What is Your Experience with Anxiety?

Firstly, I’m sending you lots of 🤗 hugs. Secondly, I commend you on your courage and strength in your fight against cancer! I know from family members how challenging both physically and mentally that fight can be. Thirdly, I was just as petrified as you to start Lamictal. In fact, I delayed starting it for many days. Finally, I got tired of dealing with the symptoms of my treatment resistant depression and anxiety and decided to try the Lamictal. I just completed 7 days of 25 mg and titrated up, this morning, to 50 mg. (Some psychiatrists have their patients do a slower titration.) I am praying that I don’t develop any serious side effects.
Please know that you’re not alone. Also, remember you are a fighter. If you can face cancer head on, you can also face Lamictal head on! You have already demonstrated your amazing courage, strength, and fortitude!!! You are also under doctor’s care; so, if anything develops while you’re on the Lamictal, they will be right there to help you. Additionally, I will be thinking of you and wishing you well as we deal with Lamictal together. You are an inspiration to me and I’m sure to countless others! You’ve got this — all of this — and you will make it through!!! 🤗🤗🤗 Please keep us posted as to how you are doing and remember that we care immensely about you and wish you well.

Wow again. Thank you soooo much for your kind response…bout brought me to my knees. I feel a little better now….ill take the pill i guess. Ill keep you posted. Again thank you so much for the kind words, it means more than you know.

It was my pleasure! You deserve those kind words and more!
We most definitely must keep in touch — keep one another posted about how we’re doing, especially because we share some similar experiences — Zoloft pooping out on us after numerous years of having taken it successfully, inability to take other antidepressants, and, now, we’re experiencing Lamictal.
I am so grateful that you sent in your comment. Now, I don’t feel so alone on this journey. Hugs 🤗 until we ‘talk’ again!

I totally agree…..we will keep in touch for sure! 🤗 Hugs back

I’m curious if this has happened to other people, I take 1 mg. per day of Ativan and it’s mostly all I use for my anxieties, I don’t know when it started with me but I do know that I was young, very young. I recently had a scary experience with this medicine, I filled my prescription for my meds and started taking the Ativan only to go through a major panic attack complete with spasms in my face and limbs.. I thought I’d never get past it but after a long time it started to pass, I was thinking perhaps I formed an allergy to them, I take only one other med but they’re compatible. After much searching I found out I had the right med but it was made by another pharmaceutical company, the key ingredient is the same but each company uses different fillers to make it, this is where the problem was. I’ve had this before many years ago with a different medication and it was resolved immediately but Ativan as you know is a controlled substance so you have to go through a process to have them repeated which took a while to get, needless to say I think I was quite sick and scared senseless but it sure made me realize how much power is in these meds. I hope one day they will find a better way to treat anxiety, amen.

I wanted to ask you…..can you tell a difference in your depression yet? Or will this be one that takes weeks to kick in?

Hi! No, I can’t tell a difference, yet. My psychiatrist explained that Lamictal takes time to slowly build up in your system and that most people don’t feel any effect until 100 mg. (There are some fortunate people who feel the effect at lower doses, but most don’t feel anything until 100 mg.).
No pressure at all, but did you decide whether or not you’re going to try the Lamictal?

I feel better on Zoloft. Moved up to 75 this week. Keeping my fingers crossed

Yes. Today was my first day. I just had to, I need relief like yesterday! So far I’m still alive so that’s a positive!
I really don’t think I can wait weeks to lift this load of emotions, my psych team is suggesting Ketamine therapy as it works quickly. I totally plan on doing it and hope i can get in soon. Waiting to hear from insurance now.

@sksnow I feel overwhelmed with anxiety and grief when I read your post. You have so much to deal with it's no wonder you feel so anxious. It's not surprising that adding another medication brought about more anxiety. I remember feeling very anxious when I first started medication for depression and anxiety and not wanting to even try the pill. It took me awhile working with a psychiatrist to find the "right" medication for me. I had a lot of confidence in the psychiatrist so that in itself encouraged me to have a go.

It took me a long time to get to the point where I look at Acceptance for periods of anxiety. I think my baseline is anxious so when some situation presents itself my anxiety really ramps up. This has happened within the past few weeks as I got closer and closer to my next cancer surveillance appointments. The day of the appointments I felt like I was in a fog and moving my body was like walking through molasses. I have osteoarthritis and even that hurt more than usual. So I just kept up doing what I needed to do. That's part of the Acceptance I practice and reminding myself to Breathe. That meant sitting in a quiet place and focusing on slowing my breathing. Counting an inhale to 4 and then exhaling to the count of 6.

Do you have any skills you've learned and practice that work for you? Medication helps a lot but that's only one part of managing depression and anxiety for me.

p.s. My CT scan and physical exams showed no recurrence of cancer (endometrial cancer) or metastasis. I was utterly exhausted at the end of the day after those appointments. Anxiety makes me very, very tired.