Any advice for lithium???

Question

Last year I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 2. I just recently started taking meds for it. I take Effexor XR as an anti-depressant and now my psychiatrist wants to put me on lithium! I've only heard bad things about it and I'm kinda scared to start it!!! People say the side effects are horrible and you will be on it the rest of your life or if you get off it you won't be the same person. I don't want to change me and be like a zombie!! Does anybody have any advice for me???

Answer 1

so i was also diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and my doctor perscribed me lithium and i got so swollen from the med that i had to be taken off of it. 2 years down the line i have been taken off all meds and i have been doing way better-

Answer 2

Get your thyroid checked now. Ask about duloxetine as an alternative to venlafaxine.

Answer 3

My husband just got off it.  I had heard from many people that it was great for bipolar, and I still think it works for many people.  It made my husband sick though.  He is also taking Effexor.  He didn't have any problem getting off lithium.

Answer 4

I took it for a couple of days and I really felt crazy and tried to over doze on it...the doctors took me off it and told they would rather see me over doze on some other drug...If you don't feel right with this drug...just give it up and throw it away...it can be dangerous...Effexor is safer for you...Just know what you can trust...ask more questions if you don't know!

Answer 5

Hi.  I take Lithium.  It shut off the noise in my head, calmed me down, and has been a very good med for me.  The only side effect that I have is a slight tremor in my left hand when I become dehydrated.  This is no big deal since staying hydrated is a normal thing to do.  

The stats that I've seen are that 25% of people who try Lithium benefit from it but have severe side effects.  Another 25% don't benefit.  The other 50% do benefit w/o significant side effects.  I think those who have real problems on the med speak out the most.  I also am pretty sure that those who discontinue and feel like it messed them up are actually dealing return of major bipolar symptoms after the drug had controlled them.  In other words, they are blaming the med for illness symptoms.  What else... the average weight gain is 5-10 lbs, which includes those with severe side effects and gain a lot.  I didn't gain any.

Another consideration regarding Lithium is that there is research supporting it's potential neuronal growth.  It's the only med that's thought to help repair the damage of bipolar.  For me, that is powerful.

The most important things in taking this med are to manage it.  That means routine blood tests to make sure that you are not exceeding the therapeutic range (Lithium is by blood serum level, not milligrams), and a full blood panel periodically to ensure that it's not starting to cause any kidney or thyroid problems.  If it is, your doc will take you off before any damage is done.  (Some ppl prefer to stay on Lithium and take thyroid meds, btw, and that's because Lithium works so well for them.  I know a few.)  And, of course, there is the fact that Lithium has been around forever so docs know long-term potential problems and how to manage for them.  That cannot be said for many of the other meds since they are, relatively speaking, new.

In short, don't be afraid to try it and give it a few months.  If it works, wonderful.  If the side effects are brutal, switch to something else.  Lithium does not stand out as the worst med.  That's person specific.  Mine were Abilify and also Trileptal, two meds that theoretically have low side effect profiles.

PS - If you change into a "zombie," you probably are oversedated and your dose may be too high, or it might not be the med for you.  I've had a much bigger problem with this on antipsychotics (more common than with Lithium) or moving through depressive cycles.  Anyway, if that happens, insist that your doc work with you.

Answer 6

Yeah, I have advice. Say "no."

Lithium is an awful drug. It is poisonous. It's like swallow arsenic. They will have to make you do blood work every week to make sure it's not killing you. Don't go there.

There are more modern bipolar drugs that are far less harmful. Lamictal is an EXTREMELY good drug for bipolar type 2. It is very well tolerated, has a low occurence of side effects, and is safer for long-term use. Ask your doctor about it, or Ativan, Abilify, etc, ANYTHING but Lithium.

Taking Lithium in the 21st century is like attaching leeches to yourself to cure infection. It is taking a sledgehammer to a problem that requires a screwdriver.

Please, I beg of you, don't.

Answer 7

I was put on lithium sodium and I loved it. I was never put on an antidepressant or anything else. I thought I understood it was a bad idea to put any bipolar on an antidepressant because it will just make your mood swing to the other extreme.

Right now, your mood seems to have swung around to a manic high. That is what I would expect from putting a bipolar on an antidepressant. That is not the objective for a doctor medicating you. For you to worry and fret does not reflect a medication that is working. You are polarized and expecting a bad down mood swing. That's not because of the lithium but because of the antidepressant.

I had no problems with lithium and I experienced few side effects. It started working immediately, instead of having to wait a few weeks to get used to it.  It is a mood stabilizer because the sodium will level off your sodium balance.

It is because it is imbalanced that you are bipolar.  That's why you may have it for the rest of your life. It's not an upper and it's not a downer, but simply put, you no longer have those wild mood swings.

I like it and I don't recommend anything else.   But like a diabetic, this supplements your health so you moderate and can function as well as anyone else. It is not some kind of utopia where you only exist in a perfect world, there are still good days and bad days. It's still up to you to take care of your health.

My doctor took me off lithium, and yet I can still function normally. I am healthy, I exercise a lot, and I cook my own food. I take B vitamins, drink my water, and make sure I have plenty of sodium in my diet. I was never a zombie on lithium and I am not now one either. I have learned a healthy balance and I know I can live with that, today, tomorrow and forever.

Do not be afraid. This is not the end of the world. You will be all right. It's not a drug, it's not a chemical and no one created it in a lab. This salt was mined off the beaches of North Carolina. It's no worse than taking vitamins. It is toxic, but for you, it is just what you need. Try it and see. There is nothing to get upset about. I promise.