Rabbit37 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I've recently titrated up to a whopping 600mg lithium, low, I know, but it truly seems to be helping the mood swings. No other bad side effects that are worth mentioning except afternoon water weight. Every. Afternoon. I'm drinking *plenty*, and yesterday even tried ice tea, hoping for a natural diuretic. No help at all. Has anyone found anything to be useful? I take the lith at night, around 10pm, and lose the water during the night (fun). Should I try taking it during the day instead - although I don't want to wake up bloated either. Am I doomed without hope? This is driving me crazy, not to mention pissing me off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryPoppins Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I certainly WISH I could help you with the Lithium dilemma....and anyone who CAN...well, I'll be watching for it. I drink plenty of water. And I avoid sodium at ALL costs. And yet...the water retention comes. I've dropped to 300 mg and it's still retention in my world. It sucks. And I'm sorry. But Lithium has saved my life, so I hate it but love it. I hate it more than I love it, but that's just the vain side of me. And I'm vain as hell. I ended up gaining 40 lbs in 2 months on Lithium combined with Navane. Rediculous and horrific. BUT, it saved my life. Water water water. And I take it at night. And remove all of my rings. I can no longer wear my wedding ring. I can live with that. Key word- LIVE. I'm coping. I SWORE I'd never take Lithium. And after 30 other meds, it's the only thing that worked. I hope you find a solution, and if YOU DO....fill me in. If not...it's just the water, and avoid the salt. Good luck to you, my friend. I wish you the best. Be well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 Thnk you, MP, for then encouragement. I've actually managed to lose a couple of pounds, I'm being somewhat zealous about what I eat. The instructions I received said not to restrict sodium intake, but I've never eaten much salt anyway, don't care for it. I'm still hoping someone out there has an answer, haha. I may be waiting quite a while, I guess. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarie Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 How much are you drinking? The general wisdom is 64 oz of fluids per day. That's eight, eight oz glasses of water or like liquid. There is some dispute about this much being necessary. Possibly a better indication is simply to drink enough for pale, odorless urine. Heh, not a water consumption expert, so that's fwiw. The thing with Lithium is to not get DEhydrated. It's not necessary to over saturate your body with fluids. If you are not sweating or otherwise loosing fluids, drinking a lot of extra fluids isn't all that necessary. Now, if you are highly active or live in a humid climate, then extra fluids are very necessary, but again, that is about avoiding dehydration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 I'm drinking between 8-10 8oz glasses a day, maybe a bit more (of water, I rarely drink anything else). I drink to thirst, basically. I made sure this weekend, having been working in the yard in very warm weather, to drink extra, but still had the bloating in the afternoon. Gah. It's frustrating. Thanks, Stacia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarie Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Well, shoot. I was hoping there was an easy answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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