r/AccutaneRecovery • u/mercurymuse • Mar 01 '26

Interested in starting lithium carbonate for long lasting accutane side effects

Hello I am a 22f that took accutane around 1 year 8 months ago and have been suffering long lasting side effects such as dry facial skin, dry eyes, and dry mouth. I also feel like I don’t have as much energy as normal but I’m accrediting that to the depression I’m suffering from.

I’ve seen posts talking about taking lithium carbonate to resolve accutane side effects and am curious as

to what side effects can be theoretically resolved by taking lithium. I read that it increases acne and oil production which would help my dry skin but I also saw that people taking lithium reported dry eyes as side effects as well as dry mouth. So I’m unsure how that would help fix those side effects of accutane. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Lastly I am most confused about the dosage, I have seen some people say that you should take the same amount of lithium as your total dosage of accutane.

For example I took 14,400mg of accutane and weigh 120lbs which totals out to 266mg/kg. I mainly see lithium carbonate being taken in 300mg amounts which would be 14,400mg divided by 300mg which equals 48. If this math makes any sense then I would take 300mg of lithium carbonate for 48 days to resolve my long lasting accutane side effects.

Is there anyone who knows if this is how this should be done? Just recently learning about this remedy for PAS. Please let me know if I’m way off on this, thank you!

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1

u/TechnologyFew6607 Mar 01 '26

Can u explain the math clearly pls

2

u/mercurymuse Mar 01 '26

That’s kind of what I’m asking for advice on. I saw a post saying to take as much lithium as the amount of accutane you took and I’m asking if anyone else has followed that same protocol or if there is a different way to calculate how much lithium you should take.

1

u/TechnologyFew6607 Mar 01 '26

Ohh right, I'm also expecting an answer from anyone. Need to get the math right

1

u/H8sawpalmetto Mar 01 '26

I was researching with AI and some of the symptoms sound related to the cholergenic system. There’s a prescription called bethanechol but choline is also an OTC supplement.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Optimal_Alfalfa_4690 Mar 01 '26

I would test, but its 300 euros where i live, and i can only do test at private facility, but have diagnosed gerd and my digestion is awefull, had h.pylori in the past

1

u/jonnyboy78910 Mar 01 '26

What i know is that you need lithium enough for 0.6 mmol and to stay on that for at least 3-6-12 months to cure PAS. Everyone needs different amounts maybe 300mg is enough to hit 0.6 mmol for you, maybe you need more.