Lithium

Just got put on it today and I'm scared. Do any of you have experience with it?

I take .. I have for 3 years . No side effects and I do blood work twice a year now .. Did your Pdoc explain anything about to you???

She just told me that I need to stay hydrated because at times I work out in the sun a lot. That's pretty much all she said. Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it.

Your pdoc needs to schedule regular bloodwork for you until you reach therapeutic level.
After that the bloodwork becomes less frequent...

Did she not mention at all that lithium requires this?
I would call her and ask who's taking my blood and when...

She did tell me that I will be getting blood work done, just didn't really tell me much about the actual med. Did some reading about it today and all the side effects scare me. I'm worried that I will encounter a problem.

There's many people that have no problems with lithium and just as many have bad side effects. I cannot tolerate lithium. You won't know how it affects you until you try. But do keep up with the bloodwork.

I was on lithium for quite a while. It helped, but wasn't the right one for me in the end. The only complaint I had about it is that pretty much all you can take for pain is tylenol. I Have a bad back and I need ibuprofen to keep inflammation down and that was not an option while I was on it. Definitely give it a try though.

I've been on it 5 months.

I have a constant fear of kidney damage so I drink water to pee every hour.

my kidneys are functioning at like 113% or something

They say if it works for you it's a miracle, it doesn't work for me. Don't be frightened, just cautious.

I got a slight tremor from lithium, but that went away very quickly. I also got headaches when I quit it, but that's probably from stopping it so suddenly. Other than that, no side effects. But it didn't do anything for me because we now know bipolar isn't my problem.

I've been taking 900mg since 2000. I do find myself constantly drinking liquids. If I'm having a difficult time I notice a very small hand tremor that goes away when things are more in control. I know my hair and skin are dryer, but that could also be because I live in a very dry climate. Just keep an eye on your body and how it reacts to the Lithium. Make sure you keep an eye on your blood work to ensure you are not damaging your thyroid, and always talk to your doctor. Good luck!

It's funny, the doc in the hospital convinced me to go on lithium by saying it was the gold standard med for bipolar disorder and that it would stop my episodes. It didn't work. In addition, once I got to a therapeutic level and stayed there consistently my psychiatrist started taking my blood less often, which is what is usually recommended. In November, I was at 1.0. 4 months later, with no dosage changes, I was toxic. I'm having lasting health problems from that.

If lithium works for you, I've heard it can be wonderful. But just make sure you're having regular blood levels and kidney function taken. If you change your water or salt intake or are exercising more, get your levels checked. I didn't feel sick until it had already happened.

I LOVE MY LITHIUM !!!!!!!! I was diagnosed in May of 2001 and my pdoc started me on a series of various designer drugs. In 2002, I was admitted to emergency at a local hospital because I had an allergic reaction to Depakote. It almost killed me - so I fired my drug-pushing quack - and travelled along that lonely road to recovery with a variety of new pdoc's and therapists. FINALLY - my newest pdoc says, "Gee, no one has tried lithium yet. Let's see if it might work for you." BLILLIANT IDEA - IT WORKS WITH 100% EFFECTIVENESS !!!! I've been on it now for a year and a half without the slightest indication of a bipolar symptom. If it works for you then you're one of the lucky ones - but don't worry about any killer side effects, because there doesn't seem to be any.

I've never been on lithium, but one of my best friends (who is also bipolar) is on it. He's had some kidney damage, and may even need to go on dialysis. Still, when I suggested he stop the lithium, he looked at me like I was crazy. I guess it has really helped him, and the kidney damage was worth it.

I'm facing kidney damage right now and damn right I'm stopping the lithium. It never helped anyway.

I'm definitely more afraid of physical consequences than psychological ones.

Yup, losing a kidney is no small problem. I value my internal organs. Kidneys don't regenerate.

That's not true. I can't take lithium because of the awful side effects. Not everyone experiences them, and some people think the benefit is worth the cost, but there are definitely possible side effects. I don't want to list mine here because I don't want to worry the OP.

I mean it's definitely worth a try because a lot of people respond really well. But there ARE side effects, sometimes dangerous ones.

my experience after being on 450mg. for more than 35 yrs. suggest you become as informed as you can, esp. in the areas of thyroid issues (put on synthroid)..had a great endocrinologist yrs. ago who connected parathyroid issues due to lithium and had most of the parathyroids removed (can't be totally w/o parathyroids) but take 500mg. calcium 3x day; and now, after being off lithium for 35 yrs., my blood work indicates some renal/creatin issues so i have to pee in a bottle for 24 hrs. and if the results are not good, then i'm to be referred to a nephrologist for kidney issues. i only had hypomania, no depression and that's why i was on such a low dose for many yrs. it worked for me, but i do have fears now about kidney damage which i understand is irreversible, even when off lithium. do your research. not many drs. know about the parathyroid issues tho most know about the thyroid issues caused by lithium.

I agree completely; I think my friend is in denial about how dangerous staying on lithium is. I worry about him sometimes. His bipolar is really severe; he was hospitalized five times before he even got to college, and he has had ECT. I think he is scared of going back to where he was before he got it under control.

I was put on lithium for a small amount of time on a low dose with expectation of increasing slowly. I had severe eye, eyelid, and hand tremors, so it was stopped.

I hear it is great for some, though. Just keep educating yourself and getting your bloodwork done regularly.

The key word here is "possible." I didn't say that everyone taking lithium will respond the same - that would be so bipolar of me to do so. I have hepatitis C which is a lethal disease that kills nearly everyone who contracts it - BUT for reasons unknown to medical science, I seem to be totally unaffected by it for over thirty years now. So no one can ever say that substance X will always cause result Y in everyone. Damn - I'm a chemist and I should know.

Damn - ya'll are scaring me! My problem before lithium was that the drugs the pdoc was giving me were tearing me up with severe side-effects. As I mentioned earlier, Depakote almost killed me (that's a bit of a disagreeable side-effect), and zyprexa nearly caused irreversible diabetes. In fact, when my PCP inadvertently discovered a high blood sugar concentration in my blood, we all thought it was too late - that the diabetes was permanent, but against the odds it reversed itself. Then there was another something that was causing me mild tremors, and invega nearly paralyzed me - but I barely escaped that crisis. LET ME ADVISE EVERYONE TO GO ONLINE AND STUDY THEIR MEDICATIONS FOR THEMSELVES - psychiatrists can be hazardous to your health and may cause death when used often without the necessary precautions.

True, true, Sammy.
The pdocs and their staff, in my experience, have never once ever spoken of any potential side effects of these drugs.
I'd always inquire of my friendly neighborhood pharmacist when I filled the rx.
But sometimes we just don't have that option.