Going to Try Lithium Orotate

Once again, only slept 4 hours last night. And I have music constantly playing in my head. Plus lately some weird (imaginative but I won't describe, might be a trigger for some) SI thoughts have been coming out of nowhere (not everyday but on some days since the hurricane struck Florida).
I don't see my psychiatrist until November but am going to try the Lithium Orotate in the meantime after reading this post:
http://forums.psychcentral.com/depre...e-point-2.html (specifically the one from LucyG).
Obviously, if it doesn't work, I am going to tell my psychiatrist. And maybe talking to my therapist about it later this month will help. And its nice that I can post about it here. I've had SI periodically since HS and never told anyone until I was 48 years old.

Make sure you tell your pdoc about any supplements you're taking. Some of them can interact with other medications. But good luck, I hope it works for you!

I hope it helps you. It's made it to where I'm almost never hypomanic for more than 24 hours, and no racing thoughts! It's amazing.

Keep in mind that the way you measure it is in the elemental amount available to the body, not the actual mg of the tablet. What I mean by this is that most tablets have about 5 mg of elemental lithium orotate that is available but comes in a tablet of 120 mg. From what I've read in studying this and what my naturopath told me, it's the elemental amount that you go by so if I want to take my normal 20 mg of lithium orotate a day, I take 4 120 mg tablets. It's a bit confusing, but keep this in mind lest you come across articles saying that more than about 150 mg of lithium is dangerous. In this case it's elemental lithium [the 5 mg in the tablets] that is being referred to.

When my naturopath put me on this, he told me people feel it within a half hour. I can be wound up at night and not sleeping, and if I take a couple of extra tablets, I do get some sleep whereas before I was on it, I didn't.

I've done well on the NCI Advanced Research branch. Amazon has it as low as $15.50 for a bottle of 200 which is $1 lower than I paid for some two weeks ago.

Here's a good article on the health benefits of lithium orotate by Dr. Edward Group, founder of The Global Healing Center. His nascent iodine is fabulous, and since I started taking it, I haven't developed my yearly SAD due to the low light here in the Pacific Northwest. My mood has been wonderful without being hypomanic, and I think it's because my thyroid is functioning better than it has in years which is indicated by the fact that my white hair around the front of my face is turning back to a storm cloud gray. I started graying at 21 due to other health issues so this is huge.

The Health Benefits of Lithium Orotate

Here's a video about the nascent iodine by Dr. Group:

Thanks for your suggestions LucyG:
This morning I purchased Weyland: Lithium Orotate - 10mg of Elemental Lithium (as Lithium Orotate) per Vegetarian Capsule. I ordered 3 Bottles (180 capsules for $49.95. Plan to try taking one every evening. If it works, it would be cheaper the the PDoc and prescriptions route because I pay out of pocket for these things. I won't get it until later this week. I will let everyone know how it goes.

Lucy, would this be beneficial to use as a supplement to regular psych meds?
Like I don't think that my meds are working the best for me. I would like to try adding in the lithium orotate to see if my moods can be better stabilized.
I don't want to add any more prescribed psych meds.
thanks
bizi

Where it's actually just a mineral supplement, I don't see why it wouldn't be worth adding you to supplement regime.

From my research, you can take up to 40 mg of elemental lithium a day. The lithium I take has 4.5 mg of elemental lithium in a 120 mg tablet so to get up to that I can take up to 8 day which I've do if I'm wound up. I find that 18 mg of elemental lithium [4 tablets] a day keeps me stable.

Years ago before I knew I had bipolar I came across a supplement at the health food store that had lithium in it, and I can remember how wonderful I felt on it. It's funny how that sticks out in my mind as clear as day. I don't remember why I bought the supplement or what it was for, just that it had lithium in it, and I felt wonderful on it.

Thank you lucy,
I am 5'7" and weigh 160 pounds. Do you take them at night or in the morning? Does my increased weight be a factor?
How long did it take for you to see a difference?
how long have you been stable?
Any side effects?
bizi
see my new thread....
thanks again

I'm about 5'5' and weight around 145. Normally I take 4 tablets equal to 18 mg of elemental lithium in the morning before breakfast.

I noticed how much more stable I was within probably a week or so after going on the lithium orotate. Before that I had been just using the amino acid GABA and was also taking the herb ashwagandha for energy that was bumping me into a sub-hypomania. My naturopath told me to stop taking that, and put me on the lithium orotate, and it's been amazing how it keeps me from flipping into hypomania at the drop of a hat like I used to. If I get wound up or can't sleep, I'll take a couple extra and usually get to sleep by 3 or 4 a.m.

Since everyone's body is so different, start with one and see how you feel. Give it a few days and go from there.

Here are a couple of article on lithium orotate by Dr. Edward Group of the Global Healing Center in Houston. He's a top naturopath who develops a lot of supplements. In one article he mentions lithium levels. My naturopath never said anything about that, but I should mention that he also told me that he believed my body couldn't hold on to nutrients and probably toxins so maybe it wasn't an issue for me, but is for others. Be sure and do your own research. Like I said, I've done incredibly well on it, and keep my dose within the bounds of what I was told and researched.

The Health Benefits of Lithium Orotate

Lithium Side Effects: What You Need to Know to Protect Yourself

Here's another article by Dr. Group on the 7 benefits of lithium. It's very interesting as it mentions such things as OCD.

7 Benefits of Lithium

Here's another interesting article about using lithium orotate to treat bipolar. It discusses an old controversy from a study in 1979 that it sounds like is used to say how dangerous lithium orotate is. There are links to a bunch of other article on lithium orotate at the bottom of the page along with a lot of comments.

This is the brand I use. I buy it on Amazon, and noticed that's down to $15.50 for a bottle of 200.

Natural Treatment for Bipolar Disorder and Alzheimer's Ignored! - Natural Health Blog | Holistic Health Blog

Forced myself to only have one cup of coffee for the last two days and I actually slept 6 hours last night (I can make it on that much sleep).
I am actually planning to drop taking my nightly 300 mg Gabapentin in conjunction with taking the Lithium Orotate (It is obvious to me that it is the type of medication where that you develop tolerance to it over time forcing you to take more and more of it. I think that's a warning sign that it's not good for me). If I can do that, I am going to drop my psychiatrist appointment in November and go to my primary care doctor to consult with her about my medications (including the Lithium Orotate). I have found my therapist and primary care doc to be more supportive than my psychiatrist (won't go into all the reasons here).

What is the difference between lithium orotate and the normal lithium being prescribed?? Is it a different type of lithium or the same one but self administered ?

My understanding is that it is less toxic so long as you only take a very small dose of it. I remember reading a study where there was a town (I think it was in Texas) where a very small amount of Lithium was a naturally occurring component of the town's water system. The suicide rates in the town were significantly lower than suicide rates in the general population.

I just ordered lithium orotate from amazon...it should be here in 1`-2 weeks.
Lithium Orotate 200 Tabs by Advanced Research/Nutrient Carriers

bizi

Lithium orotate is a mineral supplement, not a drug. It is very bioavailable and goes right into the cells so to be used by the body. My naturopath who suggested I add it to my amino acid regime told me you can often feel the effects in less than half an hour. From what I've been reading about it in the articles I posted above, by being so easily absorbed and utilized by the body, there are very few side-effects. You also are taking a much, much lower dosage as it's measured in the elemental amount that is bioavailable. The lithium orotate I take comes in 120 mg tablets but only has 4.5 mg that is elemental lithium orotate...see the article posted below for a complete explanation...

Lithium carbonate is a drug, and from what I've read, it's very difficult for the body to readily absorb so you have to take massive doses of it that are borderline toxic. This is why it causes symptoms like hand tremors, acne and dermatitis, memory loss to mention a few of what I experienced while on lithium carbonate.

Keep in mind also that Big Pharma would go out of business if they couldn't take and tweak something as basic as lithium, and sell it back to us at exorbitant prices. They don't want people realizing that a lot of their health issues can be controlled with nutrients they can buy at health food stores. Imagine how many people would be unemployed if those of us with bipolar didn't need to see a Pdoc to get a prescription for for meds, but just ordered things like lithium orotate from Amazon.com for less than $20 for 200 tablets? There's a whole industry built around keeping people sick...

Natural Treatment for Bipolar Disorder and Alzheimer's Ignored! - Natural Health Blog | Holistic Health Blog

I feel really good today because I actually got 6.5 hours of sleep last night despite no longer taking the 300 mg of Gabapentin that I had been taking in the evening. I also have cut back my 100 mg Bupropion twice a day dose to just taking it once a day. When I first started cutting it back, I had been getting pretty sad but I feel like either I have adjusted or just simply am no longer depressed at all! I don't know when I will stop the Bupropion, it gives me a nice buzz in the morning and I have a lot of pills left. Taking less may be helping with my sleep issues. I started taking the Lithium Orotate but decided to stop for now. I am having no suicidal thoughts! I went to my therapist yesterday and felt like there was nothing else to discuss. We ended up circling back to the things I discussed with her the first time I saw her in October 2015. Over the past year, my therapy has taken many paths, some of them ended up being dead ends. The things I discussed at first were the core issues. For a long time, I felt uncertain about it all. I really didn't feel that way in session yesterday. I hope I can continue to feel this centered. I've mostly felt broken since my April 2015 attempt. Whenever I socialized I felt different from others because of my secret. I haven't been feeling that way lately....

Started taking the Lithium Orotate again (one 10 mg pill per day) on November 5th due to intense emotions and SI. I think it has helped but have been feeling very hungry lately (this was one reason that I stopped before that I did not mention). Has anyone else noticed their appetite increase while taking this substance?

I'm sorry you are still having SI. That can not feel good. Are you staying in contact with your doctor and discussing your new alternative treatment, symptoms and SI?

ElsaMars, thanks for asking. I feel very stable except that I do not sleep much (sometimes only 2 or 3 hours then I won't even be tired much). My H said, don't worry if you don't sleep; you are not working right now and you can lie down anytime you want. I feel that way too.
We are both currently unemployed and without insurance. It is OK, we do have savings and I will have more work between March 1 and July 1. I figure I will go back to docs before I start work because I do need to sleep better in order to do that job well. We can last until March if I am careful with $ and H may find a job before then. This will not be the first time that I've cut corners concerning health matters in favor of nutritious food, electric bill, etc. I am just concentrating on the present moment rather than worrying about the future. Worrying about the future was a huge factor when I attempted in April 2015. But really, don't worry. I feel like I am managing my mental issues OK. When I made my attempt I was extremely clueless. Totally uneducated about my mental illness. Now I am very mindful of my mental state and scared of attempting so I don't think I'll get that bad again. Thanks for caring.

I am glad you are too mindful and scared to attempt again. That is a good sign. I hope you continue to heal and start getting adequate sleep. I would be out of my mind in less than a week on that amount of sleep so I think you have a superpower. (((Hugs)))