[elevatedsoul]

do any of you experience this? what am i supposed to do about not being able to get enjoyment from anything?

Anhedonia feels terrible. Is the feeling something you've dealt with for a long time, or is it fairly new? I am a strong believer in the power of medication. It seems that your meds should be adjusted (or changed) so you feel pleasure - and joy - sometimes.

Originally Posted by elevatedsoul

do any of you experience this? what am i supposed to do about not being able to get enjoyment from anything?

I felt that way for around 4 years before my diagnosis with depression. Medication, therapy, DBT/CBT, etc. helped. My bipolar disorder diagnosis helped further. This year I'm finally beginning to enjoy things again. Have you talked to a psychiatrist and psychologist yet? Good luck.

[elevatedsoul]

ive dealt with the sensation for some time now, before it wasnt so bad though and i had normal days

now since starting these medicines it seems to be more frequent and powerful
i just find myself trying to pass the time lately

im going to tell my case manager tomorow that its gotten a little worse even though the other symptoms have improved.. im not sure what might be causing it but im going to try and get vyvanse prescribed as i read that it can help with this problem?

i hope that something can be changed to help me feel good sometimes instead of just empty

Definitely contact your case manager. Good luck to you~

[onionknight]

Maybe your medications are causing emotional blunting? That could definitely lead to not enjoying anything. I've suffered from that for a year and a half...

[psychiatric1]

Originally Posted by elevatedsoul

ive dealt with the sensation for some time now, before it wasnt so bad though and i had normal days

now since starting these medicines it seems to be more frequent and powerful
i just find myself trying to pass the time lately

im going to tell my case manager tomorow that its gotten a little worse even though the other symptoms have improved.. im not sure what might be causing it but im going to try and get vyvanse prescribed as i read that it can help with this problem?

i hope that something can be changed to help me feel good sometimes instead of just empty

I would suggest not trying Vyvanse. Amphetamines provide a rush of energy and euphoric effect that makes almost anything interesting, but this is all very short term. After a couple weeks, you will most likely lose any euphoria or increased energy that you once experienced. I have been on Vyvanse for 3 months due to inattentive ADD, and it has worked well for my focus, but if anything, it has made me more depressed.

Depression and anxiety are very very common for long term amphetamine use, so it is not reasonable to use them for this purpose. Additionally, Vyvanse is a schedule II drug, so it is very unlikely that you obtain a prescription for this reason. Doctors rarely prescribe amphetamines for anything other than ADHD or narcolepsy (not saying it never happens, but it's unlikely).

I hope you can figure something out! I just began Lexapro with Vyvanse, and I'm seeing some slight improvement after just a week (probably just the placebo effect so far...)

I would like to know the answer to this too, as I have not really enjoyed anything at all for a long time (months). It is part of my depression, which CBT is not helping at all. My current meds aren't working either, so I don't know what the solution is.

That is something I struggle with as well.

In the past I've been told that if you stay indoors a lot than getting out into the sunlight can help. There's benefit even just having an open window with the blinds open to let the light in.

Exercise also stimulates the brain's reward centers, so if you can get yourself to start an exercise activity it could wind up being enjoyable by the end. I sometimes find that Yoga helps in this way, where by the end of the 30 minutes I'm regretting that it's over because I'm liking it.

[elevatedsoul]

thanks for your precaution psychiatric1, i've read up a little on the use of stimulants for off label use... im not saying its the answer, and the medicine probably isnt causing at as much as my lifestyle change... i used to drink everyday, and did everything else that popped up as well but now im sober and like my case manager told me 'i have to learn a new way of life because im changing my life'

i was just thinking that adding ritalin or one of the stimulants would be able to push me off the fence and get me kick started into a new positive chapter of life?

this anhedonia is terrible though and depresses me because im sitting here trying to play my favorite game of all time, my favorite thing and im just not getting "rewarded" by it

my brother mention something else too, that we have to learn how to enjoy things while being sober since we used to alter reality so much to be able to deal with things

i appreciate the kind replies

[psychiatric1]

Originally Posted by elevatedsoul

thanks for your precaution psychiatric1, i've read up a little on the use of stimulants for off label use... im not saying its the answer, and the medicine probably isnt causing at as much as my lifestyle change... i used to drink everyday, and did everything else that popped up as well but now im sober and like my case manager told me 'i have to learn a new way of life because im changing my life'

i was just thinking that adding ritalin or one of the stimulants would be able to push me off the fence and get me kick started into a new positive chapter of life?

this anhedonia is terrible though and depresses me because im sitting here trying to play my favorite game of all time, my favorite thing and im just not getting "rewarded" by it

my brother mention something else too, that we have to learn how to enjoy things while being sober since we used to alter reality so much to be able to deal with things

I truly feel for you. I have not been myself for the past four months, and have gotten little enjoyment out of the things I used to love, such as fishing. During the one time of the year that I could have gone to Florida (where I go fishing), I just wasn't up for it, and chose to just stay at home. I usually anticipate this week all year long, and it's sad to see myself just not care about it. I'm hoping that Lexapro will help turn me around like it did for my dad, my uncle, my aunt, and my grandparents, but right now it's just a waiting game.

As for the temporary kick-start from an amphetamine or methylphenidate -- I would caution against it. Given your past dependence on alcohol, a stimulant could turn into the same exact problem, but with potentially more severe consequences. The high will make you feel good for a bit, and most people (whether consciously or subconsciously) find themselves taking more medication in chasing that same high that they will never again achieve. Luckily I started my medication long before I could understand all of this, so it hasn't been a problem for me.

[Rose76]

Originally Posted by elevatedsoul

do any of you experience this? what am i supposed to do about not being able to get enjoyment from anything?

When I reported a decreased enjoyment of things, a professor of psychiatry had the resident pdoc who was treating me put me on Mirapex (pramipexole.) It's a drug, originally used for Parkinson's patients, that boosts the activity of dopamine in the brain. It made me nauseated, so I didn't stay on it very long. Supposedly, it does help some people to feel more enjoyment in living.

[rhcpfan713]

i've been dealing with anhedonia for a while now. it's brutal. the only enjoyment i ever get is from smoking pot. this is not good and i'm working on it. I have been in therapy for years and years and have tried countless meds. DBT helps a bit, but i still have no passions. i never want to do anything and am constantly bored by everything.
I have: major depressive disorder, GAD, social phobia, obsessive/intrusive thought patterns
I am on 60 mg cymbalta, 450 mg wellbutrin, 50 mg seroquel. No relief! Though seroquel does make falling asleep a bit easier.
in the past i have tried: lamictal, lithium, klonopin, xanax, abilify, seroquel XR, trazodone, lexapro.

[elevatedsoul]

pot seems to be excellent for this problem for me too, but the clinic is trying to get me to stop smoking.... when will they look into marijuana as a medicine!!

[rhcpfan713]

Originally Posted by elevatedsoul

pot seems to be excellent for this problem for me too, but the clinic is trying to get me to stop smoking.... when will they look into marijuana as a medicine!!

I couldn't agree more! My psychiatrist said she would look into it for me, as pot is the only thing that can quiet my mind! She said that at the end of the day, she'd rather me smoke a bit of pot to unwind than to stay miserable.

From how it's being described, it seems like anhedonia is really a feature of depression. Am I right about that? I know I'm in a severe depression and can enjoy literally nothing.

[Rand.]

Originally Posted by newgal2

From how it's being described, it seems like anhedonia is really a feature of depression. Am I right about that? I know I'm in a severe depression and can enjoy literally nothing.

From what I understand it is a symptom of several disorders, but yes, it is especially in depression. I'm sorry you're struggling with this, it's a very hard thing.

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[PoorPrincess]

Anhedonia has been nonstop for months and months.
I am unable to enjoy anything.
Music, movies, people, food, art, reading, dressing up, nature ... nothing.
It is horribly painful.
I'm sorry those of you here suffer as well.
It helps to know I am not entirely alone in this long strange trip I'd rather have not been on.

[PoorPrincess]

I'm just learning more about the lithium being the culprit perhaps in my anhedonia.
The more I read about lithium, the more it seems to correlate with many different maladies I am dealing with these last 4-6 months.

But lithium is a discussion for a different thread.

[PoorPrincess]

Answers To Curing Anhedonia/numbness/zombieness/no Emotions/apathy/no Libido. Collective Experiences - DEPRESSION CENTRAL - The Depression Forums - A Depression & Mental Health Social Community Support Group

This is a good thread from the depression forums.
The guy appears to have really done his homework re: meds tried with anhedonia.

[PoorPrincess]

Hope you get some relief, soul. Good luck and keep us posted on your journey.

[elevatedsoul]

i've been smoking cannabis again to deal with it, it works to a certain extent... slow's down racing thoughts, relaxes the mind, but makes me anxious because im supposed to quit, i dont want to though

Out of curiosity, for those of you with anhedonia, do you also have this feeling of waiting for something?

It's like the feeling when someone unexpectedly calls and says they're on the way over and will be there any minute. Suddenly you're rushing around trying to get everything in order.

But then they don't show up.

You're left in a limbo state where you can't start something like vacuuming, or reading, or writing, or cooking a meal, because the person is going to show up any minute so you don't feel like you'll have time to finish.

But still they don't show up.

That feeling accompanies anhedonia for me. I'm waiting and expecting that something is about to happen that will redefine my life, and so I avoid starting something that a) doesn't matter, and b) doesn't feel like what I should be doing. But then I just end up continuing to wait. I recall describing exactly this feeling over a dozen years ago near the end of high school. I'd had to give up a scholarship and path I'd been set on, and so had no plan for the future. It felt like something was going to happen that would reveal that new plan and new path, but it has been many years since then and that's still not happened.

I don't know if that's the normal feeling that accompanies anhedonia, or if I feel that way because my life was redefined through traumas and I'm awaiting something as equally impacting to change it again.

[PoorPrincess]

Re: Trebyn's question above

Long long ago I experienced the waiting with anticipation for something good to break the hold of anhedonia.
I suppose it was hope, an expectancy of deliverance.
I no longer experience that. Thus for me it is loss of hope.

[elevatedsoul]

i feel the same as PoorPrincess