Does anyone live on Lithium alone?

Yikes, sorry I didn't realize D meant Doctor, so you've obviously already talked about this with him/her.

Did your doctor say that an AP is needed for everyone with BP? That sounds like a big generalization. No doubt before atypical antipsychotics many people remained stable on mood stabilizers alone.

D is my old time friend and to a lesser extent lover who is a psychiatrist. He expresses his opinions, and I agree that they are big generalizations.

I am also under the care of my own psychiatrist and off drugs now. Geodon was titrated down: 180 mg - 160 mg - 80 mg - 0.

Ugh, I got the whole thing wrong, I'm really sorry!

I hope you're able to find the right treatment for you, I know it can be really difficult. And I hope your stress lessens, that tends to make everything so much worse.

In the past, Lithium alone used to be the gold standard of bp treatment. Kay Jamison has always been on Lithium alone.

Enter newer atypical AP's and most people are on them. I polled people here several months ago and the majority of medicated folks are on some sort of an AP.

I stopped having orgasms. Unclear why: anxiety, stress (which has been through the roof lately), low blood pressure, too much biking, or, perhaps, some pernicious effect from Geodon even at the lowered dose. So I am thinking of going off Geodon for a week to see what happens. But I do not want to try Abilify which I am sure will come with its own set of side effects. I just want to try preventing mania using Lithium alone.

D says that Lithium alone is insufficient - he says an AP of some sort is needed for bp. But then how about Kay Jamison?

i agree with you and the old school aproach. ap's have so many side effects and yes, i believe your inability to orgasm is from the geodon. if u go off of it, do it slowly. also, are your blood levels at therapeutic lithium levels? do you feel that you are stable?

the experts used to suggest a "medication holiday" in which you stop the med to see if your sex drive/orgasms return. if they do then there's your answer.
feel free to pm. me for more info. i am not to comfy revealing too much of myself in a public arena.