[Catlovers141]

I have been taking Effexor for about three weeks now. I started on 34.7 mgs and then was told to double it a week ago. Later last week, I experienced some suicidal thoughts (which I had also experienced on SSRIs), and then they completely went away. But what they were replaced with was a complete lack of emotion. I can't change my emotional state and I am finding it really distressing. I have resorted to some self-harm in an attempt to somehow change the way I feel, even if it brings it down. At the moment, I'm not sure what is happening. I still feel mostly numb, but I have also been having some slightly suicidal thoughts.

Has anyone had this experience, or know what to do about it (especially the numbness)?

[missbelle]

Been on effexor XR for 11 years...works for me very well. I am on 75 mg one in the morning and three at nite. It does not dull me. It makes me normal I think. I guess I am really blessed it works. I did not ever feel my emotions were dulled.

Hugs;

[arcangel]

I can't say that I have had those exact things but I would suggest you discuss it w/ the prescribing physician as soon as possible. I'm sorry you are experiencing this and I hope you get it sorted out soon

[ECHOES]

The emotional numbness of SSRI's and SSNI's made me decide to try not taking meds and relying on therapy instead. I was taking a SSRI for depression and realized I was still depressed, and felt like "a good cry" would help; then I realized I couldn't get to that place where I could have that good cry. That really disturbed me that I was THAT numb.
It was the right thing for me, choosing therapy, and choosing to feel whatever I was feeling and exploring what that was about. In time, my moods became less extreme but still fluctuating normally, as moods naturally do.

It does feel very unreal to feel emotionally numb. I hope you can find another med that doesn't affect you quite so much that way, and I hope you can explore this in your therapy too.

[Catlovers141]

Thanks to all of you who responded so far -- I appreciate your time and insight.

Missbelle: I am glad that Effexor was helpful for you. I know there are many cases where these meds are really great and can make a huge (positive) difference in how you feel. Glad that you are one of those cases where that has happened.

Arcangel: I definitely plan on telling my prescriber what is going on. I see her next Thursday, so it is a week away. Sometimes that sounds like it isn't a lot of time, but this is fairly uncomfortable. Somehow it doesn't seem like enough to warrant a phone call, but I never feel like anything deserves a phone call (but that's another matter altogether).

Echoes: I am in therapy, but I have heard that meds would be an additional benefit for me. While so far I have been on four different medications and none of them have been especially helpful, I am trying to keep going in the hopes that something will finally work. I truly do think that my emotional numbness is due to the meds. I know that some people have experienced emotional numbness as a defense mechanism, I have never had this happen to me. The way you described feeling like you needed a "good cry" and then finding yourself unable to do was also a good example of my experience, and I also found instances like these disturbing. It is frightening for me to feel nothing and to have no control or ability to manipulate my emotions. But I have also heard that it can be a temporary reaction, so we'll see how it goes.

[zbmom]

If you are feeling suicidal on a med that's a big red flag. This happened to me on Topamax, when I got up to the "therapeutic dose" I actually had intent and ended up on a 5150. Please tell your pdoc asap. If I'd known it was the med doing that to me I could have avoided a lot of pain and ptsd triggers.