I think its time to give up on Lithium

Hello everyone. I am looking for some feedback because I cannot trust my brain right now. I am in a major Bipolar depression, its not getting better and today it feels like it is getting even worse. My depression started 5 months ago. I am getting so tired and worn out from this, I don't know how to keep going.

I started Lithium 4 months ago. It worked for me many years ago so my Pdoc thought it would be a good drug. Its not working. Now she added 2 other mood stabilizers on top of the lithium.

Lithium is giving me horrible side effects. My skin is dry and cracked, acne, weight gain, it goes on and on. My Pdoc said she doesn't want me to stop taking the lithium yet. But its been 4 months! if it's not going to work in 4 months when would it?

Does it make sense to seriously talk to her about a taper off?

What are all the meds your currently taking?

Hi Christina. I am currently taking:
- Oxcarbazepine 600 mg twice daily (mood stabilizer)
- Lithium Citrate 10 ml (idk mg) twice daily (mood)
- Lexapro liquid 1mg (ONLY one) daily
- Lunesta every night
- Klonopin 1 mg daily

Latest addition: mood stabilizer
-lamictal im still at 25 mg daily but will be going up soon

I think it would be beneficial to talk to her about the specifics of why she wants you to stay on lithium and all those other mood stabilizers. I would specifically inquire as to what clinical experience leads her to believe continuation might help more than harm (the psychological stress from the side effects is certainly not helping recovery).

Personally I would not consent to stacking multiple mood stabilizers on top of each other as the pharmacology of them even as monotherapy is still far from comprehensively understood. Medications can make recovery from depression harder depending on how someone responds to them (which varies between indivduals), things turn more and more into an imprecise guessing game when stacking medications on top of each other (to be clear this is largely my opinion based upon personal experience as a patient and some inference using a basic understanding of neuropharmacology). If she ends up shrugging her shoulders with a maybe use your own judgement.

I'd advise getting some bloodwork done to check vitamins and minerals as deficiencies can lead to treatment resistant depression. If bloodwork hasn't already been suggested by your pdoc I would, well, I'd be angry just hearing about that kind of negligence (again, my opinion).

I'm honestly just tired of the way many doctors treat patients at this point. I had a discussion with someone I hadn't seen in over a year today regarding their own treatment which was particularly disturbing, so I'm in a bit of a foul mood on the topic right now. Still, be careful, talk to your treatment team, and don't do anything rash.

lithium citrate equivalent would be 1200mg.

I take the same dose.

Im assuming all the meds have been added on top of each other..

Best advice is sit down with Pdoc and review each medication and find out what is the most important and discuss the excess of others and what could maybe be stopped, Some times people are on so many meds that the body really just doesn't know how to use them or that are mixing with others and causing more trouble than good.

Best your own best advocate .. You and your Pdoc need to agree together what a treatment plan is going to be the best for you.

Good luck

Unfortunately, any medical treatment boils down to one fact. How much money you have, how much you're willing to spend, or how much debt you're willing to acquire, period. Money. Every test, every med. prescribed, every treatment option adds business costs such paper, billing, pc maintenance, labor costs, equipment costs, etc., etc. Depending upon your insurance, your bank account, and how much you will charge to credit, affects how you WILL get treatment. The more expensive insurance usually is looked upon as the better insurance, and they usually pay faster, therefore your treatment usually is better.

It sux, but when medical and pharma are part of the capatalistic economy, it is what it is.

thanks for the advice and your perspective. I am actually feeling like a toxic waste dump of medications and I am not getting better. I appreciate your advice about the bloodwork. I have not had any vitamins or minerals checked at all probably ever. I will bring that up to her.

It seems like an awful lot to be put on so quickly. Its hard for your body to get it all sorted not to mention for the patient to know what could be causing side effects etc.

I hope the best for you!

From my experience Lithium deals with mania and not so well with depression. Maybe that is why you are on another mood stabilizer that is supposed to deal with you depression. I would have a frank discussion with your pdoc about each med you are on and what they are for before making any changes. I am nearly 5 months into a deep depression too and even ECT hasn't shaken it off, though it did bring some relief. I feel for you and hope you see brighter days soon.

1 year on lithium completely did not stabilize my mood. Each to their own because some swear by lithium.

It completely broke my thyroid and now I'm on thyroid hormones for life.

Now on lamatrogine.

Thank you I hope you see brighter days as well. I was thinking about ECT. I have heard so many conflicting things about it. You said it brought you some relief. How much and for how long? My last depression was over a year long. I don't know if I can handle that again. Ugh idk

Well every morning I take my thyroid medicine and then after I eat I take lithium. I took it along time ago and all it did was hurt my thyroid. But I gave it a second chance and I think this time might do the trick. I take a high dose than before and I also have a therapist, effective coping skills, I started attending a DBSA support group.

Its not all about the meds. They help yes, but theres more to it. We have to work on a lot of things to get where we want to be. I still have A LOT of issues...all the time but I know I have to do more than take meds.

I was put on lithium about 10 years ago and stayed on it for about 18 months before I decided it wasnt working and the side effects weren't worth the small benefits. So after discussion (read me refusing to take it any longer) other drugs were used. I'm now on Lamotrigine and believe its by far better than lithium and way less side effects. Thats my experience and I keep in mind everyone reacts differently.

I agree with what has been said already. You need to take some control back. Trust yourself to know your own body. I have a pad that I take to my Pdoc. It lives beside my bed. Every night upon reflection, if anew side effect or question occurs to me, I write it down. Before each visit I type it out and print a copy for my pdoc. I include two categories. ...what I don't like / why and How I have been feeling and how I want to feel. Then when I see pdoc I have all the information with me, I dont have to think or genralize....I know exactly what I want to talk about. He reads it then we talk.

It means I retain control and get to voice properly whats going on.

Thanks. I first had unilateral ECT and it lifted me out of the depression for about 6 weeks, then I very suddenly plunged back into deep depression and was given bilateral ECT, that was about 3 weeks ago and I am starting to feel a bit better but the depression still has me in its grip. I am hoping to improve over time. Unilateral ECT is much better than bilateral when it comes to side effects. I had none with unilateral but with bilateral I lost a lot of memories surrounding the treatment and had a foggy brain for weeks. It has only worked partially for me but what was severe depression has turned into mild-moderate depression so I am happy with that but still feel pretty crap. As you said, it is different for everyone. I wish you all the best.