rgriffis68 replied: "Medications should only be used if you have been diagnosed with a specific disorder. Persistent sadness is just one symptom of depression and alone is not sufficient for a diagnosis. I'll assume that if your doc is prescribing, that you have been diagnosed with depression and it is for the first time and that this is the first time you've been advised to medicate. Throwing both Lamictal and Lexapro at you is too heavy-handed in my opinion. Lexapro is a very strong medication. It is an SSRI and the long term effectiveness of these meds is debatable. They also have unpleasant side-effects. Lamictal is much milder and is one of a long line of mood stabilizers. I've been on it 7 years and am not aware of ever experiencing side effects. I have experienced mild anti-depressant effects, and also it has prevented future depressions and manias (went I went off it once it resulted in one of each). Lamictal is milder, with lower side-effects, and is a more proven short-term treatment and maintenance treatment. Try it first before loading up on Lexapro. In my experience, SSRI's like Lexapro are no good. They can lift you out of depression, but can make you suicidal and manic. If you stay on them they can wear off. They can make you less responsive to other anti-depressants. They can also push you further into the bipolar spectrum. They can fulfill a short term need but then make you worse off in the long run. That's just my opinion as a patient. Good luck working this out with your doctor. I appreciate his zeal to make you better, but you don't want to enter the world of medication without treading lightly and carefully."