Medications + Alexithymia

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[claiomhdubh]

Yeah, SSRIs always made life worse for me. Bad experiences with them are a big factor in my current aversion to medication-based therapeutic methods

[scottdrury]

I wasn’t aware of experiencing “every day” emotions for most of my life, just extremely strong ones. I used to think I was like Mr. Spock in this regard. When I learned about autistics sometimes having alexithymia, I understood my brain is not broken, just another aspect of being AS. I’ve learned how to quiet my mind and feel milder emotions somewhat better now. Still, my usual serious response when asked how I feel about something is “please give me a few minutes, or an hour, sometimes a day, and I’ll get back to you.” A lot of NT people don’t believe me and think I’m disrespectfully putting them off. My autistic friends just say “OK”.

[travelwell]

I don’t know if it’s the same thing but often particularly at work, I forget there is a real person on the end of the email. For example they email me with a question they’ve already asked me five times before, and even though I know I’m the only one in conversation who has a crystal clear memory of those previous times I still think “urgh why are you so thick” and whether I send a really nice response, just forward the email from the last time they asked or send something really stressy suggestion they should know this by now … their response reminds me they’re a real person with feelings and my email could’ve made them feel really happy or really upset them and ruin their day. But in the moment reading and sending the email it’s just a task I have to complete and an annoying one at that.

[pathumdilhara]

Effexor has killed my joy on everything, but still, I can not get rid of it. Even if I do, it creates more anxiety and does not heal the emotion part as well.

[Pete_]

I get absolutely no joy from anything. Also, no intense sadness. I take anti-depressants and mood stabilizers, but that is not the miracle elixer. I thought so for many years until my ASD diagnosis last year. I am autistic, and that is the cause of my emotional numbness.

[martaleszkiewicz]

Anhedonia is not your level of pleasure. It's the inability to feel pleasure and joy.

[stephenie]

2 of the SSRIs I’ve taken blunt my extreme emotional range to the degree that my emotional range feels normal: I can feel happy/sad/angry etc when life circumstances ought to leave me feeling that way, and I’m no longer crying at EVERYTHING that is or isn’t sad.

One of the SSRIs I tried definitely was not helpful for me. I thought I might have developed hyperthyroidism, I’d become so fatigued and anhedonic. Like my body was depressed even though my mood was a bit better. It was bizarre to experience after having had such a positive experience with other SSRIs.

[thuggie]

I not been able to spin around for years