rachael Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I recently started on Lithium and am still on the 400mg starter dose. I read about the increased thirst, but it's much worse than I imagined, I'm drinking about 4 litres a day and still feel thirsty, all the time. Is this normal? Does it improve with time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiaB Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I've been on it for several years now, and I'm sorry to tell you that the thirst hasn't gone away. I feel quite hysterical if I don't always have water close to hand and have been known to go through 5-6 litres a day. The problem with that, according to my pdoc, is that there's such a thing as too much water, and I struggle with swollen fingers which she says are down to excessive fluid intake. I'm desperately trying to cut down, but it's very, very hard.If I were you I'd chat to your pdoc about what s/he considers appropriate levels of water intake, and ask if there's something that can be prescribed or bought OTC for dry mouth. There doesn't seem to be in my country, but I have read references to a product like that over my years here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malachite Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I was very thirsty on Lithium as well. One thing you might try if your mouth is very dry is Biotene. It's a mouthwash that mimicks saliva and helps keep your mouth wet so you feel less thirsty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimako Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I get very thirsty but do better about how much I drink if I add some sort of flavor. I use the Koolaid flavoring squeezy bottle thingie. http://www.amazon.com/Kool-Aid-Liquid-Variety-Cherry-Tropical/dp/B00DEPFKH6/ref=sr_1_11?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1409687555&sr=1-11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeremonyNewOrder Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I get very thirsty on lithium. It's the only side effect I get. Make sure to drink lots of water or you'll gain weight from sugary drinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachael Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 Thanks for the comments, I'll speak about it to the doc. I drink only water (and a bit of unsweetened tea), so weight gain is not an issue. I'll actually give the flavoured water a try, seems I still have a few lemons lying around anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I didn't notice any difference with thirst, but I get terrible dry mouth when I get up in the morning. But I have been regularly consuming AT LEAST a gallon worth of fluid for,years. Often much more than that. But almost every psych pill I take has the dry mouth side effect. And they are cumulative. Five meds are are much worse than one or two. Blech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Yes, I had this problem. I was drinking at least 1.5 gallons of water a day. But I couldn't pee it out, so I was given a diuretic. When I came off the diuretic things were better. I think with me it was a matter of getting used to that side effect, which eventually went away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 I drink 4 or 5 liters a day, and like mia, get kind of frantic if my water bottle isn't in reach. I even drink about a half liter throughout the night. I haven't had any electrolyte problems, fortunately. For me, it is an acceptable side effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Have you tried chewing sugarless gum? Sometimes that quenched my thirst when I was drinking too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 I won't keep xylitol in the house, it's unbelievably poisonous to dogs. Like one breath mint can kill a dog. And I don't use artificial sweeteners in general, because of my migraine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachael Posted September 8, 2014 Author Share Posted September 8, 2014 I'm now down to 2-3 liters, which seems sensible to me. I started drinking lemon-juice water, which helps. And I also think I just got used to the thirst. Should get the blood tests soon to see how my kidneys are doing and what blood level I'm at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantod Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 (edited) That's a good idea, rachael. My own experience was that it took about a month for the thirst to lessen. I'm taking 1200 mg of lithium daily now, for 2 years, and suffer much less thirst and dry mouth than when I started at 600/day. For me, that first month was by far the worst. I didn't think I could keep taking it, with the thirst and the bathroom visits every half hour. Edited September 8, 2014 by fantod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herk Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 I just started lithium and I'm right there with you, however probably not as severe since I drink a ton of water normally. That said, I wasn't thirsty until I started lithium three days ago. My only advice is to avoid alcohol, and do not drink coffee in excess. It is annoying though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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