Anhedonia (lack of joy)

DX'd - Other
1

Hello everyone. I suffer from bad anhedonia. I get no joy out of anything. Whether it’s watching movies/tv, gym, sex, masturbation, talking with people. NOTHING BRINGS ME JOY. I feel so blank and joyless.

Happiness seems completely out of the picture but I would love to feel content.

I’m on risperidal (risperidone) injections. I read anhedonia can be caused by antipsychotics but i can’t stop taking my medicine.

Does anyone else experience this? What are the treatment options? Can antidepressants help? Has anyone tried ECT therapy?

Please help. I just want to feel like a normal human being, at least the closest I can to one.

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How was it before you were on injections?

3

I remember having joy. It seems as though my anhedonia was caused by the medicine…

4

Did you try different APs?

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No, this is the only AP I’ve been on

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How long have you been on injections? What does your psychiatrist think about your situation?

7

its a negative symptom of sz. im not sure how much antipsychotics influence it, but they do cause low libido.

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Couple of years. Psychiatrist doesn’t know but I’m going to talk about it next time. Do you experience this?

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Yeah I know. Do you experience anhedonia?

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I experience some ‘sparks’ of ‘joy’, I’m not on aps because I’ve never been full blown sz.

11

Ohh okay. I see.

12

I’m on Risperdal also and feel little Joy.
Eating certain comfort foods satisfies me, but I experience very little Joy listening to music or watching TV as examples.
I feel dead on the inside.

Antidepressants can help some people but it would make me Manic and crazier!

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I know what you mean. It sucks big time!

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From the French Wikipedia page about antipsychotics“:

By reducing monoaminergic activity, neuroleptics (antipsychotics) decrease the intensity of emotions: fear, joy, anger, love, desire, combativity, others. They slow down the psyche, including imaginative and intuitive functions. […] Under neuroleptics, the facets of the patient’s personality can be altered.”

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If that’s true then this really sucks. Either go psychotic or be dead inside…

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It depends, if it is ‘pure’ sz you are already half-dead inside…

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For everybody who can read French, the quote that I gave you is accessible in this Wikipedia page:

Mode precisely here’s what is written:
En réduisant l’activité monoaminergique, les neuroleptiques diminuent l’intensité des émotions : peur, joie, colère, amour, désir, combativité, autres. Ils ralentissent le psychisme, notamment les fonctions imaginatives et intuitives (ils permettent ainsi de réduire les symptômes psychotiques et maniaques. […] Sous neuroleptiques, les facettes de sa personnalité peuvent être modifiées.

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Since I don’t think I’m schizophrenic, psychotic or have mania, if I’m emotionless and have a low libido, it is only because of the antipsychotic! This is really bad! :disappointed:

I don’t need the antipsychotic effects that allows it to cure mania and psychosis. That explains all the side effects I’m having.

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19

The same thing happened to me except I was taking Zyprexa (instead of Risperdal) when I developed anhedonia. Prior to the Zyprexa, I had taken Abilify without any relevant side effects. My hedonic state/motivational drive on Abilify was comparable with that when I wasn’t taking medication (perfect). Then I was taken off Abilify and given Zyprexa and I’ve had lingering anhedonia ever since - even long after stopping the Zyprexa. Despite switching back to Abilify, my anhedonia persists and remains refractory.

The following is what I have found beneficial with my own anhedonia: Concerta, Ritalin, and Dexedrine Spansules.

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So those medicines have helped?