My partner after ten years of being on an SSRI is suddenly experiencing emotional blunting

I guess I should start by saying this is my first post here. I (F43) have been in a relationship with my partner (M42) for a little over half my life and we have been married for 13 years. About ten years ago he was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and was put on sertraline. After a few months we both noticed a big improvement in his energy levels and mood and has stayed on the meds ever since. About four months ago I noticed a shift in his mood and he became fiercely focused solely on work (he has always been work driven and it’s been an issue we had worked through earlier on in the relationship) at the detriment of our relationship. I was open and clear in communicating that I was feeling lonely and isolated and that I had noticed we were no longer being intimate with one another. I have always been the one in the relationship to plan the dates, give a good morning and good night kiss etc and I started to feel exhausted by the one sidedness. So I stopped initiating and realized that he didn’t seem to even notice. I brought this up as a serious problem and he told me that he was feeling overwhelmed and that these conversations (me bringing up things that were making me feel bad) were causing him to shut down. Fast forward through a few fights later and a couple weeks ago he told me he has no emotions for anything and no sex drive. He has told me he has to figure out his own issues and that I need to be patient and wait. He is in the process of working with his dr to potentially lower his dosage or change his meds to address these issues. But there is no guarantee anything will change.

But if I am being honest, I am exhausted. I am exhausted by being the one who is constantly having to carry this relationship on my back and that my needs take a back seat to his. Which I know makes sense due to his depression/anxiety but it doesn’t make it feel any easier on my end. I love him and desperately want this to work but I am starting to lose hope. I mean how long am
I supposed to wait around to see if he will ever have any sexual desire again?

I miss having my partner want me, or even notice me. I give so much to my family (him and our two kids) and I feel like I am not getting anything in return. I just was wondering if there’s anyone out there who may be feeling this way too? It’s pretty lonely.

Posted May 8, 2026, 3:48 PM UTC

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