Lithium dosage vs. Level

[D3N0]

I got put back on lithium after over a decade off of it this fall. Of course we're tweeking dosage. Well I am up to 900mg of Lithium, but my level at my last draw was still only .6. My pdoc now has me taking 1200mg. Seems like an awful lot to me??

So is there some reason I don't seem to be metabolizing the lithium well? Is there a food I should avoid? Anything? Anyone else starting to get up there in dosage and still just barely making it to a 'therapeutic' level?

[Guest]

I got put back on lithium after over a decade off of it this fall. Of course we're tweeking dosage. Well I am up to 900mg of Lithium, but my level at my last draw was still only .6. My pdoc now has me taking 1200mg. Seems like an awful lot to me??

So is there some reason I don't seem to be metabolizing the lithium well? Is there a food I should avoid? Anything? Anyone else starting to get up there in dosage and still just barely making it to a 'therapeutic' level?

The main things to avoid are Ibuprofen and some pain killers like it as they spike the level.

I'm at 1500mg for a .7/.8 level, So its not unheard of for a higher dose like that.

[kittyloaf]

It really depends on how you metabolize it. Everyone is different. I'm on 900 mg and I'm at 1.1. Some people have to double that dose to be that high.

[Calypte]

It really just depends on the person. If anything you seem to be 'metabolizing' the lithium very, very well. (Lithium is not actually metabolized, it's simply excreted by your kidneys.) It's not harmful to take a higher dose if your blood levels remain low, so you have nothing to worry about. I also took 1200 mg and barely reached a .6/.7 blood level, so it's not that unusual.