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#1
Jun 22, 2009, 08:20 PM
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My best friend has been taking lithium for a couple months now, and I was wondering if anybody knew exactly happens when somebody drinks caffeinated beverages while taking lithium. I know that it lowers the lithium level in your body, but I don't know much more than that. My friend's brother is studying to be a biochemist, and he speculates that the lithium may cause the caffeine to crystallize and be stored in the liver, which doesn't sound that great. Does anybody know anything about this?
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#2
Jun 23, 2009, 06:16 PM
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Caffeine makes you pee, lithium is almost entirely excreted through peeing. Too much caffeine means you pee out too much lithium and you aren't getting the benefit of lithium. Sometimes the lithium dose can be tweaked to accomodate moderate caffeine use.
I drink about one cup of coffee per day. I take 900 mg of Lithium per day and my level is 0.67. So I am okay with some caffeine. I think how much caffeine you can handle is individual. For some I bet it's easier to just not have any.
__________________
"Unipolar is boring! Go Bipolar!"  Amazonmom is not putting up with bad behavior any more. |
 iheartferrets
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#3
Jun 23, 2009, 06:19 PM
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So if someone is taking only 300mg of Lithium and drinks several cups of coffee a day, does that mean that it's equal to no Lithium at all?
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#4
Jun 23, 2009, 07:14 PM
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I'm a total caffeine addict, especially now that I'm trying to cut out alcohol completely. But I know my mood's still not stabilized. If they put me on lithium I'll definitely try to cut down to one or two cups a day or maybe switch to tea only. I wonder, does the same dilution happen with Seroquel or Wellbutrin or Effexor? That's what I'm currently on.
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#5
Jun 23, 2009, 07:27 PM
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Here's the thing with me and caffeine. It elevates my mood. I thought that's why everyone seems to like it so much. My hubby says I am the only person he has ever met who can lift out of a severe depression with caffeine. Too bad my mood comes back down when the caffeine wears off. I have found that one cup doesn't destabilize me, but it keeps me from wanting to sob all the time. Lithium is doing nothing for my depression so I am self medicating until psych NP finds something for me to try.
Seroquel, Wellbutrin, and Effexor all are metabolized through the liver, so they are not as susceptible to the pee out effect that Lithium is. Caffeine could be destabilizing in itself. Since you just gave up alcohol, cutting out caffeine may be too much for you now. Don't tell my T...but I purposely upped my caffeine intake to get around the Lithium. I am so tired of only having bad moods, and no more good....
__________________
"Unipolar is boring! Go Bipolar!" Amazonmom is not putting up with bad behavior any more. |
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#6
Jun 24, 2009, 11:18 AM
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Amazon, I think your husband is making stuff up! The only reason I ever drink caffienated drinks including the yummy coffees (cause hello decaf!) is because it makes me hyper as hell and ridiculously funny, perhaps not exactly happy if I'm depressed, but amusing and fun to be around. Depression makes you tired, so drink coffee, get energy and be silly. Makes sense to me...I also find that as long as I'm not on medications, skipping sleep when I start to get depressed does some good too.
Woohoo. Now, I really don't feel so bad about my refusal to take Lithium (like my doctor wanted me too). I like coffee and soda way too much to give it up for anything. |
| Amazonmom
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#7
Jun 26, 2009, 12:03 AM
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ops! Cola addict here...does anyone know if coke still makes caffine free coke that is not diet? I may have to decafe ice tea now.
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#8
Jun 27, 2009, 10:53 AM
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The only caffeine free coke I know about is diet.
Sweating makes you dehydrated and makes you get lithium toxicity. Caffeine makes you pee out too much lithium. dang...you need to drink a lot of water and get some air conditioning!
__________________
"Unipolar is boring! Go Bipolar!" Amazonmom is not putting up with bad behavior any more. |
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#9
Jun 27, 2009, 03:46 PM
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Okay, so I didn't completely give up alcohol Amazon. I had 3 glasses of wine last night. I suspected that all 3 of my meds went through my liver as they say not to take while drinking alcohol. I went a whole week w/out even thinking about drinking, but it really wasn't available. Urgh. But caffeine and me go way back so I won't give it up even if I'm put on Lithium. I'll just drink more water.
 They're going to try me on Lamictal in about 3-4 weeks if Effexor doesn't start to help. Does it also go through the liver?
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