What has Anhedonia been like for you?

[betterathalo]

I'm genuinely curious about the range of reactions people have to Anhedonia (the lack of pleasure) that Reta brings on.

It seems to split people — some get a kick out of it, others can't stand it.

For my part, I love it. It has honestly been life changing for me. My anxiety and ADHD have gone down. The truth is it kind of frightens me how much I love it.

Like, once I hit my goal weight I want to start bulking for muscle a bit, and I figure that means I'll need to lower my Reta or come off it, and I'm scared of losing my Anhedonia. My therapist suggested I might talk to a psychologist about whether I should be on some other kind of medication that does something similar and is actually intended for that, but I've never really liked the thought of messing with anti depressants.

I also know there are people who hate this side effect, so I'm curious how others feel about it, if you're experiencing it.

 

[Turbo-Farmer]

betterathalo said:

I'm genuinely curious about the range of reactions people have to Anhedonia (the lack of pleasure) that Reta brings on.

It seems to split people — some get a kick out of it, others can't stand it.

For my part, I love it. It has honestly been life changing for me. My anxiety and ADHD have gone down. The truth is it kind of frightens me how much I love it.

Like, once I hit my goal weight I want to start bulking for muscle a bit, and I figure that means I'll need to lower my Reta or come off it, and I'm scared of losing my Anhedonia. My therapist suggested I might talk to a psychologist about whether I should be on some other kind of medication that does something similar and is actually intended for that, but I've never really liked the thought of messing with anti depressants.

I also know there are people who hate this side effect, so I'm curious how others feel about it, if you're experiencing it.

If the feeling Reta gives you is something you love, then what you're describing isn't Anhedonia.

 

[betterathalo]

Turbo-Farmer said:

If the feeling Reta gives you is something you love, then what you're describing isn't Anhedonia.

honestly, whatever that numbness is — the thing that turns down my ADHD and settles my anxiety — I'm all for it.

 

[Turbo-Farmer]

betterathalo said:

honestly, whatever that numbness is — the thing that turns down my ADHD and settles my anxiety — I'm all for it.

The medications in the GLP1 class are able to pass through the blood-brain barrier, where they act on central nervous system circuits that control reward, stress, and emotion. Anxiety and anhedonia both arise from this same central activity, yet each shows up through its own pathway and looks different in what patients report.

Anxiety and GLP-1 Medications

How anxiety responds to GLP-1 drugs varies a great deal from person to person, and it often splits in 2 directions depending on a person's baseline mental health, the dose used, and how the body adapts.

Ways anxiety can go down:

Less interoceptive noise: when obsessive thinking about food ("food noise"), binge urges, or compulsive habits (such as alcohol or shopping) are blunted, GLP-1s often bring down the general background level of cognitive anxiety and stress.

Neuroinflammation and the HPA axis: activating GLP-1 receptors reduces central neuroinflammation and helps regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stress response.

Ways anxiety can go up:

Autonomic and gastrointestinal triggers: the usual GI side effects (nausea, slower gastric emptying) plus swings in blood sugar can set off physical symptoms—heart palpitations or jitteriness, for example—that imitate or bring on panic and anxiety.

Loss of coping mechanisms: when someone has relied on food or oral fixation as their main way to self-soothe, turning that drive down can leave emotional distress poorly regulated for a while, which makes anxiety feel stronger.

Anhedonia and GLP-1 Medications

Anhedonia (a smaller capacity to feel pleasure or motivation) comes straight out of the way GLP-1 drugs affect dopamine signaling in the brain's mesolimbic reward system.

Dampening of dopamine "spikes":

GLP-1 receptors located in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens work as a brake on sharp rises in dopamine.

That is helpful when the goal is to reduce addictions or compulsive behaviors, but for a subset of people it puts a ceiling on dopamine release in response to every pleasurable stimulus.

Emotional blunting or flatness:

People who develop GLP-1-induced anhedonia frequently describe themselves as "emotionally flat," indifferent, or as having lost interest in hobbies, socializing, or entertainment at the same time as their appetite dropped.

Instead of the distress or panic that anxiety brings, anhedonia shows up as an absence of emotional highs, low drive, or a narrowed emotional range.

 

[Turbo-Farmer]

 

[FunkyWhales78]

betterathalo said:

I'm genuinely curious about the range of reactions people have to Anhedonia (the lack of pleasure) that Reta brings on.

It seems to split people — some get a kick out of it, others can't stand it.

For my part, I love it. It has honestly been life changing for me. My anxiety and ADHD have gone down. The truth is it kind of frightens me how much I love it.

Like, once I hit my goal weight I want to start bulking for muscle a bit, and I figure that means I'll need to lower my Reta or come off it, and I'm scared of losing my Anhedonia. My therapist suggested I might talk to a psychologist about whether I should be on some other kind of medication that does something similar and is actually intended for that, but I've never really liked the thought of messing with anti depressants.

I also know there are people who hate this side effect, so I'm curious how others feel about it, if you're experiencing it.

This may sound like a dumb thing to ask, but is your ADHD medication properly sorted out? It finally came together for me when I was 45, and honestly it has made a huge difference in my life.

 

[Glenn]

You could look into tesofensine — for me it produces that flattened feeling.

 

[Flash-BCR]

I'm usually someone with plenty of energy and enthusiasm...if the anhedonia effects from GLP were something you could get prescribed and pick up, I'm fairly certain she who must be obeyed would pin me down and jab me with the shots herself....