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Member
Member Since Aug 2019
Location: St Olaf
Posts: 26
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#1
I’ve been taking lithium for a while, but for the past few weeks it’s been giving me dry heaves and vomiting. My dr advised me to stop taking it for a few days. Problem is I’ve been off for a few days, and I’m already feeling my moods dropping. I’m worried I won’t be able to take lithium anymore and I don’t think I can function without it.
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bpcyclist
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Legendary Wise Elder
Member Since Jun 2016
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#2
This happened to me too with lithium and I had to reduce the dose. The dumb ****s in the psych hospital said I was making myself throw up and didn’t do anything about it but my Pdoc then lowered it when I got out.
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bpcyclist
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Member
Member Since Dec 2018
Location: Illinois
Posts: 66
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#3
Quote:
Unfortunately, it made me always throwing up. So I had to be taken off it. Haven't found a working medication since. Hope you can find a solution. I wish I could still take Lithium. Just wanted to let you know, you aren't alone with the side effect. |
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bpcyclist
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Member Since Sep 2019
Location: Portland
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#4
It can be a miracle drug, literally, but people can puke, too. What's the dose? When did you last have a level drawn?
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Member
Member Since Oct 2014
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 257
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#5
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As long as your psychiatrist isn't concerned that it could be due to toxicity, I have a few suggestions: Take with meals Do split dosing, i.e. morning and night, if you only take it once a day Find out if your insurance covers Lithium ER or if you can afford it some other way and ask your doctor about possibly switching to it Ask your psychiatrist about an antiemetic like trimethobenzamide (Tigan), metoclopramide (Reglan), promethazine (Phenergan), prochlorperazine (Compazine), etc. |
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bpcyclist
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Member
Member Since Aug 2019
Location: St Olaf
Posts: 26
4 |
#6
I’ve been taking lithium for a few years, but the nausea and vomiting started a few weeks ago. I take two 400s twice a day. It seems the vomiting and dry heaving is worse at night when I have food in my stomach. I haven’t had my levels checked for a while, but my dr isn’t concerned about toxicity. I wonder if I should mention it. Within 15 mins of taking the lithium, the symptoms begin.
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Magnate
Member Since Oct 2018
Location: USA
Posts: 2,788
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#7
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My husband was on lithium, had even had his levels checked regularly, and kind of out of the blue became toxic. His kidneys started shutting down and he ended up on dialysis and in intensive care for a week, psychotic because dialysis pulls all the meds off the system at once. It was a nightmare. If we hadn't gotten him to the ER that night, he very well might have had permanent kidney damage or could have died. Not something to mess with. |
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