Hey there,

I love lithium.......the only other mood stabiliser I have been on is Seroquel......mind you, it is not for everyone and it takes a bit of delicate work - routine blood tests, normal sodium diet, restrictions on some other medications.

It took 6 months for me to be stabilised so I was on an anti-psychotic while it levelled out.......I am on 1000mg a day and I hardly know that I am on it.

I had to defer from my degree and give up my job but that was because I had a 3 week hospital admission and could barely function.

The thing is that I do have thyroid problems but that was before the lithium. The reason my psychiatrist put me on it at the time is that we weighed up the risks and lithium seemed to be the best choice........I may have to change though as my thyroid symptoms are much worse. But probably would have got worse anyway.

If on lithium, kidney function, thyroid function and serum lithium levels should be checked.

The reason that lithium is bad for the thyroid in some cases is that iodine(essential for TSH conversion to T3) is confused with lithium molecules. Iodine and lithium molecules have very similar elemental(atomic) structure and the thyroid cannot tell them apart. So it sucks up both......

As you are doing your masters and have a full time job.......I wonder if you can take some time off to adjust initially to the drug....I have found cognitive function can be a bit fuzzy at times and when I am writing I struggle with recollection of my vocabulary......BUT ......that is also a thyroid symptom.

Hope I have helped........I know it has done wonders for me......I have no extremes in mood, I can cry, I can laugh and it doesn't make me a zombie. Some will probably disagree as I know people who have had a terrible time.

Good luck and let us know how you go ..........