Living with clinical depression can be debilitating, especially when emotions feel overwhelming and difficult to regulate. For some people, even everyday feelings can become intense, leaving them emotionally exhausted and struggling to cope.
This is where medications such as SSRIs can play an important role, helping ease emotional overwhelm and manage symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, while these medications can offer relief, they may also dampen the intensity of emotions for some people, making feelings seem less vivid or powerful.
Dr Kunal Sood, an anaesthesiologist and interventional pain medicine physician, is breaking down how antidepressants may affect your emotions and feelings. In an Instagram video shared on September 7, the physician explains how SSRIs work, their potential psychological side effects and why they are prescribed.
SSRIs and emotional blunting
SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are a class of prescription medications commonly used to treat depression and anxiety. They work by increasing the availability of serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain that helps regulate mood, sleep and emotions. According to the Mayo Clinic, the brain normally reabsorbs serotonin after it is released, but SSRIs slow this process, allowing more serotonin to remain active between nerve cells.
However, according to Dr Sood, these medications can sometimes have a blunting effect on emotions, reducing the intensity of certain feelings and emotional responses. He explains, “If you’re cutting onions like this and your eyes are burning but you still can’t cry, an SSRI like Lexapro could actually be part of the reason. This can happen with something called emotional blunting where the medication lowers the intensity of certain emotional responses.”
Do SSRIs make it harder to cry?
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are commonly prescribed to treat clinical depression and anxiety. Dr Sood highlights that while they can be highly effective for some people, helping ease emotional overwhelm, they may also reduce the overall intensity of emotions, including both positive and negative feelings. As a result, some people may find it harder to experience reactions like crying because their emotions no longer feel as intense as they once did.
He explains, “SSRIs can be incredibly important and sometimes essential for people with clinical depression and anxiety. And for many people, they do make a huge difference. But in some people, especially at higher doses, they can also make emotions feel less intense overall. You may still know something is sad, funny, or meaningful, but it just doesn’t hit as strongly as it used to. Depression itself can also cause emotional numbness, so it’s not always obvious what’s responsible.”
Medical supervision is important
Taking antidepressants such as SSRIs requires regular medical supervision to monitor your progress and determine whether any adjustments are needed. Dr Sood advises against changing the dosage or stopping the medication without consulting your psychiatrist, even if you experience emotional blunting or other side effects.
He elaborates, “If this started after beginning an SSRI or increasing the dose, make sure you talk with your doctor rather than stopping it suddenly. Sometimes a dose adjustment or different medication can help restore more emotional range while still keeping the depression controlled.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
Dr Kunal Sood, MD, is a double board-certified physician in Anesthesiology and Interventional Pain Medicine. He did his residency and fellowship in anesthesiology at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, followed by a one-year fellowship in interventional pain medicine. He later became the Medical Director of the office in Germantown, Maryland.
