Lithium orotate

[Getdabiggie]

Has anyone ever tried lithium orotate instead of lithium carbonate? I feel hopeless about these antipsychotics and I don't want to get Tardive dyskinesia anyone have any feedback?

[jt07]

Why not lithium carbonate? 

I wouldn't trust the lithium orotate you can buy in a health food store. You don't know how much lithium is in them because they aren't controlled like medicinal lithium carbonate is. You could end up poisoning yourself. Lithium is dosed based on blood levels, not on milligrams, so you should be getting blood tests done. And, as a general rule, you should not take any medication without it being prescribed by a doctor.

[Rabbit37]

^^ so agree. I take 600mg carbonate, for a lot of people that would be a drop in a bucket, but for me my levels are steadily at .7-.8. You really need routine bloodwork, and a script. 

And uninsured price is $11 a month, dirt cheap, so price shouldn't be a deal-breaker. 

[mikl_pls]

I too would like to ask why orotate instead of carbonate?

If you're afraid of side effects, you could ask your doctor/pdoc to start you at the lowest dose, 150 mg (they're capsules so they can't be split), and increase by 150 mg until you feel benefits and/or you reach therapeutic blood concentrations. You might need a whole lot less than the typical 900-1200 mg/day, like @Rabbit37 said--she only needs 600 mg.