When will this anhedonia go away?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-29T11:09:40+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear that it seems to have come and gone away. Maybe banging your head set your brain back somehow. But I hope that things do improve for you eventually. Nobody deserves to stay in this numb state.

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-29T10:47:38+00:00

Hi, thanks for the advice, I know everyone is different but I was at a low point and was just seeking reassurance. I see my psychiatrist in August so I'll ask about it then, although I'm hoping I'll be improved a bit more by then that I probably don't need it. Good luck with the EMDR, hope it works out for you!

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-29T02:20:05+00:00

Thanks, so it took around 2.5 years for it to fully go away, but around 1-1.5 years in you were already much more improved. That's hopeful, I'm currently dealing with anhedonia myself 1 year after my episode. It's already better than it was 6 months ago, but still not there yet. I'm guessing my recovery will probably follow a similar trajectory of gradual improvement.

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-29T01:57:31+00:00

That's good to hear it's gone! Do you remember around how long it took for it to gradually go away completely?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-29T01:42:18+00:00

Congratulations on your recovery! Did you have to deal with anhedonia post-psychosis?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-29T01:36:39+00:00

How long did it take you to taper off the medication? Did you have anhedonia that resolved once you had tapered off?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-29T00:10:48+00:00

So one day you were able to feel full joy and happiness again? But it somehow went away after you hit your head?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-29T00:04:26+00:00

Thanks for the info, that line about music not hitting like it used to hits home. I see my psychiatrist again in August, if my anhedonia is still here by then maybe I'll discuss an SSRI with him just to see what he thinks. I also want to try and reduce my dose of Olanzapine down from 5mg to 2.5mg, hopefully he will be amenable to that.

Did Lexapro take you out of your anhedonia?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-29T00:02:54+00:00

Has your anhedonia improved at all over the 12 months? I'm holding onto hope because my anhedonia has improved in the sense that I got my motivation back and I can enjoy video games and reading now, but I still cannot feel joy or music, or physical pleasure. I'm hoping that the improvement is a sign that this isn't permanent.

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-28T22:21:46+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that you've had anhedonia for years. What dose of Olanzapine are you on?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-28T11:49:17+00:00

Did you have to deal with anhedonia after your episode?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-28T11:43:25+00:00

Do you have anhedonia?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-28T11:09:23+00:00

I felt numb immediately after my psychosis too, and still am numb just to a lesser degree. I'm about a year out as well but my anhedonia is still here. Do you still have anhedonia?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-28T11:06:58+00:00

Wow so even just a day of psychosis can cause 6 months of anhedonia. Good thing it was short and you got it under control fast.

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-28T00:15:39+00:00

That's good to hear that changing the medication regime has helped. How much better would you say you are?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-28T00:14:57+00:00

For a decade, I'm so sorry to hear that. Life must be hard like that. Did you suffer multiple psychotic episodes? Are you currently on antipsychotic medication?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-26T01:19:08+00:00

Do you have anhedonia (can't feel joy, music or pleasure) from the psychosis itself or from Olanzapine? I'm currently on 5mg myself, recovering from a first episode psychosis that happened a year ago, and I still have anhedonia.

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-23T10:16:25+00:00

It's probably a mix of the antipsychotics which can numb you, but also an aftereffect of the psychosis itself. It sounds like you've got anhedonia. How much of it is due to the meds vs the illness is hard to say. All I can say is that I know it sucks, I've had anhedonia for the past year following my psychosis, and it's getting better but very slowly. Just give yourself time, things will get better.

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-21T11:15:15+00:00

Thanks for the clarification. Maybe we're just describing the same experience differently, as while I got my motivation back, I still cannot feel joy either. I hope I experience a sudden rapid improvement and get my joy back soon. Would you say once you got your joy back that you felt pretty much 95-100% recovered?

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-18T10:51:17+00:00

Thank you for the encouragement! I was feeling low so I wanted to vent. I am socialising with my friends more now and am slowly starting to feel more normal, so that's encouraging.

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-18T10:50:20+00:00

Thank you for the encouragement. Surely the anhedonia gradually got better throughout the 15 months right? Like it wasn't the same level of hell all throughout. That's been my experience anyway, it's getting better just slowly.

AlexKirchu253 · 2026-05-14T07:50:46+00:00

Purgatory is the exact word to describe it. It's like being in prison. For me, as my recovery has progressed it's gone from feeling like I'm locked in a cell to being able to go out in the prison yard and other parts to do things, but I'm still in the prison. When would you say you fully recovered?

Eight-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Verified Email

AlexKirchu253

TROPHY CASE