Stress Center Peer Support

i am on no meds now, have not been since 2006 (4 years), and was doing ok until lately, i am spiraling downward with a ton of anxiety and some depression. so i go to a psych and he tells me he wants me on trileptal (some kind of ant-seizure med...said SSRI's are too strong for me), a few days later i went to my regular doc to have my foot looked at from a past surgery, and i tell him my issues with anxiety and he does NOT want me to take trileptal (says its too strong), and prescribes me lexapro. side effects seem to hit me hard no matter what i take. what the heck do i do? please pray for me, i need help, i want to live again

Hi,
I'm sorry it's so tough right now. Been there. It's scary and intimidating and you want to fix it fast. Here's my suggestion from an outsider looking in: I wouldn't jump on any medication yet since you can't get a clear picture right now. I would, however, take an mild dose of Ativan or something like that, as needed to help a bit. I can sense you're in that "scrambling" mode, where you are feeling desperate to fix it. I've heard that when we get like that it's best to take it to the "basics"; just focus on the truth ("this is JUST anxiety and rushed thinking", maybe find some scripture to memorize if you'd like, etc.)and the simplicity of the breath. I know you probably don't want to hear about just breathing, but it's vital.
Do some research on those medications, pray for clear guidance on where He wants you to go for now and be KIND to yourself. This would be hard for anyone. You WILL begin to feel better, but when we try to force it, it often escapes us.
I hope this helps you today!

Try doing what I did in a similar situation. Go on the internet and get information on every anxiety medication currently available, check every side effect indicated, select the one that YOU feel looks best for YOU, then TELL your doctor that you want to give that med a try.It will take hours to find the info on the meds,but it's worth the effort.Your doctor probably won't appreciate the fact that YOU are taking control of this part of your health...it's YOUR body,YOUR mind,YOUR life so don't back down.It worked for me...I am now on CYMBALTA with great results and no side effects.Good luck....you can do it!

well after a bit of research, it seems like they are both mild at low doses, but seems like lexapro is not quite as strong, i think i would rather start there