Depression differentiation – anhedonia

Is this depression, or something else -

Loss of sexual feeing for orgasm (not erectile disfunction - the mechanical side to ejaculation functions as normal)

Loss of merry feeling after a pint or two of beer - just feel tired - more alcohol just increases tiredness & introduces lack of motor co-ordination - i.e. the mechanical side proceeds as normal !)

Reduction in pleasurable experience with food tastes - all seem to be as before but missing something, leading to an increase in intake (& consequential increase in weight) & preference for stronger tastes.

Pleasure from the relaxation part of Yoga has gone - just tend to feel tired, tendency to fall asleep (embarrassing....)

Level of tiredness has generally increased, I awake feeling slightly tired & this continues all day, I have not felt properly alert since the symptoms appeared.

Possibly due to tiredness, I don't feel so anxious in situations in which I used to feel anxious, neither do I feel excited in situations where I would previously have felt excited.

I have found this is sometimes referred to as anhedonia.

This has not affected my work as I can still think whist slightly tired (much practice as a student....)

And there is not a great effect on social life from others' points of view as things mostly go on as habit - even my wife hasn't noticed over the last 5 yrs since this occurred - but I no longer feel pleasure to look at scantily clad women (not that I would voluntarily do so I hasten to add.....)

I have seen my doctor a number of times - apparently ruling out diabetes & loss of testosterone, but due to no great effect on my lifestyle I have not liked to concern him over much, and further analysis seems difficult.

Depression was hypothesised, and I had a number of sessions with a counsellor in which I concluded that 'Depression' probably wasn't the problem, however I tried an anti-depressant medication.

This was unsustainable as it affected my confidence in physical activity, and made me feel very disoriented - no good for cycling to work, nor for doing any thinking whilst I was there. In fact I had no confidence to dare leave the house for a couple of days (fortunately a week-end), until the effects wore off.

I decided to remain 'as is' until I could analyse the problem to a specific solution, or had the time to spare to spend 3 or more weeks in the house, off work (assuming the medication effects stabilised to enable a functional status in that period).

[b:cee2971c9e]Has anyone else experienced these symptoms (I am surely not unique...) -

Are they a variant of Depression, or do they have a specific physical cause ?

If so, what are the possibilities ? [/b:cee2971c9e]

I have considered a large number of possibilities in addition to the couple of obvious ones above, but nothing seems to quite fit.

Things like pituitary disorders, tumours, prostrate, stroke, etc.

I find it very frustrating as a physicist to have such ill-defined problems and ill-defined remedies as occur in medicine.

Finding the language to adequately define the problem is a major block in the current situation.

I know fairly precisely how I feel, and the symptoms, but matching these to the solution space appears very difficult in this instance, I understand my doctor's difficulty.

Any help would be much appreciated, I am severely short of an adequate plan of action.

I'll look in from time to time.

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