Been on it for about 4 weeks now and the anxiety is definitely down (which is great) but I feel kinda numb emotionally? Like I can be present with my 6yo and 3yo but I'm not really feeling it, if that makes sense. My therapist said it can take time to balance out. Just wondering if anyone else had a similar experience and if it changed?
Lexapro did the same thing to me. Lasted about 6-7 weeks then it balanced out and I could feel stuff again. Hang in there.
numb is the worst because you're like 'ok the anxiety is gone but now i'm just... here' and it messes with your head. i've been there
i had this exact issue. felt like i was watching my own life through glass. took about 8 weeks total for it to smooth out but yeah don't wait if it's still bad—could mean the med just isn't the one
4 weeks in is still early. Some people feel the numbness fade around week 6-8, others need a different med. But yeah that's worth mentioning to your doc—don't just tough it out. Being present with your kids but not feeling it is rough
Did you mention this to your prescriber yet? Because that emotional flatness is a known thing and sometimes it's just your brain adjusting, but sometimes it means you need to try something different or adjust the dose
The fact that you're noticing you're not feeling it with your 6 and 3yo is good awareness honestly. That should be your cue to call your doc this week, not wait another month
The numbness is pretty common in the first month actually. A lot of people describe it as the anxiety being traded for emotional flatness. Worth checking in with your doctor at the 6-week mark if it doesn't improve—sometimes dosage adjustment helps
This is the worst part of meds sometimes. Like you're glad the anxiety is down but you're also weirdly disconnected. I switched to Wellbutrin + a lower dose of Lexapro and that helped the numbness
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I had this exact thing happen. Took about 2 months total for the numbness to lift. But here's what saved me: I was honest with my 6yo about it. Not in a scary way, just 'hey daddy's taking medicine that's helping my brain but sometimes it makes me feel a little quiet.' Kids are more understanding than we think and it helped me not catastrophize about being emotionally absent.
Pretty sure that's why he said the anxiety is down though—it's literally how SSRIs work. They flatten everything first while they're balancing your neurotransmitters. Sucks but normal.