[Keegan2015]

I take 300mg Lithium in the morning around 8:00am and another 600mg in the evening at about 6:00pm.

I know that you're not supposed to feel MSs/APs "kick in" like you do with Klonopin or Ritalin, but usually around 3-4pm I feel like I can feel the Lithium "wearing off" ... I feel more tense / anxious and my thoughts begin to race and become more bizarre in nature. Similarly in the mornings when I wake up I feel almost hyperactive before taking my dose, this morning as I walked into the office (I always take my morning dose while I eat breakfast at my desk b/c I don't like taking it immediately before driving) a couple of our clients approached me and began asking me questions and I could barely concentrate on what they were saying!

Does this happen to anyone else, or this more of a placebo effect sort of thing?

[pirilin]

We Lithium rookies need guidance from the pros.
I started at the same time you did. Same happened. 1st week was great.
Now, I'm not that sure. I feel tired, no motivation.
But I'm also taking Lamotrigine, trazadone, remeron and zanax.
Are you on lithium only?.

[Keegan2015]

Originally Posted by pirilin

We Lithium rookies need guidance from the pros.
I started at the same time you did. Same happened. 1st week was great.
Now, I'm not that sure. I feel tired, no motivation.
But I'm also taking Lamotrigine, trazadone, remeron and zanax.
Are you on lithium only?.

That seems odd to me that you're on both lithium and lamatrogine at the same time. Don't they both do basically the same thing?

And yes, I only take lithium. I generally hate being medicated and try to put as few pills in my body as possible.

In the past I've taken all sorts of **** tho, risperdal, lamatrogine, Latuda, abilify, trazodone ...

[pirilin]

I'm supposed to be off the Lamotrigine. Like I'm supposed to be off the Traz.
However.... I'm afraid to leave the Lamo. We have been together for 5 yrs.
Even if I'm depressed and is probably not working.
The Traz has very bad withdrawal symptoms. I've come down to 50mg from 150.
And have upped the Remeron to 15mg.
The Lithium/Lamo is a very common combo. One for mania, the latter for depression.
In a perfect world, I'll be off the xanax too. But benzos own you.
I need to make up my mind. So hard to make decisions.

[pirilin]

As for half life, which was you original question, 24hrs under 65. 65+ 36hrs.
BTW, I'm only taking 600mg Li. After dinner. Can't take 900.

Now I have my own questions
How did you taper off the Lamo and the Traz?.

[furiousfever]

I would wonder if you are up to the therapeutic level of lithium in your blood of you feel it wear off. It should fairly level stay in your system. Maybe get some bloodwork and ask your pdoc.
As for the lamictal/lithium combo I agree that it's super common. I think lithium alone isn't enough for some depression and lamictal can stave off mania for a bit but can't touch it once it gets goingg

[Pastel Kitten]

My pdoc told me lamictal is primarily for depression and lithium is primarily for mania

[Keegan2015]

Originally Posted by pirilin

As for half life, which was you original question, 24hrs under 65. 65+ 36hrs.
BTW, I'm only taking 600mg Li. After dinner. Can't take 900.

Now I have my own questions
How did you taper off the Lamo and the Traz?.

I actually didn't taper off of them ... at all and serously paid for it. That was early in my diagnosis before I realized that when it comes to ADs/APs you should NOT casually take 3x the dose your dr. tells you to, on an irregular schedule, while drinking heavily, and not consult with them about randomly increasing / decreasing the doses you take.

I didn't even realize that withdrawal from APs/ADs could happen. And I had the pleasure of going through the height of them while also extremely manic and at the first week of a new job (spoiler alert: I got fired in less than 7 days).

It was BAD.

In regard to the people saying I may need a higher dose, my pdoc says that we should wait a year before doing bloodwork (it's possible I misunderstood him at our last session though) and I'm worried about increasing the dose any more due to weight gain (which I've mostly avoided so far) and avoiding other side effects like provlems with memory and concentrating (which I've already been having). the meds have been helpful at their current dose (reduce suicidal thoughts, reduce cascading thoughts, etc.) ... it's just not a wonder drug.

[furiousfever]

Weird. When I started taking it I had to have blood work done every three weeks until it was at the right spot. After that I had tests every couple of months to make sure it wasn't changing. It seems dangerous to go a whole year without blood work

Wait a year to check lithium levels? Find a different doctor if he said that. Seriously. Needs to be done every few months. Failure to monitor your lithium levels can have serious results. Hopefully you just misheard him.

[pirilin]

My doc told me blood every 3 months.
But I'm going for one right now. The 2nd in a little more than a month or so.
She is worried about the electrolytes, 'cause I pee too much.
I took the opportunity to ask for Lithium levels again.

[Keegan2015]

Originally Posted by lolagrace

Wait a year to check lithium levels? Find a different doctor if he said that. Seriously. Needs to be done every few months. Failure to monitor your lithium levels can have serious results. Hopefully you just misheard him.

Yeah I thought it sounded odd ... I meet with him in about 2 weeks so I'll ask him to clarify what he meant at that time.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

It depends which formula you are taking how fast it wears off. If you are on just the regular lithium (capsules) then lithobid might work better for you (extended release). There's also Eskalith which has an even longer half-life. Both are generics.