Quote:
Originally Posted by Sillywabbit
Hi Everyone,
I am newly diagnosed as Bipolar 1 and Borderline Personality Disorder. My Pdoc wants to start my lithium and actually prescribed me 300mg twice daily to start about a month ago, but I have not taken it due to reading about the side effects. I am really worried about having thyroid issues or liver problems. I don't want to get hand tremors either. I am having a bad time stabilizing and my Pdoc says she is more worried about the side effects of my unstable moods vs. The side effects of Lithium. Is it necessary to treat bipolar with meds? What's your thoughts on lithium? Any advice or opinions are welcomed  |
Sillywabbit,
I'm sorry to hear you're having such a hard time right now. You've come to the right place for support and nice folks. There are varying, and strongly held, opinions about whether meds are necessary to treat bipolar. I wouldn't touch that argument with a ten foot pole.
I can speak from my own experience, though. I have been treated for cyclothymia for many years. Everything I've read describes it as less severe than BPI and BPII, however my life was a mess before going on meds. A mess. I have been on many different mood stabilizers, but never lithium. I resisted meds for a long time, but I would never go without them now. Every now and then I get a wild hair and stop taking one or the other of my meds. Never, ever works. For me. My life changed dramatically, for the better, on meds.
Seems you have more choices than just Lithium or no meds, which others have mentioned: 2nd opinion from another pdoc? Talk your pdoc into a different mood stabilizer? Try the lithium? No meds?
This is hard. Hope it gets better soon. Please keep us informed.
Thinking of you.
