Question:
Hi all, I have suffered from PD for about three decades now. It has diminished owing to time, sobriety, and a lot of meditation ane other hard work until it only hits me when I attempt to drive long distances. I had in fact extended my range over several years using the gradual exposure techniques that most of you know about. However last year owing perhpas to some life stress, I lost almost all of that ground; it was very disappointing since it had taken almost five years to get confidence for 100 mi drive. At my fiancees urging, I got some AD medication. It took quite a while to get the right stuff. Zoloft put me through the roof, tricyclics made my sex life, well, rather horizontal, and can be hard on the heart. After the psychiatrist had given up, I persisted and by george, my old internist put me on prozac, which worked just great: very few side effects (one nice sexual one that i won’t share out of delicacy). The tricyclics and prozac had both lessened anxiety in driving to an amazing degree. So I thought I was home free. My bride and I set off on a wedding trip: 1200 mi driving from Mich to S Carolina. But about halfway through the trip, she began complaining that I was distant and emotionally withdrawn, very unlike myself she said (we’ve gone together for 10 years), and she blamed it on the Prozac. (20mg). I just couldn’t see it and was greatly irritated; perhaps my new confidence had made us less co-dependent than previously on trips. Anyway, I’m asking the group if anyone has either felt "emotionally withdrawn" on these sorts of meds, or if others have complained about discernable changes in mood that are negative. I for the life of me could not see it, but I want to be fair to her, since she is very observant. IHer comment was of course I coulnn’t see the change since the meds were veiling my emotion. Geez. So, I’d appreciate any reactions. Who’s crazy here? hope eternal johnw
Response:
Hello John I have taken paxil and am now on prozac, only day two. I do know the paxil made me feel very detached, like I had no feelings, I couldn’t cry even when I wanted or needed to. I did not like that part. I could not feel any emotions, but my husband was not about to complain as the PMS monster had left the building, hehehe. So maybe she does have something in her statement, but no one ever told me that but I was only on the paxil 2 months. Hop this helped. Any questions let me know. Sarah
Response:
John, I got a feeling of losing touch with my emotions. It first dawned on me when I had taken Prozac for 6 months and it occurred to me that if my mother died I didn’t think I could cry. A while later my wife had a miscarriage. I had been worried about the pregnancy but I was looking forward to having another baby/child. I couldn’t cry over it or touch my grief. It was as though the feelings were there but I just couldn’t get to them. I stopped taking the Prozac for three months. About four weeks into it I finally managed to cry over the loss. Later my negative feelings started coming back and I started Prozac again – lesser of evils. Just a few days ago I switched to Wellbutrin – thought I’d see what that would do. Good Luck, Brian
: Hi all, : I have suffered from PD for about three decades now. It has diminished . . : my old internist put me on prozac, which worked just great: very few . . : less co-dependent than previously on trips. Anyway, I’m asking the group : if anyone has either felt "emotionally withdrawn" on these sorts of : meds, or if others have complained about discernable changes in mood — Brian W. Kerr Hewlett-Packard Company Electronic Measurements Division Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Response:
(snips to save space) I’m asking the group if anyone has either felt "emotionally withdrawn" on these sorts of meds, or if others have complained about discernable changes in mood that are negative. I for the life of me could not see it, but I want to be fair to her, since she is very observant. IHer comment was of course I coulnn’t see the change since the meds were veiling my emotion. Geez. So, I’d appreciate any reactions. Who’s crazy here? hope eternal johnw
** John, I’ve been on many meds over the years and WAS told that my behavior was different at times, and possibly because of the meds, and this was by those who were close to me. I, of course, refused to believe it, but when someone who’s known you for a long time "insists" that there has been a change, it may be worth considering the other point of view. I don’t think "either" of you are crazy here. It’s quite possible, as was my case, in retrospect, I *was* behaving differently, as in less tollerant, and a bit more "quick" to send off a snippy remark. A change in meds changed me back to being more human, which *did* (damn it) make her and others correct, IMO. Not having taken the med you’re speaking of, I don’t know, but the fact remains that it is a possible phenomenom, and being "inside" the situation, I know that I couldn’t see it at the time. — Used wisely, your 2
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