AussieAphant

I was very interested in cases of acquired Aphantasia, and began compiling a small list, looking for common vectors. My very favorite case is the first reference to the SNRI, but I never had luck chasing down the OP for further info. SNRI drug (unnamed): “I did have this happen after a bad reaction to trying out an SNRI… Not that there's anything wrong with not being able to visualize, but it gave me a huge fright after having my brain work one way all my life and suddenly my ability to visualize disappeared. It was just darkness in my mind's eye. I usually have a song (annoyingly) stuck in my head, and all the music disappeared too, it was surreal. Over the course of a few hours after taking the tablet, it was like someone - slowly but surely - was diming the lights and turning down the volume on the radio until it was all gone. Needless to say, I took all of one tablet, lol. It took 48hrs for the effects to wear off fully, just bizarre.” https://www.neogaf.com/threads/the-realization-that-i-have-aphantasia-is-driving-me-crazy.1425250/page-4 Strattera (atomoxetine): Reddit post from 2018. “been an avid daydreamer all my life, but it started affecting my school work so I was put on Straterra. I could focus a lot better but it completely killed my imagination. I couldn't daydream at all and I feel like it changed my personality. It was upsetting so I quit after a few days. Right away, my daydreaming came flooding back. I still have trouble concentrating but I don't want to be put on meds cause I feel like it would happen again.” https://www.reddit.com/r/Aphantasia/comments/994pv7/aphantasia_and_stimulants/ Reddit post from 2016: “I used to take a drug called Straterra for ADHD. I noticed the primary effect of the drug was that I could no longer visualize things in my mind. It helped me pay attention since I was unable to daydream but damn did it ever make whacking it without a visual aid tough.”               https://www.reddit.com/r/Aphantasia/comments/994pv7/aphantasia_and_stimulants/ Drugs.com side effects post by Hannah: ““I’m only giving Strattera 2 stars instead of 1 because it worked for focus, but the side effects were horrible. The first day taking it, I felt great. I had enough energy to get through the day and I felt present and in the moment. Then the next day I started to feel really strange. I couldn’t sleep through the night. I was majorly wired. I started to not feel like myself. My head was completely empty. I felt like a zombie tbh. I didn’t find things funny and I started to lash out at people which I never do. By like day four, I lashed out at my dad and then I broke down. I cried and was becoming really depressed. When I went off of it, my imagination returned. It was kind of a scarring experience.”                https://www.drugs.com/comments/atomoxetine/strattera-for-attention-deficit-disorder.html?page=3 Surgical Causes: I’ve seen two separate Reddit posts from aphants claiming that they acquired Aphantasia after appendectomies. Here's the most vivid: “Back in March, my husband went in for a routine appendectomy and, well, it took a lot more. When he woke up he said his head was silent. No music, his voice was gone when he thought, and it was black. After 29 years his imagination, a huge part of his personality, was gone.” https://www.reddit.com/r/Aphantasia/comments/kahcpx/help_surgery_induced_aphantasia/ Zoloft: Reddit post from 2018. “I was on antidepressants for roughly 8 years (Prozac). Over christmas I tapered off them and fully came off at like late Feb or something. Around this time I was able to visualize. A lot. But then it slowly got less so. Thats not it though, I'm 22 and throughout school life I could visualize fine. I would say even more so that usual infact, I was extremely imaginative and creative. I didn't notice but it was a slow sort of descent into not being able to visualize at all whilst on Prozac and I'm worried its possibly a permanent effect. I found out about Aphantasia about a year or so ago and it was a smack in the face realization and also the fact I can barely remember my childhood.” https://www.reddit.com/r/Aphantasia/comments/8frnr9/antidepressants_and_not_always_having_aphantasia/ Quora post from 2021: “Why can’t I visualize as well anymore? Is it because of my Zoloft? I started taking it a month and a half ago and was able to visualize perfectly fine before this. My memories are worsening too.”                https://www.quora.com/Why-can-t-I-visualize-as-well-anymore-Is-it-because-of-my-Zoloft-I-started-taking-it-a-month-and-a-half-ago-and-was-able-to-visualize-perfectly-fine-before-this-My-memories-are-worsening-too