[ceramicplates]

i have had depression for most of my life and i have been taking the medication wellbutrin for about three years now. however, i am planning to plan a weaning process with my doctor so that i can stop taking this medication.

my reason for stopping this antidepressant is because i feel it has reduced my creativity and passion exponentially over the years. i am an animation student and i am also a freelance illustrator, so clearly a loss of creativity and passion is a massive problem for me. making art has become a chore which i often struggle to or cannot complete, and every time i attempt it i feel a massive weight on my chest and have to stop before i start panicking about it. it just doesn't feel good to draw anymore.

while a decrease in passion and creativity can certainly be caused by many things, i want to eliminate one possible cause at a time so that i can get to the root of this problem. have any of you found a connection between antidepressants and loss of creativity or drive?

i also wonder if any of you may have advice for me regarding boosting my creativity and drive in the meantime, since the fall semester is starting in about a week and i'll have lots of creative work to complete. as i wean off of wellbutrin, i will also seek out a therapist. however i might not be able to attend therapy because i am taking full course load and working two jobs, so i will also look for natural methods to relieve depressive symptoms. do any of you have recommendations for natural or holistic methods? maybe something you've used to lighten your symptoms during the winter months?

i've been a reader for a while, but i've never posted here before! sorry if this is a bit lengthy, but thanks in advance for any advice you may be able to offer!

[Skeezyks]

Hello ceramicplates: I cannot respond to your concerns. However, I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral… from the Skeezyks! I hope you find the time you spend here to be of benefit.

PsychCentral is a great place to get information as well as support for mental health issues. There are many knowledgeable & caring members here. The more you post, & reply to other members’ posts, the more a part of the community you will become. Plus there are social groups you can join & chat rooms where you’ll be able to connect with other PC members in real time (once your first 5 posts have been reviewed & approved.) Lots of great stuff! So please keep posting!

[dexter]

Hello Ceramicplates, if you've come across any of my posts while reading you will know that yours is not too long LOL.

I don't know the answer to your question but I think you are absolutely doing this the right way... Eliminating one thing at a time to determine the cause. When testing the Wellbutrin if it turns out to be the cause, it may take some time for it to leave your system until you can know if it is the culprit. That should be something you can ask the doctor and of course he should also be monitoring you to make sure your depression stays under control.

I would recommend keeping a detailed journal showing both the status of the current change and some sort of reference to artwork you've done that day or week. Since creativity is such a subjective thing you may not notice when your "talent" is back until after it is well underway. You may look back on pieces that you dismissed or felt frustrated with and decide that they represent a spark in creativity even if you didn't like them at the time.

Since you're having frustration creating maybe also a rating system on each one on how hard it was to produce or how long it took or something.

Don't let the journaling get in the way of your creativity though!

I love animation and kudos to you for pursueing that. Last weekend I saw an awesome short animated film, all done by hand, music and foley but no dialog, about a young gay man who had not come out and although he was fine, the film was about how it effected the people he was closest to. It was called "Arrival". It is making show circuits right now but should be on the web sometime soon. http://www.arrivalshortfilm.com/

[TishaBuv]

Hello and welcome to PC!

I am having pretty good results with Cymbalta for not stifling my creativity and not causing sexual side effects (inability to O). As for drive, maybe it has slowed me down, IDK.

[BadMojo47]

Originally Posted by ceramicplates

i have had depression for most of my life and i have been taking the medication wellbutrin for about three years now. however, i am planning to plan a weaning process with my doctor so that i can stop taking this medication.

my reason for stopping this antidepressant is because i feel it has reduced my creativity and passion exponentially over the years. i am an animation student and i am also a freelance illustrator, so clearly a loss of creativity and passion is a massive problem for me. making art has become a chore which i often struggle to or cannot complete, and every time i attempt it i feel a massive weight on my chest and have to stop before i start panicking about it. it just doesn't feel good to draw anymore.

while a decrease in passion and creativity can certainly be caused by many things, i want to eliminate one possible cause at a time so that i can get to the root of this problem. have any of you found a connection between antidepressants and loss of creativity or drive?

i also wonder if any of you may have advice for me regarding boosting my creativity and drive in the meantime, since the fall semester is starting in about a week and i'll have lots of creative work to complete. as i wean off of wellbutrin, i will also seek out a therapist. however i might not be able to attend therapy because i am taking full course load and working two jobs, so i will also look for natural methods to relieve depressive symptoms. do any of you have recommendations for natural or holistic methods? maybe something you've used to lighten your symptoms during the winter months?

i've been a reader for a while, but i've never posted here before! sorry if this is a bit lengthy, but thanks in advance for any advice you may be able to offer!

Hello ceramicplates,
I feel your pain, trust me. I have taken meds for GAD and MD with PTSD. I took an SSRi and it drained me of energy and creativity for four years. I am a graphic designer/animator/multi-media developer and it made my job very difficult. In spite of some massive personal drama late last year, I weaned myself off this medicine and I have huge reserves about getting back on any medication as a result of that experience. I was actually considering Wellbutrin, your post is very timely in that regard. Please keep me posted on your progress...Best.

[with or without you]

I am a graphic designer and artist [I guess]. I use the term "I guess" because depression has robbed me of that identity. Antidepressants never stunted my creativity or emotions. I read so many personal accounts of people saying medication made them "flatline" in some way. I feel like I am in the minority. For me, depression has always been the culprit. I can point to instances in the past where my ADs did work and my creativity came back. It was like a light being turned on in some dark backyard shed that hadn't been switched on in years.

[brackenbeard]

Originally Posted by ceramicplates

my reason for stopping this antidepressant is because i feel it has reduced my creativity and passion exponentially over the years. i am an animation student and i am also a freelance illustrator, so clearly a loss of creativity and passion is a massive problem for me. making art has become a chore which i often struggle to or cannot complete, and every time i attempt it i feel a massive weight on my chest and have to stop before i start panicking about it. it just doesn't feel good to draw anymore.

This is interesting because I struggle with the exact same thing, but my issue is partly motivation or energy to attempt the writing, and partly being so self-critical of everything that I write. It's tied to my meds I'm absolutely certain. I'm sedated all day and it isn't til night when i should be going to bed I find the energy to write. Maybe the work is suffering because I'm so tired but also quick to dismiss my creative works as junk.

Originally Posted by ceramicplates

while a decrease in passion and creativity can certainly be caused by many things, i want to eliminate one possible cause at a time so that i can get to the root of this problem. have any of you found a connection between antidepressants and loss of creativity or drive?

As I said there is a connection but it's the side effects. I've definetly become less passionate since my last increase in meds and maybe that's been a continuing trend, but I seem to be ok when I'm not depressed. It's interesting because I almost never enjoy the process of making poems anymore, and I've struggled with trying to find a solution. I never considered that a med issue though.

Originally Posted by ceramicplates

i also wonder if any of you may have advice for me regarding boosting my creativity and drive in the meantime, since the fall semester is starting in about a week and i'll have lots of creative work to complete. as i wean off of wellbutrin, i will also seek out a therapist. however i might not be able to attend therapy because i am taking full course load and working two jobs, so i will also look for natural methods to relieve depressive symptoms. do any of you have recommendations for natural or holistic methods? maybe something you've used to lighten your symptoms during the winter months?

That's tricky. I've never been one to try the holistic thing, but I would re-read articles on coping skills to get your tools sharpened for winter. Also, definetly get a therapist. It's only like 30 minutes every other week or once a month. You don't want to go off meds and start all this responsibility alone, I believe, maybe you don't.

[bronzeowl]

My partner definitely experienced a loss of creativity and drive while on an ssri. When he stopped taking it, his creativity and drive returned. I do think there can be a correlation for some people.