MrCrazyPants Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 I'm on abilify 5mg and lamictal 100 mg and have never felt so bored in my life. I'm wondering if I've just reached that phase in life where I've explored everything but tend to think it's more artificial. Coffee seems to help and I'm even thinking of taking back up smoking as I think low dopamine levels are the culprit. Don't feel depressed however so I can nix that as the cause. I'm sure this is probably a problem with APs in general so I thought I'd ask and see if this is common and anybody has found a way to deal with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 My experience with Abilify is exactly the opposite, though I take a higher dose than you do. It gives me an interest in life, and I don't feel bored at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konings Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 I am expriencing the same thing on risperidone currently. If I take 2mg I feel bad, if I take 1mg just no interest whatsoever. Maybe its kind of the zombifying effect. I dont think theres anything you can do, other than let your body adjust to it. When I was on it last time I let my body adjust to it and it became the opposite. So thats what Im trying to do now, but I dont know how much longer I can take it. To do it faster you can take different dosages every day and generally take higher dose, but I dont think I can tolerate that myself. Last time I was on it I took 4mg for 2-3 weeks and felt so bad that i became very suicidal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 I experience boredom but I dont think it is because of my meds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vapourware Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Maybe it's the Abilify? When I was on the drug, I experienced apathy about life and everything. I felt very flat and devoid of emotion, and it just felt like I was simply going through the motions of life without actually living. Which I guess is similar to being bored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northcode Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 (edited) Oh wow, I was wondering what was wrong with me. On Abilify, I feel completely apathetic about everything. No motivation at all. I don't know what to do about it, and it's making my life unbearable. (Blah. I miss hypomania...) Edited September 24, 2012 by northcode Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjimjam Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I've found that since I started Seroquel, I don't ever feel as enthusiastic or motivated as I sometimes used to. The world feels dull and old and worn out. I have no zest for life... Ever. I remember waking up and going outside, feeling the crisp, cool air on my face, and feeling really excited for the day. Looking forward to it. I never feel like that since Seroquel. I started Lamictal at the same time, but I blame the AP. I don't know if its worth going through life like this even though I rarely felt good like that before. I guess if it were directly due to dopamine antagonism stimulants or WB might help. I drink coffee, smoke and take Concerta and that doesn't help. I guess I could be missing some mild hypomanic symptoms... Idk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konings Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Neuroleptic dysphoria was found to be a valid concept 50 years after. It is associated with dopamine blockade in the nigostriatal system. Risperidone doesnt choose where it blocks so it blocks alot in the nigostriatal system as well, suppose thats why it did it for me. However people with bipolar/depression probably have generally normal levels of dopamine, so yes I suppose even seroquel can do it. However it is interesting that I feel dysphoric with any AP if the dose is too high, so a dose reduction might help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 I've been on risperdal for three years, and I think I've experienced true boredom a handful of times. Most often, I am content to putter around the house, play on the computer, or watch TV. Now that I am in college, I find myself extremely busy and I'm definitely not bored. So I do not think that the medication is causing a Zombification of me or my personality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScrambleHead Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I looked up the one of the causes of boredom and it is low dopamine, I am hopefully going to start Wellbutrin next week which I suspect will fix the boredom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 When I experience boredom it is usually when I am apathetic ... no emotion ... and I just sit there not really knowing what to do, so I just sit there bored. Other times I have so much energy yet bored and do not want to leave the house, so I'll think of a topic and watch it on you tube, and surf you tubes all day. That really helps me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregFisk25 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 You don't think it's just that your mood is now 'normal' and stable? I figure I just miss the energy of hypomania... Did changing drugs help anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 i've been going through it for the last few months on latuda. i just started wellbutrin to see if it takes away the anhedonia/apathy/amotivation (and just plain feeling nothing in life is worth living for, even though i'm not sad). if wellbutrin doesn't help, i'm nixing the latuda. i never thought feeling bored could actually be painful. now i know. usually i put up with a lot of side effects, but this one is a deal breaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I have another take on this other than my response above. Perhaps you had some apathy before which abated with the Abilify. Naturally, your old apathetic routine and way of thinking is going to be boring now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregFisk25 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Hmmm. My usual routine at night is to sit on the couch and drink a bunch of beer and watch TV. The beer numbs me enough to do this, plus add a dose of depressive type symptoms and it seems a reasonable way to spend the evening. If I'm feeling good, and actually energetic, then I can see how this is as boring as hell, especially if not drinking. Maybe it is just the routine that is boring, and that doesn't adapt when I feel good. Seems hard to find interesting things to do all the time tho, and often I have the desire, but not the energy to do something interesting. When my moods finally stopped cycling so deeply, I found 'normal' life to be really boring, and am always trying to learn to adapt to a life where the very being of alive is AMAZING (hypomania). Maybe it's actually a medication issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Equivilency Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Hard to say.. 1) Coffee increases dopamine 2) Generally an anti-psychotic side affect (flat or sedated) 3) If you got some SZ in you - could be negative symptoms Coffee may be a clue, I too am asking my doctor about Wellbutrin, because coffee helps me immensely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwishididnthaveanhedonia Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 i just started wellbutrin for my anhedonia. has anyone has any luck using wellbutrin to ease the boredom associated with antipsychotics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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