[Switch]

So I know caffeine pills are bad but I've been taking them because my dr isn't comfortable prescribing anything without a pdoc and I dont have one. There the only thing keeping me on my feet at work.

I know they mix bad with lithium but I wanted to know if anyone knows how/how bad? Also any other meds I can try to convince my gp to give me to keep me awake and alert? I tried adderal but it didn't work at all.

This is what I found on rxlist. My pdoc does prefer I stay off the caffeine as much as possible because of this. It makes the lithium level hard to regulate sometimes, and with a med that needs to be monitored pretty closely and is so dependent on a very narrow level of therapeutic range, it just make sense to do what I can to let the lithium work most effectively. In fact, just yesterday he asked me about caffeine because I'm having some stability issues. He wanted to see if that might be influencing the change. I've been almost completely off caffeine for probably 10 years now, so that's not the issue, but he was checking.

Lithium
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.
You body naturally gets rid of lithium. Caffeine can increase how quickly your body gets rid of lithium. If you take products that contain caffeine and you take lithium, stop taking caffeine products slowly. Stopping caffeine too quickly can increase the side effects of lithium.

[FaithlessCat]

I was so tired on lithium and found it really hard to keep taking because I workout 5 days a week and just didn't have the energy to get through a full session. In the end I had to start drinking coffee . I only lasted 8 weeks on it before my pdoc switched me to tegretol. I think it's just like every med it either suits you or it doesn't. How long have you been on the lithium ?

[vans1974]

Originally Posted by Switch

So I know caffeine pills are bad but I've been taking them because my dr isn't comfortable prescribing anything without a pdoc and I dont have one. There the only thing keeping me on my feet at work.

I know they mix bad with lithium but I wanted to know if anyone knows how/how bad? Also any other meds I can try to convince my gp to give me to keep me awake and alert? I tried adderal but it didn't work at all.

For OTC activating meds I'd go with ephedra products. If you can get a script then, any psycho stimulants like Concerta or Nuvigil/Provigil are effective! Best of luck!

I would agree that Provigil or nuvigil would be a good medication to try. I was experiencing bouts of extreme fatigue a while back, and Provigil seemed to really help. The only problem is it ended up giving me bad headaches, so I discontinued it.