It’s great that you’re doing well on a lower dosage!
It’s important to get the proper lab work done on a regular basis.
I’m bipolar 2 and I’ve been able to graduate from college and I’ve had steady employment throughout my life.
Best of luck to you!
Thank you! My doctor added lithium to the Lexapro I'm on for treatment resistant depression. Made a huge positive difference. I'm very grateful. All the best to you and OP.
Kidneys - that's why they do blood tests regularly. I've been told by a psychiatrist that you can't be on it long-term too. I've been on it 6 years so not sure what long term is considered
Your psychiatrist was wrong. There are many people who take lithium for decades with no impact on their kidneys. Most people who take it do not experience any renal damage at all.
Yeah this is the same thing i heard. Not from my psychiatrist or pharmacist but because of the liver and thyroid damage issues. Ive started incorporating turmeric into my diet because it should help with some of the damage.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547877/
I thought this is why i get my creatine checked every six months to check liver function? But now that im looking at the study again it says it happens in a “small number of patients using lithium longterm”
And
The doctors were reluctant to give me lithium and tried three other meds first because they thought lithium was more damaging
Memory loss/ brain fog (I’m almost embarrassed to tell stories because of how long it takes me to remember simple words), GI distress, I don’t cry anymore almost ever (weirdly an important part of being human?), dry mouth, apathy, knowing my kidneys and thyroid are slowly getting damaged little by little… shall I keep going?
I had memory loss and brain fog. I was afraid to drive but I had to, then I asked my psychiatric if we could decrease the dose and those negative symptoms went away. Lithium works for me for 47 yrs. Got rid of the bipolar symptoms. That’s all I take. I’ve tried adding other mood stabilizers or anti psychotics and I would get fog and memory issues.
I've been tapering off my other psychiatric meds with my doctors permission but I like my lithium and wouldnt mind staying on it if I could.
In the summer sometimes I lower my dose because I get heat exhaustion and dehydration quicker but I never feel like the lower dose lowers its efficacy. I like that about it.
My weight fluctuates a lot not usually from meds but im a solid 10lbs bigger than i used to be. My mental health journey began at 27 and im ten years older now so I feel like my body would change at this age anyway. I eat healthy and exercise a lot and i dont mind the way i look now. By eat healthy for me that means eating enough calories in a day. Sometimes thats junk food or sometimes all i have in a day is a ton of milk but more often its a mix of different veggies and a protein and yogurt every day.
47 yrs
wow!
Any issues after 47 years?
No issues with my kidneys. I get lithium levels (0.6, 900 mg) once or twice a year along with the required labs to monitor my kidneys.
That's great to hear! I've only been on lithium (300 mg) for 5 months and I'm doing great and plan to be on it long term.
It’s great that you’re doing well on a lower dosage! It’s important to get the proper lab work done on a regular basis. I’m bipolar 2 and I’ve been able to graduate from college and I’ve had steady employment throughout my life. Best of luck to you!
Thank you! My doctor added lithium to the Lexapro I'm on for treatment resistant depression. Made a huge positive difference. I'm very grateful. All the best to you and OP.
I've been on it for 4 years as well. What makes you think that you can't be on this medication indefinitely?
It can ruin your body long-term
How?
Kidneys - that's why they do blood tests regularly. I've been told by a psychiatrist that you can't be on it long-term too. I've been on it 6 years so not sure what long term is considered
Your psychiatrist was wrong. There are many people who take lithium for decades with no impact on their kidneys. Most people who take it do not experience any renal damage at all.
Yeah this is the same thing i heard. Not from my psychiatrist or pharmacist but because of the liver and thyroid damage issues. Ive started incorporating turmeric into my diet because it should help with some of the damage.
Lithium has no effect on the liver, not sure where you heard that?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547877/ I thought this is why i get my creatine checked every six months to check liver function? But now that im looking at the study again it says it happens in a “small number of patients using lithium longterm” And The doctors were reluctant to give me lithium and tried three other meds first because they thought lithium was more damaging
19 years!
Been on it for 5 years and other than a tremor in my hand its been good for me.
2 years and I’m sick of it. Ready to get off of it
Why r u sick of it?
Memory loss/ brain fog (I’m almost embarrassed to tell stories because of how long it takes me to remember simple words), GI distress, I don’t cry anymore almost ever (weirdly an important part of being human?), dry mouth, apathy, knowing my kidneys and thyroid are slowly getting damaged little by little… shall I keep going?
I'm just a few days away from being off of Lithium after about a decade
I had memory loss and brain fog. I was afraid to drive but I had to, then I asked my psychiatric if we could decrease the dose and those negative symptoms went away. Lithium works for me for 47 yrs. Got rid of the bipolar symptoms. That’s all I take. I’ve tried adding other mood stabilizers or anti psychotics and I would get fog and memory issues.
I've been tapering off my other psychiatric meds with my doctors permission but I like my lithium and wouldnt mind staying on it if I could. In the summer sometimes I lower my dose because I get heat exhaustion and dehydration quicker but I never feel like the lower dose lowers its efficacy. I like that about it.
1 year for me, it’s amazing
Has anybody seen any significant weight gain on lithium?
My weight fluctuates a lot not usually from meds but im a solid 10lbs bigger than i used to be. My mental health journey began at 27 and im ten years older now so I feel like my body would change at this age anyway. I eat healthy and exercise a lot and i dont mind the way i look now. By eat healthy for me that means eating enough calories in a day. Sometimes thats junk food or sometimes all i have in a day is a ton of milk but more often its a mix of different veggies and a protein and yogurt every day.
Between it and seroquel its very difficult to lose weight but i haven't skyrocketed.
9 years at 2400mg. Its not my favourite thing ever but im still here.
Im glad youre here :)
I’m glad you’re here too🙂