Lithium level is too high

Yep my recent increase from 900mg to 1200mg isn't going to work,some weird funky symptons I had I tell ya . That's ok. Worth the try. So off the stuff for a few days, then I'll be back to 900mg.

I have no bad feelings about continuing Lithium.

I'm sorry. I hope the other dose works better for you.

I've never done Lithium. My pdoc tries to avoid it because of those bad symptoms. Luckily Lamictal works fir me (for now). So I don't really know what it's like. But I do not how tough it can be adjusting meds. I hope the 900 again works out for you.

I prefer Lithium and the very small chance of being to high vs a AP they are much worse in my opinion.

Glad they caught it quickly! That can get serious.

That's another reason I like the Lamictal. It's not an AP; it's an AC & mood-stabilizer. Of course, like Lithium, too high a dose can have negative side effects...all drugs can. I've had to decrease my dose before because of that.

At a mere 600mg/day, I found that I had trouble writing (fine motor coordination affected), difficulty descending stairs, and diarrhea that would have dehydrated me, if I hadn't stoped taking the Lithium. I had no hand tremor.

Oh sis, sorry it didn't work out, but real glad it was caught early so you can continue on it without any further complications Hope the lower dose works, and I agree AP's are the devil, even though I had no negative side effects myself...

At least they caught it right away, that's the important thing. 1200mg was too much for me as well.

Well, sorry to say that I had kidney damage from Lithium. (My nephrologist said that it causes closure of the tiny arteries in the kidneys and there's nothing nephrologists can do about that.) As soon as I dropped lithium, toxic blood work cleared up. I was also told by an endocrinologist that it is one of the most toxic medications out there. (Drink water,
please to keep well hydrated while on lithium.)

Please try to take the lowest possible dose to calm you, but at the same time, go for the effort to correct any problems with your diet that may be enhancing the symptoms.

The lower the dosage of meds and the better the control of the diet, the easier it's
going to be on you and your kidneys.

Lamictal was an excellent medication--even at 50 mg--it worked for me, but I gradually had to keep cutting back on the amount until I reached 15 mg; even that was too much, and I developed acne on the right side of my face. (That has been published on the internet rather extensively, too.)

The answers really lie, in my view, in taking a pro-active effort on our part to get our diet as beneficial as possible, and hope that a small dose of meds will keep things stable.

I read recently that the use of the Omega 3 fatty acids added to the diet may
be the first real supplement that may fight bipolar illness. (Nordic Omega 3 fatty acids is an excellent one--2 per day for me--and that works.) Increase your vitamin B series, vitamin A, and C, and vitamin D3.) Please watch the sugar intake like a hawk; it also causes mood swings and cravings for more, just as grains do.

I literally hate the side effects of medications and do everything I can to avoid them
by changes in the diet.

(Get rid of gluten, please. It causes wide mood swings in people sensitive to it, along with many other strongly detrimental effects to our systems.)

Best reading I've done lately is Dr. David Williams' Wheat Belly. I would not be at
all surprised if it doesn't turn out in years to come that the final result will be that
wheat is the real culprit in many, many problems with mental illness and physical
illness. It is known to affect schizophrenia profoundly, and it causes wide mood
swings, as well, but not yet defined as the cause of bipolar symptoms.

I hope you are feeling better very soon.

Take care.

Sorry that higher dose didn't work out as you had hoped, but if 900 is working why go to 1200? Just curious. Best of luck.

My pdoc just highered my dose of Lithium to 1200 mg. The last blood test showed that my levels were low. I hope I don't get any symptoms too.

Good thing you noticed right away. Every time they tried to up my dose from 900 to 1200 same thing happened.. too high. But at 900 I was just below theraputic level. But close enough my pdoc said. Really too bad they don't make it in smaller doses so they could get it more percise.

Hope it will lower quickly so there will not be too much time between. Glad you are okay.

Ad Infinitum

This living, this living, this living..was always a project of mine

I had been on 900mg for probably a year and was doing fine, my Pdoc and I decided to up it in hopes that it could possibly knock my pain down a notch I am still at an 8 every single day! He has done this in the past for other Fibro patients and some got relief. Was worth a try. I was on the increased dose for 16 days and I knew there was a problem so I stopped it and called Pdoc got a lab slip and had my blood drawn.

Genetic , thanks for the info. I did all of that 3 years ago for almost a year in hopes to relieve my pain, not a single difference. I was very disappointed. I have come to terms that I will always have this pain and need to suck up and deal with it.

I drink right at 2 gallons a day

Thanks everyone