linked to the antidepressant efficacy, while others found no evidence for such an association.
The good news is, emotional numbness is usually temporary and treatable.
Feeling emotionally numb can happen as a result of physical or emotional pain. In an attempt to protect yourself from being hurt again, it's not uncommon to disconnect, detach, or numb out feelings related to the situation.
The authors opined that “…during the treatment of depression, depression-related emotional blunting symptoms and antidepressant-related emotional adverse effects may coexist”; however, “…as the severity of [the] depressive syndrome decreases, the severity of emotional adverse effects due to the antidepressants also ...
In general, these are the most common sexual side effects of antidepressants: A decreased sex drive (low libido) Altered orgasms, including less intense orgasms, delay in orgasm, or no orgasm. ED (difficulty getting or maintaining an erection for satisfying sex)
The bottom line. ED is a common side effect of many antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. SSRIs, benzodiazepines, and antipsychotics may cause ED or other side effects that affect your sexual performance.
Antidepressants are highly effective for the treatment of depression and other mental illnesses, but they often cause side effects. Unfortunately, for many men, these can include sexual health and performance issues such as erectile dysfunction.
Hugging and kissing are hugely important because physical touch and skin-to-skin contact have a powerful physiological effect on stress reduction. Exercise and sunlight also boost serotonin, so walking or jogging would lift your girlfriend's spirits and help you to cope with your own stress too.
The most common signs your antidepressant dose is too strong are symptoms of serotonin syndrome. If you become overly elated, tense with your loved ones, or irritated and have mood swings, this indicates that you are taking high antidepressant doses.
feeling agitated, shaky or anxious. feeling and being sick. indigestion and stomach aches. diarrhoea or constipation.