I have had a bit of weight gain, nothing major, and moving back with my parents probably accounts for some. I haven't heard much about the others.

Toxicity symptoms include tremors and diarrhea and basically the stuff on the side effect list. I had tremors for a while, but they ceased when I stopped taking Wellbutrin. I've had some trouble with diarrhea, but nothing major.

I think a key to minimizing side effects is to maintain the water intake, that really seems to help. And no, you shouldn't take any of the NSAIDs, including aspirin and ibuprofen, they can mess up your levels. Here I think it is frequent use that is the real problem...I try to use Tylenol most of the time now, but if I really need ibuprofen, I'll take it. (I'm not supposed to take Tylenol with Lamictal, so what's a boy to do)?

As for drinking...I have kept my drinking to a minimum ever since I started taking psych meds, which was a drastic thing for me. I think the worst problem with lithium would be the dehydrating effect of alchohol--again, messing with your levels. Since you've been going at this for a while now, I'm sure they have told you that drinking isn't good for depression anyway...you may want to reconsider your drinking habits, not just because of medication, but because it will aid your recovery. Trust me, there aren't very many folks who like beer (and everything else) more than I did...but I managed. I still have a beer or glass of wine on occasion. The idea here is that you are looking for a long-term balance. You just moderate taking or drinking things that upset the balance for long periods.

Another thing you hear about is being "slow" or "foggy". For people who spend a lot of time in mania, lithium really does slow down the thought process. I never thought that I had racing thoughts until I went on lithium. It did feel a bit strange for a bit, but I got used to it quickly...and then I realized that several other symptoms that were a result of racing thoughts, like "brain freezes" were gone. Much better, but it took some getting used to.

Like Suzy says, there are lots of other things to try if lithium turns out not to be for you. It's just the best scientifically proven treatment for bipolar, so your doc is starting there first.

DJ