Emotional numbing is not the purpose of an antidepressant. If a pdoc tells you this, shame on him/her. The purpose of an antidepressant is to help the person be less depressed. Some people get an unwanted side effect of numbing, but not everyone. hartbroken, if you are feeling your emotions are numbed, then please report that to your prescriber so you can try a different antidepressant (e.g. Zoloft, Effexor, & Cymbalta tend to produce numbing less often) or have a second med added to the Prozac (addition of Wellbutrin often helps people who experience the numbing side effect). The numbing effect is also known as the zombie effect. It is not the goal of pharmacological treatment for depression.