[LionLion]

Hello! I'm new around here. Dx Bipolar II since 2009, with an added fun of antisocial personality disorder (that one I found out on my own after reading my mental health records). I'm ex-military, honorably discharged on a medical, in no small part to my Dx. I get all of my health care through my local VA.

I have tried over 30 Rx's in the 5 years I've been treated, and as a last resort my pdoc has me on Lithium. Right now I'm at 600mg a day, but she has made noise that she wants to titrate me up to as much as 1200mg depending on how I react to it.

I've been terrified of Lithium since I was a teenager and originally got a Dx of bi-polar disorder. The pdoc my mom sent me to gave me so much Lithium (and then Depakote and then Carbamazepine) that I turned into a living zombie. I had to get blood drawn every 2 weeks to check liver and kidney function since the levels were so high I could be overdosing. I can't remember anything from those 6 months other than sleeping a whole bunch. My mom, frightened at what she had done to me, abruptly took me off the meds and never spoke of my "misdiagnosis" again.

So now the Lithium is like a last resort, and I need some help. I've been on it for about two weeks with very little real "side effects" other than maybe some increased sweating. What's bothering me is the fine tremors I'm experiencing. Using a fork and knife properly or holding a coffee cup is almost impossible because of the shaking hands. I've noticed a feeling of jittery-ness in my entire body, and I shake all over when exercising when I never did before (holding a plank position or a squat position is embarrassing due to the shaking) I know it sounds selfish and stupid, but I am very nervous about gaining weight on this medication, and I've been trying to up my exercise routine and change my eating habits to get ahead of any weight gain. Anyone on Lithium have good stories to tell? Ways around side effects? How often should I be getting blood drawn?

TL;DR Lithium side effects like tremors and weight gain are freaking me out. Could use some help.

[Trippin2.0]

I was jittery and shakey too. At one point I had zero fine motor skills due to "tremors", yeah right, more like quakes.
My ex pdoc's solution? Anti -shake meds. Except I had memory issues and retardation too, so that wasn't a viable option for me. I hear that side effect meds are common practice instead of taking you off the Lithium if it seems to be working otherwise.

I don't mean to share horror stories, I didn't have a good experience and hope your pdoc is helpful.

[unlived]

Lithium has been a godsend for me. Do you know what your serum level is? I hang around 1.2 which is close to the toxic area. I had fine tremors but after a while my body got used to the lithium and they went away. I hope it helps you as much as its helped me.

[BlackPup]

I had tremors, weight gain and memory problems on lithium. You need to have it about 1 - 1.2 for mood stabilisation effects. Below it only works as an antidepressant. The weight gain is often due to increased thirst ( and drinking sugary drinks) and decreased thyroid activity. So have your thyroid monitored regularly. It is normal to have blood levels checked regularly and kidney function checked often.
I'm on abilify now and love it.

[LionLion]

I don't know my serum levels yet, I had to beg my MD to do a blood test after being on the meds for a month. My TSH level is already outside the normal range (4.9) and I am ridiculously afraid of actively becoming hypothyroid. My Md wont consider it until my TSH is over 10.0, as weird as that sounds.

@Trippin2.0 I already have the infuriating mental fog and memory loss, without added meds. If my pdoc suggests anti-shake meds I'll just decline. She's been trying to get me on lithium for 4 years hopefully she'll see reason. She doesn't seem to care much for any other symptoms outside my mood disregulation. There's nothing to be done for it, my care comes through the VA Hospital and I'm limited on options.

Thx everyone

[jamox01]

Originally Posted by LionLion

I don't know my serum levels yet, I had to beg my MD to do a blood test after being on the meds for a month. My TSH level is already outside the normal range (4.9) and I am ridiculously afraid of actively becoming hypothyroid. My Md wont consider it until my TSH is over 10.0, as weird as that sounds.

@Trippin2.0 I already have the infuriating mental fog and memory loss, without added meds. If my pdoc suggests anti-shake meds I'll just decline. She's been trying to get me on lithium for 4 years hopefully she'll see reason. She doesn't seem to care much for any other symptoms outside my mood disregulation. There's nothing to be done for it, my care comes through the VA Hospital and I'm limited on options.

Thx everyone

Lithium stopped the mania I was having pretty quick and they tested my blood one week after I started it. My levels were at 1.1 which was close to a therapeutic level. However, the Lithium did nothing for my depression. I went in to a deep depression and felt horrible. I have been lucky and have had no side effects from the Lithium. To combat the depression my pdoc added Seroquel XR to my daily treatment. She started me at 300mg then raised it to 600mg. On the 600mg. I had vision troubles and she took me down to 400mg which has made my vision better.

[Nixi]

Lithium has been a god send for me! i was ridiculously depressed and suicidal and it got me out of that!! unfortunately i have had weight gain and hypothyroidism but the mental health affects have literally saved my life!!!

[Confusedinomicon]

I take 900 mg and have gad mild problems with my thyroid and some cognitive issues.

My doctor checked my blood levels every two weeks to make sure my levels weren't toxic when I started. I get blood work done once a year now because im on the lower end of the dosage spectrum. If you are shaking I would recommend trying the extended release. If you are and are experiencing shaking I would quit. There is no guarantee the shakes will go away with extended use. Its better to look for alternatives.

I can't take 1200 for more than a week. It makes my acid reflex 1000000x worse.

[unlived]

Originally Posted by jamox01

My levels were at 1.1 which was close to a therapeutic level.

That's not close to - it is therapeutic. Therapeutic levels are anywhere from 0.5 - 1.2 depending on who you listen to.

[wotchermuggle]

I had a lot of side effects from Lithium, but eventually, they do go away. I mean, I struggled on the med for like a year and a half before I finally got relief from the shaking hands, throwing up in the middle of the night, crazy *** drinking binges (non-alcohol) because I had an insatiable thirst, and diarrhea.

[Trippin2.0]

Originally Posted by wotchermuggle

I had a lot of side effects from Lithium, but eventually, they do go away. I mean, I struggled on the med for like a year and a half before I finally got relief from the shaking hands, throwing up in the middle of the night, crazy *** drinking binges (non-alcohol) because I had an insatiable thirst, and diarrhea.

A year and a half????
I admire your tenacity. I personally could never put up with any amount of BS for that long, nevermind side effects. Patience is not my strong suit - Read I haven't a shred
I lasted about 6 months though, but in my case side effects kept increasing. So when pdoc wanted to add yet another med to combat side effects I officially called BS because that's where I draw the line. I will not take meds to fix med problems.
Funny thing is, if pdoc had listened to me and switched meds, I wouldn't have flushed mine that night, guess I should thank him

[LionLion]

I got my blood test results back, and the Lithium levels are .2 . Since it was my PCM (primary care manager, like a general MD) who tested me and not my pdoc, all she could say was the levels weren't technically in therapeutic range, but that the main concern is whether or not I am feeling "normal" on this dose. The shaking hasn't gotten any better, but I don't think it's gotten worse. I have noticed that it is far more pronounced in the middle of the day, maybe 6-8 hours after I've taken my AM dose, so maybe the XR formula will manage to take care of that.

I think I feel OK at the dose so far. I've had a few twinges of anxiety big enough that it's stopped me in my tracks, but I've been able to talk myself down. I haven't had any rage/mixed ep feelings the entire month I've been on it. If I'm seeing a positive result do you think my pdoc will still bump my dosage up to "therapeutic" levels?

[wotchermuggle]

Originally Posted by Trippin2.0

A year and a half????
I admire your tenacity. I personally could never put up with any amount of BS for that long, nevermind side effects. Patience is not my strong suit - Read I haven't a shred
I lasted about 6 months though, but in my case side effects kept increasing. So when pdoc wanted to add yet another med to combat side effects I officially called BS because that's where I draw the line. I will not take meds to fix med problems.
Funny thing is, if pdoc had listened to me and switched meds, I wouldn't have flushed mine that night, guess I should thank him

Not all of those symptoms lasted a year and half. The ones that did were the throwing up in the middle of the night and diarrhea took a long time to stop. I had the shaky hands for the first 1-5 months. The drinking part NEVER went away. I could get up in the night and drink two litres of fluid and go back to bed.

[LionLion]

I have definitely noticed an increase in my water intake. After the pharmacist spent all that time warning me off of "drinking too much water, but stay hydrated! Don't not drink water" I figured it was just in my head to drink more. I don't know if I can handle shaky hands for more than a month or so... my entire body feels like someone shot me full of crap coffee.

[Confusedinomicon]

Water weight is a lot easier to deal with then gaining fat from sugary drinks. Also sometimes drinking water and staying hydrated could reduce shakes.