GreatDane Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Alright, so. I'm 21, diagnosed BP1 and who know's what else. Rx regimen is lithium 450 mg CR QAM, 900 mg QPM, bupropion SR 150 QAM, alprazolam 0.5 ER BID, zolpidem 10mg QHS & quetiapine 50 mg QHS. Here's my problem: I get massive headaches and can't stop pissing. I wake up with a headache, drink water for a couple hours before I take my morning meds, and have to piss every 30 minutes or so. The headache never actually goes away. My lithium levels are on the high side, about 1.17. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 What is your current mood state and condition? I would also suggest talking to your doctor about aiming for a .8 serum level. And take a good multi mineral supp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 What did your last CMP (which includes kidney function and electrolytes) look like? Specifically the calcium and sodium would be the concerns. Did your doc do a urinalysis yet? That would usually include any 'spilled' glucose and the specific gravity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bintheredunthat Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Ever hear of the word "catheter"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null0trooper Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Ever hear of the word "catheter"? It doesn't work so well if your kidneys don't cooperate. Think dehydration, kidney stones, etc. On second thought, maybe less thinking about kidney stones is in order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirMarshall Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Ok, i don't see any major drug-drug interaction that would account for this, using http://www.drug.com You are on a very high dosage of lithium. The PI sheet says that you should drink 2 -3 Liters of water per day. This is especially important at high dosages to flush lithium from the kidneys, though apparently it isn't hard to induce you to urinate. Lithium does have a know side effect of "polyuria" (increased urination). Usually when this occurs it is right after starting the med, and fades away quickly. As Silver mentioned, diabetes can cause polyuria. Headache is not a common complaint for Lithium, but could be cause by dehydration brought on by lithium, if you aren't getting enough water. Again, your doc can evaluate all this with a combination of blood & urinalysis. Rarely Lithium can interact with an antidepressant, causing Serotonin Syndrome, which is "bad". Usually there are a number of other symptoms. Again, rare, but a possibility. You are already split dosing, so that is good. Usually people take the larger dose at nite/bedtime, but based on your reaction, you might consider shifting times around. Hope you feel better. Let us know how you are doing. a.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatDane Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 Ever hear of the word "catheter"? Hell, my husband works in a hospital, I almost had him bring me one home! Got an appoint with my pdoc tomorrow. We'll see what he has to say about the serum levels and all that. Plah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 1.17 is a high level. Does your pdoc think you should be at that level? You might want to question that. Lithium is very hard on the kidneys. It made me piss blood after about 5 months at non toxic levels. Then I tried it again at a low level and pissed blood immediately. Take control of your own health and question this doctor. I was also pissing ever 30 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hideandseek Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 every 30 minutes is about right for me too. I am thinking of diapers since where i live it takes about an hour to get anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angry_girl Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Oh, god, do I remember that. When I was on Lithium, it was bad enough having to pee so often, but it would just sneak up on me. I made sure that I went potty everytime before I left the house, but then, without any warning, I'd have this sudden urge. I had to cut quite a few shopping excursions short due to wet pants. I never understood why it came on so fast. I barely had time to even think about where the restrooms were and then it was too late. I had never had any kind of incontinence issue before going on Lithium nor have I had any since coming off of it. Weird. Good riddance to THAT drug! AG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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