Persephone Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 I've just been prescribed lithium. I know all the BP folks are going to think "cry me a river" but lithium is not usual for the UP, especially for the ones already on Lamictal. I called the lab to ask how much it is to get lithium levels done and the lady said "Um, I've never been asked that question. Is that a blood test?". I asked the pharmacist some questions and he said "Um, you should ask your doctor." I don't need a huge dose (I think my target level 0.6), but it just seems so hard core. I'm already nervous about taking my first dose tonight. For the experienced lithium users: - If you see a doctor or go to a hospital for non-psych reasons, do they look at your list of meds and immediately put you in the batshit category? -How sick am I going to be at first? I have a sensitive GI system, so I am going to have to plan a week next to the toilet? -Is taking some ibuprofen a few days a month for menstrual cramps OK? -How long did it take you to stop feeling like a freak? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mechante Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 1) I get some freaked out looks from doctors who don't know me on account of my meds. The only time I've been in the hospital since starting lith was in fact because I was going completely bloody bonkers, so I guess I deserved the looks then, lol. 2) I didn't have too many GI issues with starting lith. I pee more, though. Fun fun. And I have more tummy upset in the summer, which if anyone can explain this, I'd really love to hear it. To be blunt I had the shits practically all summer, and now - yay! - it's starting to ease off a bit. And I've been on lith for 4 years and it's been the "same shit" each summer. So yeah, if I can tack my own question onto yours - I'd love to know why this happens. 3) I take ibuprofen all the time. I was told that 1 a day shouldn't upset my levels. I take it quite frequently for headaches and my jaw issues (TMJ). I'd say there must be at least 7 days a month where I'll take 3 or more ibuprofen in a day. This may not be recommended but it's never screwed up my levels in any significant ways. 4) I am a freak, but I accept it. No really - at first I thought, "wow, lithium - I must be REALLY crazy"... but it's no different from any other medication. It could help. And I'm super possessive of my lith now and barring any serious complications (like if I'd ever find out that my kidneys are failing, etc.), I would never give it up. It's helped me a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecloud Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 I got put on lithium a year and half ago. I just raised my lithium dosage to about 350 mg not too long ago. I don't have any adverse reactions to lithiums in terms of side effects. I can't tell if it's working or not either. My diagnosis is schizoaffective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persephone Posted October 9, 2009 Author Share Posted October 9, 2009 Thanks for responding everyone. Dianthus, what I mean by "the BP people are thinking cry me a river" is I know they have had to deal with this kind of stuff since they were first diagnosed - the weird looks, the blood tests, the really shitty side effects. Being on an SSRI is not so bad - who isn't on an SSRI nowadays? I lucked out for a while and had an SSRI work for me with barely any side effects. I know this is just like any med - either it will work great and any side effects will be worth it or it won't work and I'll stop taking it. Going from only one med to a mega-cocktail (not by CB standards, but at least to me) is a bit of an adjustment. I know it's business as usual for the bipolar/schizoaffective/multiple diagnosis people, but I never thought I would need this type of medicating. MDD can be terrible and I have a particularily nasty, recurrent, treatment-resistant variety, but somehow it doesn't feel as "real" as the other stuff. Now it feels real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightsoffancy Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 I personally hated lithium. I was taking a 900 mg dose a day and felt like a total zombie. I couldn't think, I could stand up past 8pm. Hopefully your dose isn't as high as mine was. I'm also kind of sensitive to medications. This was my own personal experience with it. Thats the only side effect I remember having. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetzart Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 I've found out that the benefits far outweigh the cons with regards to lithium. I am on 600mg daily and it has worked with the only obvious side-effect being hand tremors. I was very suicidal before taking it but that has all but gone; it really works wonders for that. The one con I have come across are it takes away that certain spark I used to have with regards to being creative; but better that then being dead I think! Cheers PS. I wonder if anyone can explain this? Since taking lithium I have stopped biting my nails and I have grown them really long. Has anyone else had this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mika Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 I like Lithium. I am not bipolar. I use it for PTSD craziness and MDD. I still sometimes get depressed but not NEARLY as bad as I used to. I used to lay in my bed all damn day with suicidality and then sometimes I would go crazy and punch windows, for example. Helps with my irritability. This med was a Godsend for me because my moods are stable. I don't get as moody or flip out when I am threatened by a trigger. Sometimes I feel a bit "emotionless" and I hate that but I would rather that than how I was before Lithium. I am on 900 mg with a serum level of 1.0. When I was on 1200mg I was a ZOMBIE. My levels were too high, it turned out. Lately, I have been feeling a little too level (no emotion) but I am not sure if I should attribute it to the ptsd (emotional numbing) or dissociation or a combo of both. So I may be a bad example because my case is very complicated (as I have been told) but Lithium is great. Your depression should lift. GOOD LUCK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatty Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 PS. I wonder if anyone can explain this? Since taking lithium I have stopped biting my nails and I have grown them really long. Has anyone else had this? Yes, my fingernails are growing like crazy. weird. I take 1350 mgs lithium and I take it at night to help me with sleep. I don't have side effects,except tiredness. During the day, I'm fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkiemarie Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Ok, first and foremost, your reaction is going to be unique to you. We all have experiences we can share so you'll have a better idea what you're in for, but how it's going to feel is very personal. By the way, the town I live in only has ONE blood lab, for 25,000 people, and went up at 8, first in line, for my lithium level. TWO hours later and 20 people who arrived after me done and gone, I went up and asked why it was taking so long to get me in for my lithium level, and told the lab person that the results of the test are being degraded with every extra minute they make me wait...they didn't know this! I now tell them right when I sign in that it's been 12 hours since my dose and I need my test done ASAP so it'll be accurate. *sigh* They're the ones who should know... - If you see a doctor or go to a hospital for non-psych reasons, do they look at your list of meds and immediately put you in the batshit category? I've never had this happen to me. I went in to the emergency room one weekend for a kidney infection and rather than batshit category, they put me in kidney infection and lithium level/kidney function test category -How sick am I going to be at first? I have a sensitive GI system, so I am going to have to plan a week next to the toilet? Everyone responds differently. I would suggest drinking a glass of milk and eating a snack prior to any dose of lithium. Personally I do get nauseous with my morning dose, but that has gotten a lot better the longer I've been on it. And yes, it has made me throw up before, hence the glass of milk and/or snack first. -Is taking some ibuprofen a few days a month for menstrual cramps OK? No it is absolutely not. Ibuprofen works the best for me but I'm living without it. Tylenol/acetaminophen is ok for you to take. Anything that your body processes through the kidneys is not. -How long did it take you to stop feeling like a freak? About two med increases and I didn't feel like a freak for the first time in my life. Oh, you meant because of the lithium? That never made me feel like a freak. I was excited to get a prescription for a drug that has a long history of helping people. I felt like a freak when I was having mixed episodes and swinging back and forth between laughing and crying for no reason in a matter of minutes. But due to lithium? Hell no. I'm glad I have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkiemarie Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 PS. I wonder if anyone can explain this? Since taking lithium I have stopped biting my nails and I have grown them really long. Has anyone else had this? Maybe you're just not as stressed out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recoverymouse Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Funny, I have the nail thing too! And I used to pull my nails all the way off when I was still drinking. Persephone, I have a similar cocktail to yours -- SSRI effexor 300mgs, Atypical Antipsychotic Abilify 10mgs, Lithium 600mgs, and I also take a mood stabilizer (neurontin) as well as provigil. The lithium has few physical side effects for me. At first I sweated a lot but that only lasted about a week. Maybe some diarrhea too. Now I don't think I have any side effects except for the expected leveling out of my emotions, which has its downsides but they are outweighed by the upsides. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persephone Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 Hi everyone After 3 days on lithium, I realize I was being a bit silly when I started this thread and it's just a med like any other. You don't get a big tatoo on your forehead saying "I'm taking lithium!" as soon as you get your prescription filled. So far, I feel really sleepy, stupid, and bloated. The nausea isn't too bad, and goes away after I eat. I do have a tremor but it doesn't prevent me from doing anything I usually do. I'm getting my levels checked Thursday and I'll see where it goes from there. Thanks to everyone who responded! -P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witchywoman Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I love lithium. It does flatten me a little, but it keeps me level, along with the Seroquel XR I take. I couldn't be happier. I sometimes get a little stomach upset if I don't eat with it, but nothing bad that I cant handle. It doesn't last long. I will sing the praises of lithium! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkendHour Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 - If you see a doctor or go to a hospital for non-psych reasons, do they look at your list of meds and immediately put you in the batshit category? I had one doctor like that but I had been going to her for over 18 years and I'm sure she had put me in that category long before my list of meds increased. -How sick am I going to be at first? I have a sensitive GI system, so I am going to have to plan a week next to the toilet? Personally I didn't get sick when I started it, just got it increased and didn't get sick this time either. Pee... yes Pee Pee Pee all day long... that is somthing I think a lot of people on lithium agree with. Oh and I DID get GI issues with quite a few other meds just not the lithium. -Is taking some ibuprofen a few days a month for menstrual cramps OK? Always check with your doc but I take Advil (ibuprofen) all the time for headaches, I've been prescribed Motrin (ibuprofen) for pain... so I'm guessing a few days out of the month will be ok for you, but again just check with your doc even more so since you said you have a sensitive GI system. -How long did it take you to stop feeling like a freak? I didn't really ever feel like a freak for having to take lithium... I didn't know I was bipolar for sure but I knew something wasn't right... I was just happy someone was helping me and that maybe this new med would make me feel like less of a freak... every ones perspectives are different. I forget who asked about nail growth... my nails grow way faster now and so does my hair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I have been taking 400mg of Priadel (the form lithium comes in in the UK) since Friday. I haven't noticed anything at all untoward. This morning in the office everyone was getting in a flap and I ignored them. I was able to deal with a stressful amount of work successfully and not get all racey thought and as a consequence psychotic Long may it last! blackbird x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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