I am in the process of getting off of Lamictal - an antidepressant type mood stabilizer, this is because it is aggravating my Anxiety - so I should be less Anxious once I am off of it completely in a couple of weeks … but this means that my Depression will return - so less Anxiety but more Depression.
If you had to live with either Depression or Anxiety, which would you choose - I am facing either more Depression once I am off of the Lamictal or more Anxiety if I choose to remain o the Lamictal - they are both Hell to live with on a regular basis.
Which would you choose to live with on a daily basis if there was not much of a choice
It depends on how severe each is. Generally though I feel low lvls of anxiety is more desirable than low lvls of depression. High lvls of either can be extremely crippling though.
With severe depression I just lay in the bed so with anxiety at least get some productive things done.
It isnt just a racing heart - it is really unbearable generalized anxiety and hypochondria - I hardly leave the house.
My depression can be pretty severe as well - so it really is a no win situation - but I am faced with choosing either more depression or more anxiety
It is difficult to explain - I cannot tolerate antidepressants or antidepressant like drugs - they make me manic and psychotic.
I take a potent benzo now for anxiety - I am facing either more depression or more anxiety, its as simple as that.
There is no need for a second opinion - its not my pdoc’s fault - its that I cannot tolerate certain classes of meds.
thanks for your concern though
Although Wellbutrin is not an SSRI it would probably make me manic or mixed/very anxious.
Like I said before, I cannot tolerate any kind of antidepressant
I can tolerate antidepressants but I don’t think they help much with negative symptoms. But Xanax does ease my anxiety, so I would much rather have anxiety than negative symptoms.
I have to think about which to choose… both are horrid.
Depression… can cause me to shut down… give up on life… only see the sour… not get motivated to do anything… wish I was dead… make plans to be dead… try and seek out other substances to get out of depression.
Anxiety… can cause me to have a full panic attack… not get anything done out of fear… my mind and heart race… I become more fearful and untrusting…
For now… anxiety comes and goes… but sometimes depression lasts for a long long time.
But on the other hand… it’s more stable then having anxiety trigger delusions and lash out behaviors.
I guess I’d have to eventually choose depression… If I HAD to choose.
I’m soo sorry your in this spot between the rock and the hard place. I hope you don’t have to stay there very long and I hope your not automatically destined for depression.
idk, could you just work on techniques with dealing with your depression symptoms whilst youre going off your lamictal.
for me, of o were to choose one or the other, i would choose to deal with both off meds, working towards dealing with situations that would trigger and get to the root and cause of it all.
I suffer from severe depression, and it is no walk in the park. You could become highly suicidal, and feel really bad about yourself and no matter what anyone says to you it doesn’t change your individual point of view. Any negative thought can be expanded into worse thoughts about yourself, and if anyone gives you any kind negative conversation, or criticism or whatever it makes you feel even more worse and hopeless.
The problem though is I also have severe anxiety and it can be if nothing else socially crippling because you’re constantly worried about what others around you are saying, thinking, or doing. The thing is anxiety in itself can lead to depression because your mind is frazzled by the high levels of activity they don’t know what to do with the energy.
However I would say if you simply had to chose between the two anxiety would be easier to manage with personal therapy. Even if you don’t go to a professional you can train yourself how to react in certain situations and try and lesson the pain and discomfort that come from that. You can take time away from a moment maybe go meditate, or write your feelings out in a journal until the mood passes. Depression can linger on and personal experience that meditation only aggravates that more because you’re left to sit and deal with the inner thinking of yourself…which in my case is what causes the depression attacks.
Yeah, if I really think about it, I choose neither - I have both and they both suck big time!
Hopefully I wont get too depressed off of the Lamictal, and if I do, I will be doing more DBT/CBT.
But the Anxiety is tough. I have 3 different types of anxiety - GAD/Panic Disorder and OCD -it is really too much for me to take.
I personally am glad that I am getting off of the Lamictal - it really worsens my anxiety to the point where I dont function as well.
I will deal with the symptoms appropriately as they come
It’s hard to say. Having depression makes me very depressed. But on the other hand having anxiety always makes me anxious. It’s toss-up between the two.
Have you tried taking your medication at night time? I tend to sleep off the worst of the side affects by taking my drugs at bedtime rather than in the morning or afternoon.
