I was doing some reading on venlafaxine, which I've been taking now for over a year. Apparently one of the side effects is apathy, which I wasn't aware of up until now. My question is, how can you tell how much of your apathy -- of not caring, of not feeling like you can be bothered to do anything -- is related to the depression, and how much is related to the meds? I have been suffering from depression almost three years, and I can't actually remember what "normal" feels like. How much did I used to care? How much effort could I put into things? I vaguely remember feeling engaged and in control of my life, but that was back in high school. I have good days and bad days now. The meds are definitely helping. But I think I might have gone from feeling everything was hopeless to not caring how things turned out one way or another. Not being able to stick with a project or club, not being able to keep up with friends, quitting the gym, not being bothered to do the work for courses that would otherwise have piqued my interest ... I thought it was a matter of will power but I'm starting to wonder if there's more to it. Is this because I'm sick, or because I'm medicated? Is there a way to tell the difference? Has anyone else experienced anything like this before?