Can Anyone Relate to this with Lithium?

I've had a bad run with Lithium so far. It didn't turn out to be a miracle drug either, but that's another story. I'll just have to try something else..

Back to the topic at hand, can anyone relate to vision worsening with Lithium and MAJOR brain fogs? I have 20/20 perfect vision and don't get many "brain fogs". It's gotta be Lithium since this is the only new drug I take recently. Looks like I'll be talking to my Dr. about this July 9th, because this really is ridiculous.

PFF810

Blurred vision and confusion is listed as a rare but less severe side-effect for lithium. (Guessing confusion = brain fog...)

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/mono-42-LITH ... genumber=6

I definitely have the brain fogs. Seems like I can't spit out a complete sentence because I lose my train of thought so much. But other than that I do well with it. I hope you find something better for you.

Oooh so it's not just me with the blurry vision... definitely affected.

Oliveira wrote:Oooh so it's not just me with the blurry vision... definitely affected.

Not at all Oliveira! Like I said perfect vision for me and this all started when I took Lithium. After I posted this, I passed out! I had a black out and collapsed. Yeah, needless to say I'm not taking it now, and when I talk to the doc I'll tell him what's up cause these side effects are worse than what I had with Topamax. I thought that was bad!

Is it causing you enough distress with vision that you'll stop taking it? I think even if it didn't cause me every other issue, I'd still have to stop at this point.

Lithium was a nightmare for me - even at sub therapeutic levels. It made me catatonic and I had a terrible headache, very poor concentration and really bad tremors. Needless to stay, I stopped after three days. My sensitivity may have been due to a low salt diet, I ate mostly fresh food and never added salt to it.

I am abusing the zoom feature of my browser. Everything needs to be at least at 130% for me to read it. :S It's really a blur, like I am wearing glasses smeared with vaseline. Other funny features include constant queasiness, co-ordination problems (by now I knocked four cups of coffee on my desk, there's hardly any documents left without coffee stains, and cycling is rather scary), diarrhea and odd sleep patterns -- takes me an hour to fall asleep, but towards the end of the hour I seem drugged -- last night I got up to use the toilet and I could smell smells that weren't there either in the evening or morning, and my dreams don't stop when I wake up.

On the plus side, um, I am REALLY strong -- apparently people get muscle weakness on lithium, well I beat all my records at the gym, every single one.

Mood isn't really affected. Perhaps I still don't take enough.

Attempting to resurrect this post, as I am just about to start taking Lithium next week!

pinkfloydfan810 wrote:

Oliveira wrote:Oooh so it's not just me with the blurry vision... definitely affected.

Not at all Oliveira! Like I said perfect vision for me and this all started when I took Lithium. After I posted this, I passed out! I had a black out and collapsed. Yeah, needless to say I'm not taking it now, and when I talk to the doc I'll tell him what's up cause these side effects are worse than what I had with Topamax. I thought that was bad!

Oh dear... my vision is already going bad on NO meds... and passing out? Oh my!

I would love it if anybody would be willing to update on their recent changes,
...or just add any input on lithium at all!

THANKS!

Lithium has been good for me. I haven't had crazy mood swings. I am a little on the depressed side most times, but it's not where it was before. I do get nauseated from time to time, but that has lessened as I've adjusted to it more and more. I had some tremors as well, but that only happened initially or when I play with my dose. Nothing as awful as you guys describe.

Update from me: diarrhea and queasiness are pretty much gone. My stomach got upset yesterday but I can point out why -- I just didn't drink enough for what I was doing.

Tremors are still present, though, so is blurry vision and... hallucinations. I can actually sense they aren't real but some of them are disturbing, like when I am on my bicycle and I see a car starting to move. Except it isn't, and there's nobody inside.

Going to call a doctor today and ask for some other miracle drugs I was really hoping this would be it.