Antidepressants can lead to emotional numbing – Joop

New research indicates that antidepressants can lead to emotional blunting. Volunteer subjects who participated in the study showed both fewer negative and positive reactions after taking a so-called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, which is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs. Well-known brand names of such drugs are Prozac and Seroxat. The experiment lasted three weeks with 66 subjects.

The effect may be due both to the way such drugs help people recover from depression and to explaining a common side effect, writes The Guardian. “It’s partly how they work. They lessen some of the emotional pain people feel when they experience depression, but unfortunately they also seem to take away some of the joy of living,” said researcher Barbara Sahakian of the University of Cambridge. .

The study states that approximately half of the subjects experienced a decrease in pleasant feelings. The subjects also appeared to learn less quickly when it came to methods that make use of rewards. Another side effect is a decreased ability to orgasm. On the other hand, there was no question of impaired memory or concentration.

Experts point out that the study contains valuable results that provide insight into possible consequences, but that it should not be a reason to reject these antidepressants outright. The side effects do not occur in everyone and most people benefit from the effect.