hi. ive never taken lithium, personally. you have a right to be concerned about ill effects of treatment.

lithium augmentation of antidepressants -was- once a somewhat popular maneuver. where i am (the us), it seems that doctors are now more inclined to use low(ish) doses of the 'atypical' tranquilizers or other 'mood drugs' (lamictal, trileptal, now and then even depakote).

there are other options, usually. i've declined lithium because i dont want to deal with blood work and the potential harm to my body. im currently taking abilify as the main psych drug, with trileptal and a low dose of lamictal to even out my moods.

have you ever tried gabapentin? there's a new one, lyrica, that's used for anxiety sometimes. they're similar drugs, but lyrica is more potent, its dosed 2x per day instead of 3x per day, and its a controlled substance in the US, although one can get refills (benzodiazepines are in Schedule IV here; Lyrica is Schedule V).

I am clearly not any kind of expert, but I get concerned when "professionals" push treatments w/ well-known adverse effects on people, with little concern for their input or wishes. Not my cup of tea.

I do hope you can find something that helps and doesn't cause more problems.