[NuckingFutz]

was told to stay out of the heat on lithium. I try, but since i ride the bus, sometimes i have to wait in the heat, and well i was just wondering since it does affect the performance of my lithium, should i consider changing my mood stablizer that will not be affected by the heat. Since my pdoc is not exactly dr. Perfect at prescribing meds, i have decided to take a proactive approach and do a lot of research then go in armed with my research. Also i sweat a lot more since starting psych meds and drink tons of water. Any mood stabilizers you might recommend for someone who lives in 106 degree heat?

[Slothrop]

I know you need to be careful to stay hydrated with lithium...could that be the issue with heat? Since you're already drinking lots of water, perhaps you just need to keep that up as long as you're in the heat. But I'm not sure...

I sweat more on the meds, too. Bleah!

[NuckingFutz]

doc said too much water reduces the effectiveness of the lithium too. Grrrr...

[deliquesce]

the thing with heat is mainly a caution thingy like don't over exercise, don't get dehydrated etc. taking a bus ride is ok, even if it is boiling outside, so long as you keep yourself well hydrated.

if lithium is working for you as a mood stabiliser then i would stick with it, but monitor how the heat affects you. if you start feeling disoriented etc then that is your clue that you're getting too hot, and that you need to seek our ER immediately.

otherwise, you'll be fine, i'm sure.

as for other mood stabilisers, though - epilim works quite well. lamictal is good also, but primarily for managing the depressive stuff. some of the newer atypical antipsychotics (abilify, zyprexa and seroquel) can also be used as mood stabilisers.

lamictal worked best for me, because my main problem is with depression (very rarely get highs). epilim would be my second choice, though.

but lithium really is the gold standard as far as mood stabilisers go, so if it works well for you with few side effects i would stick with it.