[NolaMae]

Hi. I posted this in the "Getting off meds" forum by accident so I'm going to repost it here.

I went off Abilify in April due to the development of tardive dyskinesia, which fortunately reversed. The only mood stabilizer I'm on now is Lamictal. It does well for my depression, but not so much for mania. I haven't been taking anything for mania since April, since I usually suffer more from terrible depression, although I have had a couple of manic episodes.

Anyway, for the past couple of months, I have felt myself veering more toward mania. It's to the point now that I know I need to do something. I've told my psychiatrist I will never take another antipsychotic because of the TD risk. So now I'm thinking she may suggest lithium. Which brings me to the point; is lithium that bad? I've read the facts and risks about it on reputable websites and what I've read scares me to death! Having blood drawn all the time wouldn't be fun, but I could do it. It's the potential of kidney and thyroid problems, plus the weight gain and other side effects that scare me.

So, for you lithium users, is it really that bad? Or am I just overreacting? Would you mind sharing your experiences on it?

Lamictal 450 mg
Wellbutrin 150 mg
Trazodone 100 mg
Klonopin 1 mg

[TRNRMOM]

i'm 71 yr. old female, diagnosed about 35 yrs. ago w/bp2 (hypomania no depression) and was always under the care of a psychiatrist. for those 35 yrs. years i was only on 450mg lithium (very low dose) which seemed to work and always had regular blood work...long story short, over time, i first had thyroid issues which require taking thyroid meds for life; then it was my parathyroids, over-producing calcium (if my old memory serves me correctly) from the lithium and had to have parathyroids removed; and finally about 2 yrs. ago i had kidney (creatine issues) caused by long-term use of lithium so quit lithium entirely....very little was known about long-term effects of lithium 35 yrs. ago, and essentially blood work was for lithium level toxicity (i was always low on that since i only took 450mg daily); never gained weight but had to urinate frequently when i took that first dose in the a.m.; always needed to drink water and not actually restrict salt intake...guess lithium worked for me, but it did do damage and i'm sure psychiatrists are more informed today than 35 yrs. ago; do your own research and good luck.

[Rajjing]

I just began taking lithium. I know that my pdoc was very forthcoming about possible side effects and that they were also aware of the long term effects. I think the bottom line that I came to, and my pdoc was saying as well, is that there are some side effects of lithium that are worrisome but it is one of the best meds out there for bipolar so barring major complications it is worth a shot.

[Mountaindewed]

I’m not trying to get you upset

But yes Lithium caused kidney problems for me after 7 years of taking it. But I went off it and my kidney function has not gotten any worse.

My doctor said it is very unusual for Lithium to cause kidney issues when you have been on it less then 20 years.

I have issues with meds in general.

As for the weight gain. I only gained 15 pounds.

[WildcatVet]

Have been taking lithium...my wonder drug...for over five years with no problems at all.
No side effects...or adverse reactions...even with long term use.
As for bloodwork, since lithium keeps me stable I only have it done every six months...

[*Laurie*]

I'm finding lithium helpful for stabilizing moods and easing depression.

[Guiness187055]

Lithium is a great anti manic for me.

[Cocosurviving]

I’ve been on Lithium since 2012. It’s a catch 22 for me. I gained a ton of weight and I get thirsty often. My kidneys are checked regularly. I am no longer able to take Ibuprofen because it is known to harm kidneys too. Now I can say Lithium does greatly reduce my mania. I once tapered off with pdoc supervision. It was terrible within three weeks I was full blown manic...had to be hospitalized. I was put on other meds to replace the Lithium. But they just could not work for me like Lithium did. I went back on it and things got under control. Good luck

[~Christina]

I took it for a few years I went borderline toxic and I dropped it , I like my kidneys and thyroid too much.

I will say it also gave my hand tremors, which got better over time but I still have slight tremors and at time a bigger problem.

Everyone is different.

[Blue_Bird]

Lithium was rough for me but my doctor didn't really know what she was doing and put me on the max dose and I ended up in the ICU with severe lithium toxicity. Just make sure they stay on top of getting your levels checked and you should be fine

I've been on lithium for unipolar depression. It didn't do anything for me.

Couple of things:
- I didn't have to have blood drawn "all the time". Maybe three or four times during the course of the treatment.
- I was more than a bit psychotic and was afraid to drink because of it, so I didn't drink a whole lot, and I didn't get toxicity. And it wasn't because my doses were super low either (1000 mg a day)
- I didn't have side effects that I noticed.

I watched my husband go into kidney failure and be put on dialysis due to lithium toxicity (he was being monitored correctly but went toxic anyway). To add to the trauma of that situation, the dialysis pulled all of his meds off his system at once and put him into psychosis. He was in ICU for a week, and it was an awful experience.

Having watched that happen, neither of us will go near the stuff ever again. We came within hours of permanent kidney damage and/or death. Yes, it is rare to have that severe a reaction, but when you've witnessed it first hand, it has a way of making you a believer in the danger of that medication.

[*Laurie*]

I wonder if reactions depend upon the dosage? In other words, is lithium at higher doses more likely to cause problems?

[Rajjing]

Originally Posted by *Laurie*

I wonder if reactions depend upon the dosage? In other words, is lithium at higher doses more likely to cause problems?

From a basic and theoretical stand point, yes. The higher the lithium dose the easier it is for lithium toxicity and to accidentally overdo it with an increase. With that said, there's also the huge factor of a)I'm not a doc so maybe there's something super simple I'm missing that everyone learns in med school and b) everyone's body is different in how quickly or sensitive it is to all drugs.