Quote:
Originally Posted by Faltering
The pdoc's office called and said I'm approved to start lithium. I'll start tomorrow. My mom said not to do it because I'll get brain damage. I'm just hoping not to destroy my kidneys and thyroid. I'll be at work when I have my first dose so I'm kind of nervous of how it will affect me.
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Good luck with it!
Some people may experience some mild cognitive impairment, usually blood level related, but I've actually read that Lithium can be healing for the bipolar brain in some ways. I did have very mild cognitive impairment, but it cleared when my dose was reduced/eliminated.
Be sure you get thyroid and creatinine tests frequently. I don't think they are ordered by most psychiatrists every time a Lithium level is done, but should be done often all the same. I developed both hypothyroidism and kidney damage. Luckily, my kidney function is OK. The elevated creatinine level was discovered early so my Lithium was stopped. As for my thyroid, my doctors kept me on Lithium, despite. My Synthroid dose just increased over time, but leveled off. My Synthroid dose will likely never decrease despite being off Lithium. My creatinine level has improved since then.
Definitely not everyone experiences issues like above.