Hi. I posted this in the "Getting off meds" forum by accident so I'm going to repost it here.

I went off Abilify in April due to the development of tardive dyskinesia, which fortunately reversed. The only mood stabilizer I'm on now is Lamictal. It does well for my depression, but not so much for mania. I haven't been taking anything for mania since April, since I usually suffer more from terrible depression, although I have had a couple of manic episodes.

Anyway, for the past couple of months, I have felt myself veering more toward mania. It's to the point now that I know I need to do something. I've told my psychiatrist I will never take another antipsychotic because of the TD risk. So now I'm thinking she may suggest lithium. Which brings me to the point; is lithium that bad? I've read the facts and risks about it on reputable websites and what I've read scares me to death! Having blood drawn all the time wouldn't be fun, but I could do it. It's the potential of kidney and thyroid problems, plus the weight gain and other side effects that scare me.

So, for you lithium users, is it really that bad? Or am I just overreacting? Would you mind sharing your experiences on it?

Lamictal 450 mg
Wellbutrin 150 mg
Trazodone 100 mg
Klonopin 1 mg