[Bobbarita]

I'm back...Was here months or a year or 2 ago. Can't remember name/password, so my name is now Bobbarita. I have been saying no to lithium since 2007 when diagnosed. I was an RN in a psych hospital (!)and saw it's effects. So I take Lamictal now and did consent to a little (50mg.) Seroquel. So my Pdoc left for another position and I'm starting again w/a new pdoc and psychotherapist. Of course the lithium recommendations again and again my refusal. I am manic presently but not to a delusional level (which initiated the 1st diagnosis). I'm 58 years old. Anyone else out there saying "no" to lithium. I am not discouraging it for those taking it, nor am I advocating refusal. Quite the opposite---I have always been compliant with taking my meds and I encourage compliancy. However I was wondering if there are those among you who also say no to Lithium, and if so why?
+

[purpledaisy]

I said "no" to lithium recently.

But I said "yes" to lithium and prozac about 22-23 years ago when I was first diagnosed.

I took it for a few years. Those years are kind of lost now. I don't remember things well from that time in my life, which really upsets me because I don't remember a lot of things from when my child was very small. He'll ask if I remember saying or doing certain things, and I don't remember.

Then I went without treatment for many years.

Just recently sought treatment again, and pdoc tried lithium.

This time, lithium was hurting me. I had constant diarrhea. My stomach felt like a big hole was torn through it and it ached all the time.

And I also felt like everything in life was moving very slowly. Almost at a stand-still. Days took forever to get through.

When I was pumping gas, the little numbers that usually flash by quickly telling you how much you owe were no longer flashing by. They were moving S L O W L Y and I hated it.

I told pdoc I didn't want lithium any longer, and we tried several different things.

Due to your profession, I'm sure you have valid reasons for refusing it.

There are other things available.

[faerie_moon_x]

I'm on 300 mg of lithium but I've decided I don't want to take a higher dose. I was on it before. At 600 mg I got tremors and dry mouth really bad, and I felt worse. On 1200 mg I didn't feel good at all, I wasn't on that dose for long. It made me feel like I was racing. But at 300 mg I feel calmer. I get less angry, less emotional. I still have my emotions but they don't go from 0 to 60 in 2 seonds, so to speak. I just feel more balance, I guess.

It doesn't seem to help with my concentration or difficulty reading, or with the random hallucinations or paranoid thinking.

[moodiegirl]

I'm taking Lamictal, there was no talk of lithium for me, I'm not sure why. I am quite happy with the combination of meds I am taking though - I haven't been really manic in years and only experience mild depression time to time.
I hope you find the combination that helps you, soon

[PiperLeigh]

I am saying no to lithium for now. I'm young and have family members in the medical professional who have seen the damage on a few organs that can result from decade-long use of the drug. I understand it can be very effective and there is a reason that it is the gold-standard. But since I'm still young, I want to avoid it as long as I can. I also would like to try to stick with a med that doesn't require regular monitoring with blood-draws. Lastly, I would like to avoid lithium because I fear out of all the meds my p-doc could offer, because I have such a tendency to be suicidal, it holds the highest potential for me to try to overdose on. (There may be incongruity between wanting to preserve my health and my constant desire to harm myself. Yes, I am a mess.)

[hamster-bamster]

I am the opposite - I hope one day to live on Lithium alone, as far as mania prevention is conconcerned. I am not there yet but it is my long term goal. I have no complaints with respect to Lithium.

[bp2012]

My Pdoc (first time using that phrase) did not want to put me on Lithium. She put me on Seroquel first wanting to get me into regular sleep patterns. I was just diagnosed this year and was ready to jump off a bridge so I she started me on that on my first visit. A couple months later I started noticing I was having memory and concentration issues so I didn't refill it. I moved so I need to find someone else to see since the depression stirred up again. -Jim

[hamster-bamster]

My personal preference is to exhaust MS first before trying to add AP's because AP's are heavy-hitter drugs.

Exception: low doses of Seroquel for sleep. But, if you have access to medicinal marijuana, it works far better for sleep without affecting memory or concentration.

[Victoria'smom]

I said "no" to lithium several times due to possible weight gain.

[hanners]

When I was diagnosed my pdoc vetoed lithium because I have kidney problems and he didn't want to see them get worse.

[Amazonmom]

Lithium gave me tremor so badly i couldn't perform my job as a neonatal ICU nurse. I was willing to accept other treatment so my meds lady said Ok and gave me seroquel instead. I have had the best results with the seroquel anyway!

[BlueInanna]

I recently quit lithium due to weight gain and feeling like it makes me tired.

[Passion222]

Why does the lithium cause such weight gain? Heard it works best for many but I've never wanted to try due to the weight gain issue. Gaining enough in meds I'm on now sigh....

[Trippin2.0]

I initially said no for months, for no apparant reason, and should have listened to my instincts. My then pdoc talked me into it. Had memory problems (some gone permanently) tremors so bad I couldn't write, and the worst flat effect that made me feel lost inside myself. I wasn't even on a high dosage add cognitive issues, like losing words, perpetual thirst and hunger, and the outcome was me flushing all my meds. Well, guess lithium was good for me afterall I like me better unmedicated!

[hamster-bamster]

I used to take a really high dose of Lithium (1500 mg) and was size 6 on it, so it did not prevent me from losing weight. I now take much less (900 mg) and I am slowly losing weight (down to 177 lbs from 192 lbs) so again it does prevent weight loss.

But everyone is different - one can try it weighing herself every week in order to catch any gain and discontinue promptly.

[~Christina]

Ehhhh ... I take Lithium , I have no side effects, and NO weight gain. I have and can lose weight ON the medication. Personally, I think AP's are too sedating and can cause HUGE weight gains in a matter of weeks.

But hey! everyone is different

[Warrioress]

I was on Lithium for a few months 3 or 4 years ago. I hated it so much that I actually changed my pdoc lol. But I'm very anti-med in general.