lithium

I am now taking lithium instead of Seroquel for my bipolar, what do you guys think about lithium?
Peace
Amy

It saved my life SG. I've been taking it for 25 years with no major manic or depressed episodes. I still suffer from dysthymia, so it is not a cure-all. But prior to lithium, my life was filled with repeated hospitalizations. I have few side-affects other than barely noticable hand tremors. There are no cognitive changes from this simple salt. The periodic blood tests are a pain but I'm used to them now. I hope you find something that is effective and reliable for you as well.

Though it is old, lithium is still the most effective drug there is to control bipolar mood swings. It can be a bit tricky to manage, but I've had very little trouble (a bit of diarrhea, easily solved) and I feel MUCH better.

DJ

I think it's a fantastic medication, and it has the longest track record for the treatment of Bipolar disorder.
My brother has been on it 30+ years and it has saved his life from shambles and he has been stable since then, is on his final marriage to a wonderful woman for over 13yrs. Like any med program,one needs to comply,keep doc appts and communicate with him or her.
It may seem like work, but it is all well worth it.
Lots of luck,
DE

BTW
The forulation of Lithobid, is a coated pill vs capsules, for many it is easier on the system when starting out, thus having less side effects. Downfall, it's a little more expensive, but worth it.
Beauty part of Lithium vs Depakote and some others, it doesn't zombify you, my brother has been able to work and function, even with machinery.

I forgot about the diarrhea, DJ. I have it too periodically. It's funny how we can get used to a side-affect after all these years - they come to be the norm after a while.

Mine has never been bad, but we adjusted dosage down to 1500 mg/day and it's much better...my mood is not quite as stable, but well within tolerable limits, I think.

That's one of the nice things about lithium, I think. It is easy to adjust your dosage to what's going on in your life.

DJ

My current PDoc isn't that flexible I'm afraid. My old shrink used to let me lower my Li as long as my serum level was above .5. This guy insists that I stay above .7. I can live with it. And considering how bad my manic and depressed episodes were, I'm always just thankful that the stuff works, period.

Yeah, my level was at .9 before my pdoc lowered me...she felt that if we cut down on trips to the bathroom my level would stay pretty close to that, and I think she's right. I have moved to another town since then, and I'm still looking for a pdoc, so I haven't had a level in about 8 weeks or so, but I think it's OK...I feel good, anyway!

DJ

I have responded very well to lithium. The only side effects that I have had is hand tremors which subsided and when the doc raises my dosage, I sometimes get a little sluggish until my body adjusts. I take my lithium before bed and it helps me sleep a little bit. Actually, I take it in the form of lithobid for that slower release. In april, I crashed and experienced episodes of depression and saddness. The doc raised my lithium level and I feel better already. I hope you feel better soon too and don't believe any rumors that you hear about this drug because they are out there!

~Lia

I LOVE lithium!!!! I have been so much more stable than I ever was on Seroquel! Yay Lithium!!!!

I'm afraid I'm the only one to disagree? The side effects were unbearable to me and we couldn't find the right dosage.
Fortunately the combination of anti-d and a mild anxiety med has been working wonders.

But, boy, I did suffer while on Lithium and hopefully won't need to try that type of therapy again.

well.... just an input.

peace on Earth

I was put on Seroquel as a sleep aid. I get HORRENDOUS nightmares on it and then am soooo hungover the next day that I'm out of it for quite awhile.

In my opinion most anything would be preferable to Seroquel, but then there are others who do well on it.

About 12 years ago when I went out of work from anxiety & then depression, the pdoc I had then was experimenting on trying to find something that would work on me.....they really didn't seem to have any real Dx for me, just experimenting. One of the experiments was with lithium.....I was in the hospital at the time after an OD & he decided to try a very low dose of lithium. I was so bad I couldn't hold anything in my hand, not even a cup of water without spilling it all over. I was off of it immediately.......my problem wasn't bipolar but at the time, they were grasping at straws.....trying to find anything that would help.....then never did find anything that helped that anxiety/depression state (which was situational).

After going through a trauma last year, my anxiety came back full force along with nausea that caused anorexia. The nightmares & flashbacks finally let my pdoc realize that I really did live through a trauma & was experiencing PTSD. The anti-anxiety med didn't help at all, & I kept getting worse until I tried a left over dose of my seroquel. I guess I am rather lucky in that it keeps my nightmares away mostly unless I don't get enough sleep & end up in that state between sleep & awake (that is when the nightmares & flashbacks haunt me). Mostly, I am able to sleep off the groggyness, so not badly effected by that aspect of the seroquel.

I know meds are totally dependent on our bodies reactions to them.....it is great when there is a med that actually works without all the horrible side effects that I get from most meds.

Debbie

Lithium
I gained a lot of health
I gained a lot of stability
I regained a lot of sanity
I gained some weight.
I lost my diarrhea
Lithium is great stuff.

it's been excellent for me too, although i have to bolster it up with seroquel, and it looks like i may have to add a 2nd stabiliser, but that's due to a wobble rather than anything major.

make sure you get your lithium level tested regularly, and one other thing you really need to be aware of is that lithium increases the chances of your thyroid going under-active. the longer you are on lithium, the more likely it gets. my thyroid gave up and went underactive recently after about 6 years on lithium.

it's irritating, because it can make you feel mildly depressed, lethargic, you put on weight etc, but it's easy to identify (it's a simple blood test and most doctors automatically test thyroid levels when they test your lithium levels) and pretty simple to fix as well, there's a synthetic version of the hormone in question which is taken as a small pill. just be aware of it

I found when thyroid became hypothyroid, while on Lithium (and being mid aged) that once started on Synthroid, helped greatly, even seemed to "boost the efficacy of the meds",but it was actually boosting me a teeny bit, less tired which makes one feel more depressed, and yet depression can make you feel tired.
Just my 2 cents