Wow! Tons of lithium hatred abounds in this thread.

Lithium has been great for me (I've been on it almost 3 months now), I haven't had any significant side effects besides the typical "head fog" from time to time and maybe a general loss of energy.

I haven't gained weight (which was my main concern) and haven't had any shakiness / vomitting / severe acne like others have been mentioning.

It has kept my moods relatively stable and has worked for me better than any other mood stabilizer that I've tried.

Sooooo for people curious about Lithium ... don't immediately write it off, it works well for some people.

I don't think I'd ever want to go back on risperdal though, the weight gain was ridiculous.