Anyone on a long-term high dose of Venlafaxine: Do you suffer from emotional blunting?

[Coldwetlettuce]

I’ve been on a high dose of Venlafaxine for a few years for depression. It’s the antidepressant that’s helped me the most, but in the last couple of years I’ve found I’ve become a bit emotionally numb. I’m so chilled out I’m practically horizontal! I’m not complaining about it as such. I was an emotional mess before, but in the last couple of years I’ve noticed my default mood is almost always relaxed/calm/a bit ‘whatever’ about everything. It’s largely positive- everything is like water off a duck’s back to me. I do feel positive emotions - I feel intense love for my kids, I get excited about things (although not as much as I used to maybe). I feel pretty positive most of the time but I also sometimes feel like I’ve got a permanent filter on and all the stuff that would annoy/upset/frustrate a normal person just bounces off, and I’m not feeling feelings genuinely. I’m probably not explaining it very well, but does anyone feel similar on it?

Somatic therapy could also be really helpful here, if you're looking for a non-medication based alternative (which i appreciate you didn't ask for 🙃).

Yes
What suits one doesn’t suit another
Friends rave about sertraline and for
me it worked for age last for low mood but when anxiety also became an issue Venfalaxine was best !
It’s trial and error for sure

Definitely definitely ask for extended release @Lizzbear . It's a horrible medication for "running low" in your system, and I found the unextended release ones even worse. As @op says you NEED to make sure you don't run out of it or you'll have a horrible time until you get it - I've argued so many times with receptionists about needing prescriptions, but I've found most pharmacists really helpful with providing an emergency prescription. Coming off/lowering doses can be tricky but I think if it's a medication that's being suggested to you it's been suggested for a reason.

@LizzbearI have OCD and find it good for that.

The extended release tablets are so much better. When I used to take the other ones, I used to get bad pains in my head if I was late with a dose & had to take one tablet in the morning and one at night. Now I just take both in the morning. I think the worse side effect is the fatigue and very vivid weird dreams but I’ve been tired & had bad sleep for decades so I can’t pinpoint it to that on its own.

Can someone explain the difference between the two? I’ve started on it in the mornings and I’m tired.

Extended release acts more slowly.
I think it’s moot though because the non- extended release ones were discontinued years ago afaik. The XL version is the only one available now.

I felt like I was living life in a glass tube. Nothing quite touched me emotionally. I hated it. I couldn’t empathise with other people’s grief, worry etc. It was like being a character like Data in Star Trek puzzling at the emotional humans. I didn’t care anymore about things that I had been very passionate about.

I did however develop intense and vivid suicide ideation. I have aphantasia and for the most part I can’t see images in my mind. But I could vividly imagine in perfect detail how to kill myself and it felt horribly compelling.

Libido was still good, in that I was sexually interested. But I couldn’t reach orgasm.

Oh I didn’t know that they’d stopped prescribing the immediate release. It is a number of years since I’ve had it. That is great news because for a lot of people, the side effects of a forgotten/late dose were brutal.

Im in my 3rd week of this, having been on about 5 different types of SSRIs in the past, thought I would try this as its slightly different, not been on any AD's for 7 years but very depressed, to the extent I am/was thinking of giving up my career

Emotional blunting sounds good at the moment to me, but obviously I dont want it to be ruining motivation to do things. My motivation is low due to depression anyway.

Im not on slow release.

Yeah, I looked it up and saw it comes in an “immediate release” version. I don’t know why my GP told me it only came in extended release.
Do you have to take it multiple times a day?

Have they been helping you more than the other anti depressants? Im hoping they are a good fit if the doctor will prescribe for me x

That sounds really difficult. I feel for you. Could you message him to keep communication going, or even write him letters? I know. That’s old-fashioned, but at least it’s something x

Yes and it does make me feel a bit zonked afterwards, its morning and night Im only on 37.5 twice a day

I feel like it might be starting to work, perhaps feel a bit clearer in my head, found myself laughing a bit more naturally and spontaneously at work the other day.

Hope its working anyway.

Difficult to tell in only 3 weeks, the others did help over the years but I found that after a while they were slightly less effective. I have a habit of just stopping them and trying to manage, thats what happened 7 years ago but in the last year just been getting more depressed and anxious, probably combined with peri

The first 6 weeks of any AD are horrible with the side effects anyway, its more after that when you can tell if they're suiting you

Im going to commit to 6 months and see how I get on.

Ive just been prescribed 75mg of venlefaxin. But the doctor said I have to reduce my sertraline over a week then take the venlefaxin. Did anyone on here just swap straight from one medication to the other?

Hi op
Sorry to be a pain. I’ve got my venlefaxin. But I want to start taking it tomorrow, without tapering off sertraline 100mg. Did you have to tear-off another ssri or did you just switch straight to venlefaxin?

Taper-off

Hey, no I went straight onto it from Fluoxetine without tapering off the fluoxetine. It was a pretty smooth transition too as far as I can remember. But I’m not a doctor and I didn’t switch from sertraline, so I’d definitely consult your GP before switching, or failing that, ChatGPT & NHS website. Good luck!

Defo take the extended release if you can. As far as I know this just means the half-life is longer, meaning the drug stays in your system longer and you get less side-effects, taking a dose a few hours late is not a disaster, and they’re easier to eventually come off one day.

I dont know whether I should be asking for this. I dont always take the tablet the same day, Im just entering into week 4 of it

Last night for example I took it at 11.30 instead of 9

I try to do 9am and 9pm but dont always manage it.

I dont really notice any issues if I take it late though?

It depends how late you take it. The half-life is around 10/11 hours, so if you’re more than 11 hours late taking it, trust me, you will notice! I don’t take mine at the exact same time every day, I take it with my first meal/food of the day. Sometimes that’s 7am, sometimes it can be 12pm. It’s always fine unless I get to bedtime and realise I’ve forgotten to take it (which has happened once or twice). Horrible and constant electric type zapping in your brain, nausea, and general feeling of being really unwell. Does make me paranoid about losing it or forgetting it every time I go away for a few days as I know it would completely ruin my trip

I see what you mean, thats a missed dose in my case yes

I remember from other SSRIs Ive been on but those side effects would largely be if I missed quite a few doses

Last night I nearly didnt take it because it was so late and I couldnt be bothered but did rember this thread actually so took it.

I can't seem to cry anymore! I was very upset today but just no crying. Unlike me, I'm a big crier. I'm now on 75 every morning.