Starting Lithium & doc hasn't ordered blood test...

crackerjack wrote:"The time has come," the Walrus said... to take my Lithium???

Not shoes, nor ships, nor ceiling wax
But heavy metals,yum!



Good luck!

Cracked

Well I started taking the little buggers...
Just one last night and again this morning, and so far they just make me feel like I'm made of rubber. My body feels like it's flopping around and my head gets so heavy I just want to lay down. But I've felt worse. Hopefully somebody will order a blood test for me at some point, but I guess I just get to go along on this ride for awhile.
I seem to get in a darker mood when I feel sedated like this. Why can't it be like, a happy kind of sedation? I just feel so heavy I don't want to move and there just doesn't seem to be any point to anything.

CrackedGirl wrote:Not shoes, nor ships, nor ceiling wax
But heavy metals,yum!

Heh heh ~ at least somebody gets me!

"And this was scarcely odd because,
They'd eaten every one!"

[mod edit]
How well and for what, will depend on the individual.

For Mania, I'm guessing[mod edit]is the sweetspot for most women.

Toxicity becomes a real risk between [mod edit], since the dose can go higher depending on a number of factors on your day to day life. To avoid using lithium too high, you can take other mood stabilizers as well with it, as lithium has little interference with them, as it's mechanisms are different from the usual synthetic ones: Lamictal, Tegretol, Trileptal, Depakote, ....

Discuss this possibility with your doctor.

[mod edit]

[mod edit]

Again, talk about this with your doctor.

Lithium toxicity to a degree that is fatal is quite rare, as most of the times, it's VERY symptomatic from start. [mod edit]

The more you pee while keeping the water supply coming in, the more lithium comes out.

Anyways, hope I didnt broke every rule this time, Oliveira.


Lithium is safe, pretty safe. All the bad reputation it gets is beyond my comprehension. By far the less invasive psychotropical medication of all. Not even exagerating.

Another safety tip: Drink a lot of fluids. Electrolytes might get whacked with lithium. [mod edit]

Wouldn't get too happy about sugar, though... Lithium gives many users THE HUNGER.

Hope you do well and do freak out. Lithium is a God sent, even if not as monotherapy.

It doesn't sound like you asked your doctor about his reasoning. Have you? Hearing his explanation might help, and if it doesn't, expressing your concerns probably will.

I'm on 1200 mg of Lithium/night. It works so well for me that it is actually the only thing I take regularly now (I used to take almost 10 different medications.)
If I have breakthrough symptoms, I take Klonopin to knock me down. And, of course, I'm religious about my talk-therapy, which is more beneficial, ultimately, than any medication I've ever taken.

Just to calm your nerves: it is possible to not have major side-effects from Lithium. I have dry mouth, which can be annoying, yes, but other than that? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Just good stuff!

I get my Lithium level checked every few months, but not super-consistently. I was nervous about this, too, but everything has been fine, so far. I've not had any problems, and it has been a few years.

Good luck!

In my experience, below 1200mg-1600mg daily, you have little to worry about. You will know quickly if you're getting too high a dose, as you will start with bad hand tremors. Below that dose, the blood test is more to establish the ideal dose, or therapeutic dose. You want to be around .6 for your lithium level. I've been on it for years, and have only had my levels checked a few times- just more for finding the right dose, rather than to check for toxicity. I think the real scare came from when lithium was first prescribed, as it was poorly understood, and doctors gave really high doses. I think it was believed you needed high doses to get a benefit, and they were literally overdosing patients. People were shaking, vomiting, disoriented, etc. It created a scare and now there is a stigma against prescribing it. I've had no issues whatsoever. If anything, I've had too low of a dose at points. Best.

-- Sun Jul 20, 2014 8:49 pm --

In my experience, below 1200mg-1600mg daily, you have little to worry about. You will know quickly if you're getting too high a dose, as you will start with bad hand tremors. Below that dose, the blood test is more to establish the ideal dose, or therapeutic dose. You want to be around .6 for your lithium level. I've been on it for years, and have only had my levels checked a few times- just more for finding the right dose, rather than to check for toxicity. I think the real scare came from when lithium was first prescribed, as it was poorly understood, and doctors gave really high doses. I think it was believed you needed high doses to get a benefit, and they were literally overdosing patients. People were shaking, vomiting, disoriented, etc. It created a scare and now there is a stigma against prescribing it. I've had no issues whatsoever. If anything, I've had too low of a dose at points. Best.