Lithium has a scary reputation, but it's really not bad!

When I first started taking it I was sooooooo thirsty. Drinking 4 liters of water a day thirsty. I peed a lot! But that was really temporary. I gained a couple of pounds in water weight.

I did have to get a baseline thyroid test, and a urinalysis to make sure my thyroid and kidneys were okay before starting Lithium. I have been on it for a few months now, and got another thyroid/pee test. Once a year that will need to be checked. Some people will get hypothyroid on Lithium, most don't. Some people gain weight, but I have not. Your kidneys can get affected but that is after many many years of treatment, and many of those folks get better after stopping lithium.

I am much more scared of antipsychotics, their side effects seem much worse than Lithium ever could be. (at least for me)

Give it a shot. It's cheap too!