Anxious and depressed the perfect combination

Have you ever tried any supplements for Anxiety or Depression such as 5htp( A natural Serotonin Inhibitor) Or St john Worts? I've never tried St john worts but 5htp can be effective for some people for depression. Just make sure you don't have any serious heart problems because 5htp can have some effects on heart if already prone but from what I've gathered rarely if not. L theanine 100 mgs or more depending on you can help alot with Anxiety. It has no serious side effects. Magnesium I take 250 mgs and it helps. I've been taking magnesium even before my anxiety flared up though because its good for everything. Vitamin D and B12 I Take 2000 IUS of Vitamin D and 5000 of B12. I also know how you feel about the fear of not leaving the house. I've been feeling like this too, like I will feel weird or anxious or have a full blown panic attack if i leave but we have to face these fears. I would suggest watching a movie you used to watch when you were in a better place in your life that puts you in a good mood. Drinking Chamomile Tea throughout the day. I know this sounds weird but looking at baby pics or pics of me when i was at a high point makes me rememeber who i used to be and gives me hope. Please don't give up. I also have moments where im left so hopeless and its everyday. Talk to people. The more you get out of your head better. At first its hard but if we let our fear win. We will be stuck 

I wish and hope and pray for you Nothing but Peace, Joy,Love,and Happiness. YOU WILL BEAT THIS

Hi Jaclyn.

What you're describing (to me at least,) is classic anxiety. The fear and panic attacks can begin to rule you, making even the smallest of daily tasks impossible. I too have struggled with work at my worst and hide away inside. As you rightfully say (and sadly experience,) the depression comes into play when you feel you have failed or that the anxiety has beaten you. It can also come into play due to the isolation some anxiety sufferers place on themselves.

For me, depression has always been part of the anxiety circle.

Anxiety builds, we struggle, we feel we can't cope (sometimes we are forced to pull ourselves away from situations,) anxiety can then sometimes ease..but depression creeps in and it's often due to the feeling that we have failed, because we feel humiliated by the power Anxiety can have.

It's okay to feel all of these things. It isn't the feelings that are the problem...it is how we deal with them that truly makes the difference. once we start the mode of: "I want it to go away" we are lost. We have to accept our feelings..accepting anxiety really is half the battle. I would recommend that you seriously look into counselling.

In my opinion counselling for anxiety is better than any supposed quick fix medication. Learning coping methods and techniques are worth their weight in gold.

And acceptance. As hard as that is... Because otherwise all you do is keep running and it will keep returning.

HI Jaclyn I know how you feel. I had a bout with anxiety 13 years ago and I overcame it. Now it came back in October due to some stress in my life. I'm taking gabapentin for it and it really takes the edge off. I take 100 mg 3 x a day. After a month of being on it I was able to leave my house with a family member and start going to the stores again. I'm not saying it was easy because it wasn't. It was very uncomfortable at first and still is, but everytime you expose yourself to something uncomfortable the easier it becomes. It's a process though. I haven't been able to work at my job since October, but I'm starting to feel like I want to go back soon. Baby steps. I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to let my anxiety rule me anymore.  We can't let this beast take over our lives.

Hey there.

ive been dealing with similar problems as you and I'm 27, except mine revolves around health anxiety which sucks. At one point my anxiety in general was so bad that I didn't leave my house because being around a lot of people made my anxiety worse whether I was in a restaurant or driving down the road and Ive NEVER been anxious around a lot of people before ever in my life, so I knew secluding myself was only making me worse. I'm definitely not back to my normal self but I force myself to leave the house now. My driving anxiety is gone, I can pretty much tolerate going out to eat although it's still very hard. Today my anxiety was so bad on my way to get my haircut and I almost turned around and came home instead but I forced myself to go through with it and I'm sure I'll see some benefit social anxiety wise at some point because of it. I've started taking vitamin b12 and magnesium recently just because my diet sucks because of all this anxiety/depression. I just started seeing a counselor the other day which I'm hoping will help too. He told me fish oil caps that contain omega 3 have significant health benefits of numerous kinds one of which being anti depressant. I'm trying to avoid the pharmaceutical route I'd rather take vitamins first instead. Being deficient in vitamin d can also take a toll on our health too which I'm gunna look into soon also, especially this time of year where I leave seasonal affective disorder is probably an underlying issue as well. You could also do what I might try as well and go tanning which will give me vitamin d naturally, feel nice and warm for a while, and get a little tan and maybe some self confidence too. Can't hurt, right? I still force myself to go to work even though I'd rather not. It's a very slippery slope once you stop completely, it's a hard hole to pull yourself out of. It's hard for me right now because I'm used to being on my own but now that my wife left me for unrelated reasons I'm back at my parents. I've lost my wife/best friend, I've lost my house and independence that goes with that, I've lost my dogs, I've lost all hope for the future. It's a deep hole that we get ourselves into with anxiety and depression no matter how we get ourselves into it. I wish you all the best. Look into vitamins, try to sleep good, see a counselor, and every day make yourself do something even if it makes you uncomfortable and break down that social anxiety wall little by little.

-AKM