Can GLP-1 Drugs Inhibit Writing?

I've been on GLP-1 medication for three months. If you're thinking of starting on one, be aware (unlike me) that nothing much happens the first couple of months. The first month consists of "getting used to the drug" ~ ensuring you don't suffer any weird side effects from it (I didn't). I naively thought it was going to be magic and the pounds would drop off. Frustrating. My dosage was increased after a month, but even then I wondered, "When is the 'not being hungry part' going to start?" I did lose two or three pounds that month, but I could have easily accomplished that by following one of the many diets I've tried throughout my life.

Now I'm on a higher dosage and things have finally begun to happen. I don't weigh myself regularly, because I can tell when I've lost weight and when I haven't, but yesterday I did, and I found that I'm down nine pounds total. That's after less than a week of being on the increased dosage.

And no, I'm not hungry---ever. That's supposed to be a good thing, but I'm not sure I like the apathy. I got into this mess in the first place because I love food; I looked forward to getting a delicious DoorDash delivery. Now, when my husband wants takeout, I'm ehhh. I'll order something for myself, something small, but I know I won't be able to finish it.

Don't get me wrong---I want to look decent in clothes again and I want my knee to stop aching from the weight it's required to support. So, it's a tradeoff, albeit a small one, all things considered. Then there's the fatigue, which requires a daily dose of electrolytes, and the fact that my nails are breaking and my hair is thinning. (They say that's temporary.)

An unexpected side effect, though, is that I don't feel like doing anything, and "anything" includes writing. 

"Indeed, while the meds seem to blunt many unhelpful desires, like wanting excessive processed foods, booze, or gaming, they could also “deplete your dopamine response to any enjoyable activity,” said Lavelle, who’s also CEO and cofounder of Bea Better Eating, an AI-based app that uses psychological principles to change mindsets around food. “You’re cutting off...the high you get from a good conversation with a loved one; you might not feel that rush from getting a job promotion.” (source)

I've got two projects I'm supposed to be working on: the memorygram book my son gifted me and the revision of my third novel, but the thought of doing either of those things just makes me sleepy. It's not dread; it's complete disinterest. 

Maybe there are some fiction writers and memoirists who can write clinically, divorce themselves from emotion, but I'm not one of those people. My main characters have a lot of feelings, and when I'm writing their stories, I inhabit those feelings. How else can I make the story real? At this point, I can't even manage to conjure up anger, much less heartbreak or melancholy. Buck up, princess! What's with all this "feelings" nonsense?

I'm not a big fan of pharmaceuticals in general. I once tried Chantix to stop smoking and I woke up one night and wanted to kill myself. (I stopped that drug immediately.) Prescription drugs are fine and necessary for true medical conditions, but they don't generally rewire your brain. GLP-1's are not psychotropic medications, but they definitely can flatten emotion. The term is "anhedonia": "the inability to feel enjoyment or pleasure. People struggling with anhedonia aren’t motivated to seek out enjoyable activities like seeing friends or going for a walk, and they don’t enjoy them if they do." (source)

I'm hoping, but not confident, that this is a temporary side effect, because it really plays havoc with my writing. I'm telling myself that perhaps if I dig into one of my projects, I'll recover my lost dopamine naturally. But I think I may need to try a variety of  remedies until I hit on something that works.

Shoot, I'll eventually lose all my excess pounds, but I won't even get to enjoy the accomplishment.