Anyone on lithium? Missed periods?

I've been on lithium for about 6 months, however my first 3 months I kept forgetting my pills. So for past 3 months I have been on it regularly ( 1 pill morning 2 at night). Well I have been getting some realy annoying and/or scary Side effects, or at least what I think are caused by the lithium. I was just wondering if anyone else has been on lithium and experienced this.

1. Diarrhea ( lots of it, everyday up to 5x a day)
2. Missed periods
3. Weight gain (15lbs)

The one I am really worried about is the missed period...this is the 2nd month I missed it ( no I'm not pregnant )

Can lithium cause missed periods, and if so does this mean I need to stop taking the lithium?

Have you mentioned this to your psychiatrist? If you haven't, I really think it's worth it. Side effects can be really annoying, and they might be able to help you with some of those.

I'm on lithium 400mg and quetiapine (25mg right now, but have been on 50mg and even 37.5mg ). I haven't experienced weight gain, quite the opposite, but that's related to long periods of hypomania. Haven't experienced any diarrhea either.

As for my period, the opposite happened. I'm very regular, even though I'm not on the pill, and always have been. A couple of months ago, though, I had my period in the middle of the cycle, right when I was ovulating. It started with just some spotting, but then progressed. I had an incredible flow, and it lasted for a week and a half. I contacted my OB/GYN. She checked everything, and all was normal. She said it was most definitely due to the meds, but nothing to worry about. It's been normal and regular since.

I'm not a doctor, but I don't think you need to stop taking your meds because of it. Still, I do think you should contact you p-doc and your OB/GYN. You need to make sure there are no other health issues, and your p-doc can give you some advice on what to do with the meds. Also, I remember when it happened to me it really worried me, and talking to the doctors gave me some much needed peace fo mind.

I hope everything will be alright. Let us know how it goes!

Tell your doctor about the Diarrhea! You are loosing lots of fluid that way, and that can be dangerous (!) with Lithium! Plus Diarrhea can be a warning sign of overdose...

Tell your doctor ASAP.

I agree that it is important to tell your Dr about this

I am on lithium and a few years ago I missed periods for about 7 months - I am not sure why but I was on lithium at the time

But please speak to your Dr

Cracked

OK thanks, it makes me feel so much better to know that the lithium has caused others to have wacky menstrual. I have another appt with him this month, so I will ask him about it then, I've just been super anxious about it. And I already told him about diarrhea, he didn't seem concerned, told me to take some pepto lol. The only reason I don't go to ob gyn is because I am still working on getting insurance, but soon I hope. Thanks for all the responses...side effects suck!

Side effects definitely suck

Cracked

I have missed periods due to medications as well. For me it turned out to be that the medications were causing me to have a high prolactin level which stopped my periods. Your doctor can order a simple blood test to check for this. So again, I emphatically agree that checking with your doctor about your side effects is really important.

Well I just called and asked today and my next appointment is on the 18th so I will deffinatly mention it to him, he will probably schedule blood work then anyway( you have to get blood work every 3 months on lithium to make sure your levels are within safe range). So i will deff ask him about testing for that too. Thanks for your input!