lithium-induced hallucinations

sorry to bring a med question here, but i figured more ppl would see it here than in the med forum.

pretty much, has anyone else experienced hallucinations due to lithium? i tried mentioning it to my pdoc last monday and he said he was certain that wasn't a side effect, but it's continued every day since, directly after i take the lithium. by morning, there isn't any problem again but give me 1/2hr after i take the meds at night, and i'll be having florrid visual hallucinations.

i am seeing my pdoc tomorrow and am torn about what to do. the lithium has really picked me up where anti-depressants were failing, but the hallucinations are something i could do without. i am worried they will only get worse, actually .

anyway, just looking for anyone who has anything to share.

I was on lithium for awhile and it helped me quite a bit but I never experienced any hallucinations while on it. Have you had your blood levels checked yet.....those have to be checked frequently....I had mine done monthly for awhile then every 3 months
Take care
cai

Sweetie, judging from what I know of your situation so far, it is more likely to be manic side effects. The lithium will initially stir things up while it settles in your body. I am strong in my opinion when I wonder if you need an anti-psychotic like olanzipine while your levels are evening out. I was on it initially and it did wonders. It also works immediately after taking it. I only needed it for about 6 months and then I could stop.

Lithium is not known to cause hallucinations per se......more there is a secondary symptom at play. Have you got your thyroid function test results back? and have you had your lithium increased?

Stick with it if you can but ask for help along the way from your doc.......the adjustment period can be nasty but now I am not even aware that I am putting 1000mg of heavy metals in my body!!!

Let us know how you go.......your situation is worrying and requires more investigation from your doctor.

Take care, babe

thanks cai & michah .

the high is most definitely over (hello, depressive slump ) so we're a bit uncertain about what's at play. i saw pdoc today - he had my blood results - i'm at .7 whilst on 750mg, so he wants me to just stay there.

anti-psychotics are largely useless in my case. i tried abilify last year but it did nothing to stop hallucinations, seroquel knocked me out for over a day, zyprexa makes me very sleepy - to the point of not being able to function properly - and it doesn't stop the hallucinations, just makes me relaxed to the point of not caring that they are happening.

pdoc has suggested going off the lithium for a few days, just to see if i'm still hallucinating, and that we could work from there.

i also did a journal search last night and came up with a few results for lithium-induced hallucinations. they cases reported all were at normal serum levels, with people taking lithium primarily for depression. given that my hallucinations start about 1/2hr after taking my lithium, pdoc thinks it's safe to assume it might be the culprit. but he's also hoping it will die down as my body becomes more accustomed to it.

so i guess - bottom line: we'll wait and see. in the end it might be a case of just having to put up with the visual craziness if the lithium works well for my mood.

I was on Lithium for several years and it gaver me the shakes really bad. I was also depressed, in part, because I would shake so bad I had problems doing my job. I am now on Tegretal, Welbutrin, doxepine andlamictal and I am much happier and have many less side effects.

[quote=deliquesce;962860]thanks cai & michah .

the high is most definitely over (hello, depressive slump ) so we're a bit uncertain about what's at play. i saw pdoc today - he had my blood results - i'm at .7 whilst on 750mg, so he wants me to just stay there.

anti-psychotics are largely useless in my case. i tried abilify last year but it did nothing to stop hallucinations, seroquel knocked me out for over a day, zyprexa makes me very sleepy - to the point of not being able to function properly - and it doesn't stop the hallucinations, just makes me relaxed to the point of not caring that they are happening.

pdoc has suggested going off the lithium for a few days, just to see if i'm still hallucinating, and that we could work from there.
Hi Haven't been on for a long time. I had something happen too. Also about 1/2 hour after supper while walking my dogs. I ws too afraid to tell my doctor but did and he didn't seem concerned. I still am ,although it has not happened again. I haven't forgotten because I don't know why it happened. I t scared the heck out of me, I ran all the way home. It happened last fall but not since.

thank you for sharing that, froggie. i have been off the lithium for 2 days now - the first day i had a few flashing lights, and last night only a few noises, but the hallucinations are def dying down. i am going to stay off it for a few days longer to see if it's the lithium or not, and then commence again probably on monday.

ok, just an update: pdoc double-checked my levels (he didnt have my file last time i saw him, as we were meeting in a different place), and it was at 1.0, and possibly rising (because i'd just switched to 750mg).

i am completely off lithium, and i'm still having weird side effects, but pdoc said it has something to do with the lithium in the cns fluids being retained longer. he wants me completely off it for a week longer, and then we'll try to go on it again, but at a much slower rate, and getting blood tests before each increase.

he said he did a lot of reading after our last appt, and he's of the opinion that it's definitely the lithium causing the hallucinations - they aren't typical 'psychotic' hallucinations, and the way i described them were very specific to the way other cases of lithium-related hallucinations had been described.

so, i guess that's one thing to be glad of. i'm not (completely) losing my mind just yet .

My doctor has put my levels on the computer on a graph so I can see and understand. That helps me "see It" even if I don't understand. My last level was 8. I tried to remember that night as to what I might have eaten. used for my hair or anything but i can't remember. All I know was I was waiting for my dogs and l looked up, I can't remember if I felt it anything, but kind of a black cloud went by me about 15 feet in the air and hovered there. Straight out of a movie or something. It was weird. Almost fell trying to get down my stairs and sidewalk. I don't walk my dogs at night anymore.
i have even wondered if maybe I didn't drink enough water that day.

ooh - the black cloud experience. i had that too . but mine kept growing larger until it engulfed the whole room. it was so eerie.

when you say your last level was '8', froggie - do you mean .8? i'm hoping so (because, as i understand it, anything over 1.2 is broaching toxicity?).

anyway - just to update - have been off the lithium for one whole week now. i have had the best sleep the past few days - completely free from scary hallucinations, thank god. i told pdoc i would start on 250mg again tomorrow night, but i am enjoying having problem-free night times so much right now that i might stretch it out until maybe friday or saturday night. to be honest, i am a bit apprehensive about starting lithium again in case the hallucinations come back.

To tell you the truth I don't know. I heard him say that. I know that when I read all the symptoms of overdose I seemed to have them but everytime I squak he hasn't seemed concerned. but I have started a new doctor and I will ask him. he seems to be really on the ball. With other doctors everytime I mentioned Kindling no one seemed to know what I was talking about. He Knew! So heres hoping for both of us.

(((((good luck, froggie)))).