dancesintherain Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 What do you and your pdoc see as your ideal lithium level? I'm asking because my pdoc has declared my current level (.9) ideal, yet I don't feel like I'm there yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan77 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I think that everyone responds differently to lithium. Some people do well on 0.6 mmol/L for example, and others may need a higher blood level to feel any benefit. I would say your ideal lithium level is the level that you respond well to. However when I started lithium 12 years ago and when my lithium level hit 0.8, my pdoc did say that was a good level In my case my level was always 0.8 mmol/L(on 800mg) but when my mood became unstable last November my pdoc increased the dose to 1000mg and my lithium level increased to 0.9/1.0 mmol/L and that has been working well for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I was on lithium awhile back, and from what I remember my levels were ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 depending on the dose. My pdoc at the time wasn't concerned at any point, as long as it stayed in a normal range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 thanks everyone. good to know what the ranges are. I think part of the problem is I'm on 900 mg, so another 300 mg might put me way too far over. But maybe it comes in smaller quantities? Right now we're keeping the li as is, dropping the abilify in half, and if that goes well, cutting the ativan in half (with the idea being that I'd go off both of them eventually). The thought was that maybe getting some of the other stuff out of hte way will help. If it doesn't, we add it back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 My lithium level was always in the high 0.7x's and low 0.8x's. My pdoc was happy with that. I didn't have severe side effects, just a tremor. I did get nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, its a kidney condition where you pee out everything (the kidneys don't filter) and you're extremely thirsty all the time. I had to stop taking lithium, which SUCKED because it helped so much. This is very rare. They caught it by accident at a physical when there was too much protein in my urine. Most doctor's have no fucking clue what it is and asked me my blood sugar levels. Um. Nephrogenic. Kidneys. It's that rare. I had to explain it to my *pdoc*. So that's how rare it is. Fortunately, my GP knew about it and treated it. It's not a permanent condition. I took a diuretic for a year (they work opposite in diabetes insipidus) and went off it, no recurrence, but still can't take lithium. I hope the med changes work. I was on the least amount of meds when I took lithium. It was a lifesaver for me. I ended up back IP after having to stop it. Which sucks. It took 2 years to figure out a replacement that didn't make me crazier. I wish I could take lith, honestly, it kept me out of the hospital for over 5 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 ^^I got NDI also from lithium. Had to go off of it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 My level is usually between .5 and .7. It's really stabilized me. I'm on 600mg. When I took it the first time, they put me on 900mg, and I became toxic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 thanks all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
professional nut Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 A level of 0.9 is in the therapeutic range for Li. In my case when I'm symptomatic I sometimes need a higher blood level--closer to 1.1. It really depends on how I'm feeling. Typically spring is my bad time of the year. Eventually my pdoc and I learned that in February (when I'm on Li) it's wise to increase my dose. When spring is over, my dose is decreased. If it were me, I'd stick on the current dosage for a little while longer to see if things even out for you a bit more. If they don't, then I'd discuss a small increase. I just got my blood level back and it's 1.1. I'm new to lithium and this frightens me because it is at the upper limit of normal. I called my pdoc and I'm waiting for him to call back. What is your experience at 1.1, do you ever have any problems? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larkspur Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 If you're not having tremors (or other symptoms of toxicity), don't worry about your level being high. When you get close to toxic, your body tells you. Listen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
professional nut Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 (edited) If you're not having tremors (or other symptoms of toxicity), don't worry about your level being high. When you get close to toxic, your body tells you. Listen.Thanks. Sounds good. I did get tremors yesterday, which I don't usually get. I also felt like my equilibrium was off a little, but I was out and didn't have access to water easily. I drank water asap and all symptoms went away. My pdoc told me those things might happen and to just drink plenty of water... I have a hard time accepting that it's not a big deal when those symptoms happen. He called back and is not concerned with my blood value so I guess I shouldnt be, though I can't help it sometimes. Edited April 26, 2015 by professional nut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Gross tremor is a side effect of lithium. I know that is unhelpful after you were give tremors as a marker, but they are different kinds of tremors, in my experience (which is just mine). If you hand kind of suddenly jerks, that could be a gross tremor. As time has gone by, I've stopped getting those, too. Oh, and there are meds you can take to smooth out a gross tremor, so don't worry if that is what is going on. It's a fine line, I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katg10 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I'm on 1,200 mg, and my Lithium level is 0.5. My Pdoc is keen to get me off Lamotrigine, but my lithium level is a little low for monotherapy, and I don't want to be taking much more lithium. Something that I'm taking has been making my hair fall out. I have cut it all off so I don't keep blocking the shower, now its gone curly for the first time ever. Since it looks OK I'm not sure it counts as a side effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I'm on 1,200 mg, and my Lithium level is 0.5. My Pdoc is keen to get me off Lamotrigine, but my lithium level is a little low for monotherapy, and I don't want to be taking much more lithium. Something that I'm taking has been making my hair fall out. I have cut it all off so I don't keep blocking the shower, now its gone curly for the first time ever. Since it looks OK I'm not sure it counts as a side effect. It *might* be the lamictal. I've read here on CB about others taking lamictal and noticing their hair falling out. I am also on Lamictal and have lost a lot of hair ... used to be thick hair ... not anymore. I think there are previous threads here also about losing hair that you could search for. Also for me high stress makes my hair fall out at first but then also about a month afterwards. So if I am super stressed, about a month later I'll find my hair falling out more. Idk why it happens this way for me, just I ended up noticing a pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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