if lithium worked for you, how long before you knew?

My pdoc recently put me on lithium; it's been 2.5 weeks. I think it's helping but don't know how I can be sure if these effects will last. How long was it before you noticed lithium helped you?

Also, I am having some side effect of water retention, around 5 lb., but most in my lower legs, ankles, and feet. They are swollen and a bit uncomfortable. Does the water retention stop? I can take an extra 5 lb., but after that, it usually starts going into my fingers and hands and really becomes unbearable.

I realize no one here is a doctor, but did anything help with fluid retention? (I would like to ask my pdoc when I next see him). I haven't changed the amount of salt in my diet or even eaten more. If anything, I've been less hungry though I drink a lot more water than I used to.

Any other side effects people had from this? I am on a low dose right now, 300 mg, 150 mg in the AM, 150 mg at bedtime.

I was on Lithium for almost 5yrs. If I remember right it began working less than a week after I started it.
Water retention: was transient and only reappeared when I didn’t drink enough. Do not underestimate how much extra you need to drink when you take Lithium.
I had a number of side effects but I was on a dose of 1350mg daily.

i was on the lowest dose of lithium, 450 mg. once a day, for more than 30 yrs. i'm female, in my 70's now and lithium was the drug of choice way back then....over those yrs. with regular blood work, it ruined my thyroid; i had to have most of my parathyroids removed and was on high levels of calcium daily, and the final straw a few yrs. ago was the effect on my kidneys from long-term lithium use. i quit it immediately. please do your research on this drug...you may do very well on it...but i was on it daily for 30 yrs. so maybe short-term, it won't do as much damage.

I've been on 1200 mg/day for years. I also noticed some benefit early, within the first week, but had increasing improvement over time. For example, lithium is one of very few drugs known to reduce suicidality, something I struggle with. I think it has done this for me for the most part, but it took awhile to fully kick in. It is by far the best drug I've ever taken for bipolar disorder. I hope it helps you.

Thanks. I was wondering because even after taking the first pill, about an hour, hour and a half later, it felt like all the thoughts in my head started slowing down or rather coming at a more manageable pace. About 4 days of taking it, H told me I seemed more engaged lately. I have started to look at the circumstances and evaluate things before just jumping up and doing whatever comes into my head at the moment. It's helped me with shopping impulse control already. I can read easier (am able to picture the story better), even concentrate more on TV shows. I've started prioritizing chores and also putting self-care into there (such as eating lunch around noon, not at 3 PM) when I have a lot of chores to be done.

I just thought it was weird that I seemed to react to it so quickly as I've only been on it 2.5 weeks, and yes, I've already had increasing improvement. I've never had a reaction to a mood disorder drug so quickly, except maybe side effects like being tired or dry mouth.

TRNRMOM, the long term effects do worry me. The doctor wants to keep the dose low and monitor the thyroid and kidneys carefully. At my next appointment, should things still be going well on lithium, I'm going to insist on baseline labs for kidney and thyroid. Of course, all the other medication I'm on is hard on the liver; you can hardly win. I already have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and I'm skinny, around 108 lb.

When I took it, my pdoc was grabbing at straws and hospitalized me to get my level to 1.1 as soon as I started taking it. I had taken it once before. I found it helped with mania but not depression. I agree with what others have mentioned about drinking water. It is highly important. I didn’t have any side effects from the medication but I am someone who is blessed to rarely have side effects.

I have been taking Lithium for 6-7 years, and am now slowly tapering off it all going well. It literally saved my life by restraining me (giving me better impulse control), and calming me down. Prior to Lithium I impulsively, and sometimes very seriously, harmed myself often. It shut that down. Unfortunately, Lithium didn't help me with depression, and only slightly reduced my hypo/manic episodes. The side effects I have had are hand and body tremors, increased thirst thus more bathroom trips, weight gain, messed up my thyroid which now needs medication to bring it back to normal, loss of some creativity, and a dulling of my emotions. All this I put up with so I could stay alive while I fought to get stronger. I was always o fairly high doses with blood levels between 0.8 and 1.2.

Now I am finally stable, and strong, my pdoc and I agree it is a good time to try life without Lithium. I drink a lot of water and never experienced noticeable water retention. Also, I lost the weight I initially gained on Lithium fairly easily a year or so into treatment. When Lithium works well it is amazing so it is worth a try. Staying on the lowest effective dose possible is best. As it has been said you will need to get regular blood work to make sure your body is managing ok, and Lithium levels are not too high. It is a pain but you get used to it. I hope it serves you well.

Lithium started working very quickly for me. The noise in my head calmed down very quickly and hasn't come back. I've gained some weight, but frankly I do that whatever. I'm liking the lithium a lot, which is good as I can't tolerate Depakote's side effects, and I got the dreaded rash of Lamictal.

It is crazy how much it’s helped calm the thoughts in my head. I am on Wellbutrin and not sure if my pdoc plans to keep me on both lithium and Wellbutrin, but some of my other medications like Lamictal, Buspar, propanonlol, even Klonopin I wonder if they are helping me at all. I have gotten a tolerance to the 4 mg of Klonopin I have been taking (over 10 years I have been on it with increasing dosage).

Today I was able to go on Amazon, look at the birthday wish list for my niece, and buy a gift right at the amount H wants to spend for extended relative birthdays. I did not even look at books or ebooks or books on sale, my main weakness for impulse shopping Amazon. I told myself I was only going to look at my niece’s list and check out with only her gift, and I did!

I will see the pdoc on Halloween. I am sure he will first want to know how it’s been going with the lithium and form a plan from there.

lithium helped my mania in less than a week.

ditto this.

I love lithium

it really helps me too

(does it sound wrong to " love" a med?)

oh well. it's said now

I am thinking it is definitely helping. Not just with impulse shopping but irritability with my daughter when she does something she knows I don’t like.

I have always beaten myself up because I don’t have a job. My daughter is nearly 12, and I am well educated but I am only a housewife. And now I tell myself I take care of my husband and daughter, and that is an important job and there is no reason to be ashamed of it.

I have gone to bed without wishing I’d die of natural causes in the course of the night for over a week now. I used to wish that for myself nearly every night for years.

Sometimes, I even find myself thinking positive acclamations, like I am strong, I am a survivor, I am good enough.

Brain chemistry is a weird thing indeed.

That’s wonderful! Hope it continues!

I am so glad to hear things may be looking up. That is just awesome!!!!