I was just recently put back on lithium, I'm going for blood work tomorrow. I'm sure I'm not at the proper level yet. I went off of it years ago as it caused me severe cystic acne. I'm watching for that nasty side effect like a hawk. It had worked very well in the past for me. I had been on Depakote 1500 mg for years, but my moods still fluctuated quite a bit. My mania has been pretty severe, so I thought I'd give it another shot. Like I said, it had worked nicely in the past.