I'm taking 900 mg, along with lamotrigine and an AD. My pdoc sees me regularly, orders blood tests for lithium regularly, and tells me stop taking it if I have an upset stomach or show any signs of toxicity. The plan is for me to get off it if I can be stable on lamotrigine.

I think if you drink plenty of water (I drink about 3 quarts or more a day), have regular blood tests, and do not take a high dose (I think 1800 is way too high and am sorry for what BlueBird went through), then it can be safe. All meds have side effects and everyone reacts differently. It's a trial and error thing. With lithium, it just takes some vigilance to make sure it doesn't become toxic.