Has anyone heard of Anhedonia

Hi guys. I am 6 weeks off the oxy's. I check the forum almost everyday and really want to say thanks to everyone for their support. To the folks out there reading and not posting (I did it for months) please don't be afraid to post if you want. When I have reached out I did manage to get great support.

I am doing much better than I was a few weeks ago. The depression and anxiety were really bad for 2 weeks. Now I am just bored. Which is weird. I have a very demanding job, I take the time to exercise and see my friends. I go to the movies. But nothing seems as pleasurable anymore. My brother calls it Anhedonia. Has anyone ever heard of this before?

Thanks for reading. I am truly impressed by all of you. It is hard to admit that you have a problem to yourself, let alone to other people.

[lonote]

I goggled it and it just what your brother said it was,  i  learned something new today. I prob have it too.   Cathy

[Michele80]

Wow...what is anhedonia?maybe i have it too! guess ya do learn somthing new everyday! Another thing i wanted to say is i am very glad i found this forum. It has already helped me and ive only been reading the posts for 2wks.just started posting cuz i had probs learning to do it !.lol... So thanx to everyone on here. U all seem so nice.. I cant believe so many people are dealing with med addiction. Its nice to know im not alone. Gnite n god bless all ! ~Michele~

[STEVE T]

Good morning and happy September. Welcome back!  I used to have a medical book of diseases. Every time I read it I would find something that I thought I had. Family members convinced me to get rid of the book. I have been disease free since (excluding addiction). What you are describing sounds like PAWS. I bombarded my brain with a chemical (hydrocodone) about every day for aprox. two years. My brain didnt have to worry about endorphins because the hydrocodone was taking care of it. My brain took a vacation from the pleasure endorphin production. I stopped taking the drugs and my brain was still swinging on a hammock between two palm trees on the beach. Thankfully it hasnt forgot how to do its job but its going to take time to get back to full production. This is one of the reasons that sooo many addicts relapse early in recovery. The "im doing much better than two weeks ago" statement should tell you something. You owe it to yourself to learn all you can about addiction and recovery. Be armed because addiction is one tough son of a *****!  

[BonnieAnn]

Good Morning and Welcome!

You got my curiosity so I looked it up, here's what I found:

Anhedonia is the inability to gain pleasure from enjoyable experiences.
Anhedonia is now recognised as a core symptom of depression and research by the Institute of Psychiatry in London is throwing new light on the links between the brain and depressive illness.

It is very common for addicts who stop using to become depressed. Depression is an emotional and physical disease, but it is physiological as well.

I suggest that you speak with your doctor and tell him/her ALL of your symptoms. If it is a good doctor, they will recognize depression, or anhedonia and can help you, perhaps with medication.

Take care and good luck. Let us know how you are doing.

[Suda]

Dear Better,

Yes, I certainly have heard of anhedonia.  As you already know it is an inability to take pleasure in anything.

I sometimes fear that I have it myself, but then something will spark my interest and I will get pleasure out of it, and I will enjoy whatever it is.

It is much more common than one would think though.

Take care,

Suda