[salsharia]

Good news! Depression is significantly reduced but I’ve been having more intense hypomanic episodes more frequently. Just coming off one now. I wouldn’t know where to begin explaining the events which unfolded but to say the least I was in a frenzy and real creative panic. Sleep, nope.

I’m now taking 600mg of lithium at night as I’m still titrating up - but I thought lithium reduced moods episodes. Has anyone else experienced more mania or hypomania when on lithium?

My antidepressant makes me manic. Lithium keeps me from going up.

[TheLifeFantastic]

Yeah, antidepressants usually make me manic, but I have used Lithium once in a pretty bad manic episode. We decided that it wasn't working, and tried other medication like it.

[MistressStayc]

Hmm, lithium made me too zombie like. told the pdoc and he took me off it.

[salsharia]

I think what I’m getting here is that it’s totally unique to each individual. I think I’m just in the hypomanic phase of my cycle and my dose isn’t high enough to be effective. I see my doctor on Friday anyway, thankfully.

I don't think Lithium ever made me manic. I didn't, personally, find it activating. I will say that Lithium alone was never effective enough at curbing my mania. There is a difference. I always had to take an antipsychotic (or two) with it.

I know that Lithium is a wonderful drug for many people with bipolar disorder, but not all. I rather seem to need antipsychotics for my bipolar flavor. I eventually had to be taken off Lithium because of a particularly bad side effect (kidney damage). My psychiatrist weaned me off slowly, and I only had improvement rather than instability. I was, however, also taking two anticonvulsant moodstabilizers and two antipsychotics at the time, so it wasn't like I was going off medications.

I do believe at least one bipolar med is activating for me. It's surely Lamictal (there seems to be proof for that) and maybe Abilify (or at least Abilify wasn't strong enough to counter Lamictal activation for me). I became very manic with psychosis on that combo over time.

I do take a little Lamictal nowadays (100 mg) along with a large dose of Tegretol XR and medium dose of Seroquel XR. I do well on this cocktail. My psychiatrist only ever manipulates my Seroquel XR since Lamictal is activating for me. Basically, Tegretol XR and Seroquel XR are my antimanics and Seroquel XR and Lamictal are my "antidepressants". I can not take typical antidepressants. They are way too destabilizing for me. I have far too much evidence to support that. My psychiatrist hasn't even tried one on me for almost 9 years.

[pirilin]

Lithium worked well on my depression. Side effects were bad for me.
Doctor stopped it. I could still be on it if it was my choice.

The wonder pill for me has been "the big bad wolf" PAXIL. 10mg only, now. I tried up to 30mg.
I've returned to my normal hyper self.

No, lithium makes me forget how to properly take care of myself lol that's pretty much it.

[salsharia]

Thanks for sharing your feedback and experiences today. Saw the doc today and he said it was mania and it’s likely because I’m not at the theraputic dose yet so it probably just wasn’t yet effective enough, so I’m up to 900mg of Lithium. Not sure if I’ll keep having to titrate up or if that’s a sufficient dose.