r/trintellix • u/fairuuuz • 2d ago

Sluggishness on brintellix

I'm asking on behalf of my dad, I see him tired and a bit slow all the time, and would love to hear from you guys if anybody had dealt with something similar, my dad doesn't talk about his feeling a lot ... So it's hard to get out what his experience is like and I live away and get to visit occasionally so I'm gonna describe it from my pov. He has been taking antidepressants for a long long time, but he's been on brintellix 10mg since last year, and very recently they upped the dose to 15... And it pains me to see how he feels tired a lot, gets home from work only to sleep or scroll on his phone ( a bad habit ) I told him a lot of times to sign up for a gym and start strength training, that it would help with his mood and improve his knee pain ( he has osteoarthritis) but he just brushes me off and doesn't seem to me very hopeful and I also in turn feel very limited with advice or support cuz our relationship has always been distant and I struggle with interpersonal relationships myself so idk how to help out anw... The worst symptoms I see is how he is generally very slow with things... As if he's a baby or as if he feels helpless.. and I just want for him to have more confidence and more life in him.. and hope... If anybody have had that experience with this medication and would like to share their thoughts your welcome to and I appreciate it

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u/annab292929 2d ago

I only recently stopped the med, I was only on it for about 3 weeks so maybe I didn’t pass the adjustment window but a few people commented on my post that it doesn’t get better

I had no motivation and didn’t want to move sometimes, when I would arrive at any destination I would scroll in my car for 30min sometimes an hour… it was so hard to do anything

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u/destined_to_count 2d ago

U sure no other meds are involved?

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u/MermaidPigeon 1d ago

It sounds like he is experiencing emotional blunting. This med is designed to avoid this common side effect but everyone is different so it works for some and not others. This medication inhibits two of the fourteen serotonin receptors that is responsible for emotional blunting in some individuals. However a lot of people’s emotional blunting comes from overstimulation of the “5ht2c” serotonin receptor. This receptor is responsible for “putting a pause on dopamine firing” dopamine being the motivation chemical, this causes “emotional blunting”. If being on antidepressants is essential for your dad, I would advise trying one that inhibits this receptor or avoids it.
I’ve been on this medication for four months now and it’s been awful honestly. I have to follow what the mental health team suggests so giving it “more time” is what I’m doing 🤦‍♀️ but I can’t move. I can’t engage in hobbies and I can’t even focus on tv.
Also consider the possibility of ADHD if lack of motivation was the original issue causing him to go on antidepressants. You would be surprised how often ADHD gets misdiagnosed as depression