Take all this with a grain of salt because I was prescribed Lamictal + lithium at the same time & the doc has changed doses of each several times. It's hard to tease out the effects of both of them, but I'm getting better at it, so feel free to ask about Lamictal too.

Almost immediately, I felt a few "sparks", like my brain was coming alive. I had a couple positive long-term thoughts, had a small amount of interest in fun things I used to do, etc. Barely motivating, but compared to the infinite black hole I was in, I took what I could get.

And I need to say this now: DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL FOR QUITE SOME TIME AFTER STARTING LITHIUM (or any psych med for that matter). I had one beer a few days after starting lithium, and all I'll say was that the experience was so unpleasant that I didn't drink again for nearly two months.

For me, Gatorade, Powerade, drinks with electrolytes in them helped me out. Lithium is similar chemically to the electrolytes (which I'm guessing is a big part of all the dehydration/thirst side-effects?), so it seems to make some sense they'd provide some benefit.

The first 2-3 weeks for me was side-effect hell: extreme sensitivity to cold (like down inside my bones, hard to explain), thirst, headaches, lethargy, messed up appetite, confusion, clumsiness, etc. Lights also seemed much brighter (FWIW, Lamictal does that too), like "wear sunglasses in the shade because even that's painful" bright. At first, I just felt totally dull, like my brain was just stuffed with cotton & wrapped in foam. It wasn't the total & complete fatigued zombie feeling I had with Remeron though.

Maybe toward the end of the third week, the good stuff started & the bulk of side-effects started to dissipate. The most noticeable was a pleasant (yet pretty intense) "I don't really give a f**k" kind of attitude towards a huge number of things that used to cause anxiety & frustration. I'm a terrible golfer & needless to say, I get pretty frustrated while I'm on the course. My Dad & I played a round 3-4 weeks after starting lithium, and it was the best round of golf ever. My score sucked, but I didn't care. 95% of the typical golfing frustrations simply didn't enter my head. I'm betting that was about half lithium/half lamictal, but whatev.

Also around that time, I remember numerous occasions when watching TV where colors would look AMAZING, sharper yet softer at the same time (best I can explain), intense waves of a warm, glowing feeling washed over me randomly, I'd get the urge to rub my sweat pants/leather furniture/blankets/etc. because they simply felt incredible. Again, not sure what exactly caused all those perceptual/sensory changes, but I didn't care one bit at that time.

It felt nice to be alive.

Most everything settled down/leveled out somewhere in the 4-6 week range. I landed a great job a couple weeks after that, and here I am now. Taking it one day at a time.

6 Months later, light (especially neon lights & traffic lights) still looks slightly more intense. Again, it's kind of a soft, glowy effect, yet hits me harder and lasts an extra moment (like when your picture is taken with a flash & your eyes get overstimulated for a moment). I would imagine it has something to due with more brain machinery being "online" or something like that (some studies suggest it helps grow gray matter in certain parts of your brain). Being in an office, walking through the park, in a dark room watching a Blu-ray, etc. feels like a more "full" experience. All-in-all, I feel lighter, clearer, and almost like it provides "padding" for my brain. Takes the edge off life in a different (better) way than alcohol/xanax & makes it easier to take in experiences.

I shouldn't have to say this, but DON'T EVEN THINK OF TAKING LITHIUM RECREATIONALLY!!! Some of the effects I experienced were definitely more pleasant than normal, but psych meds are prescribed to make you feel better & more functional in the first place. You These meds can all definitely be...crazy.

Given my experience with lithium (definitely not all smiles and rainbows), I see why it was the first legit psych med out there. I see why it's still in use for bipolar, and I definitely see why the lithium/lamictal combo is widely regarded as one of the best current treatments for bipolar. Definitely been a lifesaver (pun intended!)

Hopefully that helped somebody out. I'm absolutely happy to share more, and I'd also like to hear about other's experiences with lithium, especially if they're taking it with Lamictal.