[Sesiley]

I been on it a month and it works for psychosis and mania, but I hear a lot of bad side affects and risks...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G750A using Tapatalk

[catlover21]

I have been on it for 5 years. I just have to get blood work done often. The only side effect I have experienced is I get headaches if I don't drink a lot of water. It works well for me. My grandma took it most of her life.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Blue_Bird]

Was on 1800mg year ago, got toxic on it. Caused incontinence, vomiting, severe parkinson like tremors, lack of balance, seizures and I had to be on dialysis in the ICU for a week because it started shutting down my kidneys

[Sesiley]

Originally Posted by Blue_Bird

Was on 1800mg year ago, got toxic on it. Caused incontinence, vomiting, severe parkinson like tremors, lack of balance, seizures and I had to be on dialysis in the ICU for a week because it started shutting down my kidneys

That's a lot of lithium

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G750A using Tapatalk

When I started lithium, I was in a bad depression. I stayed on it for 6 months and didn't hardly leave my bed the entire time. I planned my death, over and over for 6 months. It kept me far below baseline.

At least half of my hair fell out (not sure if that was directly related to lithium, or just stress from being so depressed)

Lithium did not work for me and because of the possible extreme side effects, i couldn't justify staying on it.

That said, I know for some people, it's a miracle drug.

Best of luck on your decision.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I was on it for 10 years or more. I had 3 toxicities, all of them pretty bad, and it caused something caused diabetes insipidus that kept my kidneys from hanging on to electrolytes and just flushed tons of fluid straight out of my body. It also messed up my thyroid. BUT, and this is huge, it was totally worth it because it kept me from rapid cycling and now that I'm off it I see that it apparently prevented psychosis. It was a very positive med for me which is why I kept taking it despite the toxicities and DI. However after the 3rd toxicity it was time to stop it; I was on a low dose and still getting toxic even though my labs showed blood levels that were quite low (.4-.6) consistently except when it spiked up really high with toxicity. So it did some bad things but the good outweighed it for a long time until I was forced to give up or risk a dangerous toxicity situation the next time around. Since I told my pdoc I would never do dialysis except for a temporary thing I doubt I'll ever be back on it again as that clearly made her nervous.

[Edgar's Mom]

I don't know if this is my depression talking but I'm not a big fan right now. But it's hard to say for sure if it's fair for me to blame the lithium.

I'm type 2 and was a rapid cycler. My episodes would generally last from 6 weeks to 3 months or so. In addition to hypo, I would get irritable/agitated periods and sometimes I would have extreme blowouts from this state where I would be very destructive and self destructive. These episodes worry me because I'm so volatile and could easily suicide on impulse in the heat of the moment. It's also expensive to replace things like broken iphones and laptops. I noticed that I hadn't had those episodes since being on Lithium until one broke through due to extreme stress I was under for a long period of time.

So that was the positive. But looking back I think my hypomania yanked me out of my depressions. Without hypo, I stay mired down and have been depressed for about 10 mos of the year for the two years I've been on it. I have no creativity or passion for life, no engagement in my life and I feel like I'm watching it pass me by through a dirty window. I simply can't engage. I feel like I've had a chemical/emotional lobotomy.

I know I've read about people who have found this to be their miracle drug though and it's hard to know how you will react until you give it a good trial. I've given it two years and that is enough. I'm currently tapering off and will be all the way off next week.

Once I'm off, I might look back and see that it was helpful.

I'd suggest keeping a mood journal and ideally you'd have one from before you went on it to compare.

Good luck with it. It really does help some people. I wish I could be one of them.

[Edgar's Mom]

I wanted to add that I hate and blame Lithium when I'm depressed, then for the few times I've felt okay in between I've thought "maybe it wasn't that... maybe it wasn't so bad."

[Wander]

Lithium has been a life saver for me. Before I was on Lithium I was actively suicidal very often and made several serious attempts. Once I was on Lithium this stopped and the only time I have attempted since was when I wasn't taking my Lithium and drinking too much. It seems to calm the extreme agitation and irritability so I am less impulsive. However, I have gained 20kg, have tremors, slight incontinence, thyroid issues and have to drink a ton of water. For now I am willing to accept those side effects so I can reduce my suicide risk. In December, when I am on my uni break, I am planning to stop my Lithium and see how I go. It will have been 4 years on Lithium by then.

I had a lot of side effects including gaining 40 lbs. however, that drug plus Abilify saved my life. For real. I was in a mixed episode with major psychosis for months and Lithium pulled me out of it. My pdoc and lithium/Abilify combo saved my life.

I'm no longer on Lithium and lost the 40 lbs and no lasting side effects. I'd take it again if my pdoc thought I really needed to.

[WibblyWobbly]

Lithium might have saved my life. I was rapid cycling and having mixed episodes with strong, violent suicidal impulses. When I was just depressed I wanted to OD and go to sleep, but with these episodes I wanted to throw myself out of moving cars etc. I felt like my first dose of lithium diminished my suicidal impulses immediately. My dose was gradually increased to 1500mg and it's been months since I had a mixed episode. My depression isn't as bad but I'm not functioning to the point where I can work yet.

I gained about 40 pounds from all my psych meds but I didn't know until I read this post that lithium could do that. I'm also on Zyprexa and Seroquel, so it could be any or all of them. My worst side effect has been a stomach ulcer. I didn't know to take ilithium with not just food, but a full meal, and I've been fighting nausea and vomiting and trying to remember my meds at meal times. I also get very thirsty. Sometimes it feels unquenchable and I'll end up drinking way more than I should before bedtime. For me, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

[Woolly Bugger]

I have no idea what lithium has done for me. I really don't. I have taken it for probably 12 years or so, but always with a mix of other medicines. My current dosage is 1200 mg per day. Right now I'm fairly stable, but is it because of the lithium, the lamictal, the abilify, or the latuda? Who knows? I assume that the lithium is the foundation of my therapy, but there is no way to know for sure. I do know that my thyroid no longer functions, however, and that my hands shake a little.

Now that I think about it, I realize that my psychiatrist is ultra conservative. Perhaps I am talking too many medications and could do with fewer and less. It is something that I need to talk with him about.

Lithium was the only medication the fully stabilize me

[Sesiley]

Originally Posted by ChaoticInsanity

Lithium was the only medication the fully stabilize me

Me too so far. I'm just worried about the long term issues

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G750A using Tapatalk