Lithium: How Much is Too Much?

I've been taking 1200 mg Lithium a day along with Risperdal, Trileptal, Latuda, and Xanax.

Keep in mind I am 220 lbs (I also have lost 60 lbs. over the past couple years) and have a tendency toward hypomania and anxiety instead of much depression.

I've been having symptoms of too much Lithium in my system, so I'm seeing my pdoc tomorrow. If you take Lithium, how much is the right amount for you?

Thanks!

What are the symptoms. I take Lithium too, maybe I can be of help.

It's my understanding that it's different doses for everyone. Some skinny people can take more than I heavier person. Plus it could be a combination from all the meds. Talk it over with the doc.

Diarrhea, stomach pain (which is confusing because I already have gastritis), lack of appetite, overall weird feeling (restless yet unfocused is the best way I can describe it), some anxiety. I went ahead and reduced my Lithium to 900 mg today and yesterday. I felt better earlier when I had only taken 600 mg throughout the day (lunch and dinner). I felt really calm and peaceful, almost flat. But then I took another 300 mg with my nighttime meds, and I'm back to feeling a little weird again. I'll report all this to my pdoc tomorrow.

I am normal weight for my height and have taken up to 1250mg of Lithium a day without my levels reaching 1.2 which is apparently the limit which borders on toxicity. However, everyones body works differently so it is best you get your levels checked and talk to your pdoc.

Don't mark my words but i believe the "right" or therapeutic amount differs from person to person. Are you getting regular blood work?? All I can give is from my own experience. Lithium did stabilize me but I did end up getting toxicity. As far as the diarrhea goes, I had that since the first wk i started on it! It definitely was not fun lol. And even OTC meds didn't help it. When I got toxicity I developed a very bad tremor in both hands. I was in school at the time practicing blood draws. Imagine the horror on the persons face as I was coming at them with a needle and shaky hands. Everyone thought I was just really nervous. And even though I was getting regular labs, my oh so responsible pdoc didn't call me until over two wks later to tell me! Coincidentally a girl I was in school with was also on it and had to get dialysis from toxicity! I remember her having a very "dumb" (for lack of better words) speech and overall actions which I didn't have. When she got off the lithium she was bright and able to hold a convo again. So I believe it varies for every person. My only advice would be to contact pdoc and request blood work asap. Even though lithium helped me mentally, i really don't think I'd risk it again. Especially that diarrhea part!

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^^^ What she said.

1200 mg made me narcoleptic. I was was teaching groups of kids at work while slurring words and stumbling around fighting sleep attacks. I would very briefly fall asleep while while I was walking around, teaching, or even driving. I would randomly have sleep attacks where I literally could not resist falling asleep and taking a nap for a while. I had a hour long drive to work and would swerve all over the road because I kept falling asleep. Once I crashed my car on the highway, I stopped driving and had to have someone drive me everywhere until I sorted everything out. My doctor reduced my lithium to 600 mg and said that if the sleep attacks didn't stop I had to be tested for narcolepsy. Luckily the sleep attacks did stop and I was able to work and drive and everything.

My most recent blood test shows that my lithium levels are not in the therapeutic range. I increased to 900 mg and it seems to be a good dose for me.

Good luck sorting out your lithium levels.

Insist on having a blood draw and getting your lithium level checked immediately. Lithium toxicity is highly dangerous. It landed my husband in the ICU on dialysis for kidney failure.

Thanks, guys! I recently had my Lithium level checked and it was actually relatively low. So now that my dosage is reduced, I'm feeling better. I think I'm just really sensitive to side-effects once it gets to a higher level, even though it is not a toxic level.

Very glad you're feeling better.