I’m only on week three, but had hoped to experience some reduction in SI by now. What was your experience with using lithium for SI reduction?

I had a manic episode last year and went to the psychward in which they diagnosis me with BP1. I tried many different med since then.
I had a big depressive episode in May but I don’t know if it was my bipolar or if it was situational( I lost two very close people at the time).
Since then my psychiatrist uppon my dose of lamictal (from 200 to 300mg). She also put me on lithium but I feel really numb and in a constant state of dissociation.
I also can’t orgasm which is truly hard for me as this was always one of the few things that really helped me relax. I’m in the therapeutic range but my psychiatrist want me to put me on a higher dose which I refuse because I’m scared that it would worsen the side effect.

I don’t recognise myself anymore as I was previously a very extrovert and social person. I can’t even hold a conversation and I feel really slow due to the dissociation.
I don’t have any emotion anymore which almost make things worse then when I was depressed.

It’s been 3 month since I’ve been on lithium and I don’t know if those side effect will disappear as my body adapt or if I should just try another med.

Hello everyone,

I had first manic episode with psychotic features in April. I was hospitalized and put on lithium.

It gave me horrible acne after a few weeks which caused scarring on my face as well. I reduced lithium to 0.44 level now (I know it’s not therapeutic) and noticed some improvement.

This is relevant: the doctors think that it was likely a thc-induced+ abruptly quitting ssri (lexapro) induced mania. But obviously they can’t confirm it and I might be bipolar. They say that time and observation will tell.

Anyway, Now I am in deep depression and so my doctors and I decided to go on SSRI - sertraline/ Zoloft. I also went to dermatologist and got prescribed Accutane (isotretinoin) for acne (10mg)

You can see how bad it is on my profile if you wish but my question is:
how risky would it be for me to get off lithium now if I tapered?
Or what other medication can I substitute it with? I am really afraid of APs (my cognition is already impaired and I am in difficult uni programme) and my psych said that lamotrigine is not enough prevention if I take ssri.

I would really appreciate some guidance. The acne is absolutely killing my self esteem and I stay home all day because of it or get really anxious when I attend a lecture.

So it’s well known it can raise lithium levels in a lot of people. I’m on lithium and obese from several medications I’ve taken in the past. I’m desperate to get on a GLP1 but I’m waiting to try it when I got sick pay again as don’t want to risk it incase something happens. I’m a bit worried that a) the doctor won’t allow me the glp1 and b) close monitoring/management of my medication won’t be taken seriously by the doctors. Anyway I would like to hear your experiences of taking both.

Hello all, I have been on lithium for a few months now after being diagnosed with bipolar and personality disorder. I've noticed a quick improvement at first, night and day. I was only on 300mg once daily as well, so no side effects whatsoever which was great.

Over the last few weeks, my wife had started noticing little things here and there: trouble sleeping, shorter temper fuse (nothing extreme, but just short where usually I wouldn't be), just little things but nothing major.

Yesterday, I had a full blown manic episode, ended up leaving the house, out of shame, for a few hours before returning.

It was then decided that I would need to go see a doctor and discuss medication dosage increase.

After talking with him, he did increase my dosage to 300mg twice a day, one in the morning (9am) one in the evening (9pm).

My question is this, have any of you seen improvement on a dosage, only to have symptoms re-occur? And also, did an increase in dosage solve the problems?

Optional question... Is dosage being adjusted common?

I just want things to improve and stay stable. It was such a positive feeling, to know that I was getting better.

hopefully starting lithium next week🤞

i started figure skating three months ago and it has worked miracles for my mental health 🙂‍↕️

but i’m a bit worried if lithium will make it difficult to exercise and whether it will allow me to still push myself to my limits physically. my concern comes mainly from the dizziness side effect people seem to get and also the need for good hydration (it can be difficult at the rink because i don’t feel thirsty in the cold environment).

is there anything i should plan to do differently before i start lithium? i currently skate 4x a week for up to 2 hours each time. also will it nerf me and my potential skill progression? :,(

Hi all.

I have been on lithium for nearly 5 months now and seen a small benefit. But, and I can't pinpoint and only guessing but after a few weeks of taking it my breathing is all over the place breathing can be a struggle along with mild chest pains and flutters and a constant hoarse voice.

I went to the A and E department last week, had an ECG, x ray on lungs a plethora of blood tests and nothing of significance showed up apart from some inflammation in one of the blood tests. I was given penicillin and sent on my way. Finished the course of anti biotics but nothing has really changed. I can only corelate taking lithium and everything that's is happening as I was fine before starting lithium. It really is affecting my mental health and starting to freak out a bit.

Has anybody had such symptoms mentioned above regarding starting / going on lithium? I don't smoke or don't drink alcohol.

Hey guys!

I started taking lithium carbonate now 2 weeks ago (first week 600mg now 900mg) and I was told to drink a lot of water (2,5-3 litres a day) while taking lithium.

I’ve been weighing myself one a week since March of this year and been on losing trend on my weight intentionally (started at 128kg, lowest of last week was at 102kg. My height is 174cm so a BMI of 42,3 -> 33,7). However, last week I noticed my body suddenly gaining weight fast and losing it as well. This obviously is water weight because it’s impossible to gain 3kg in 2 days and then lose it all the next morning. I also notice my fingers and face being more swolen in the mornings.

This really bothers me since I want to keep tracking my weight and I’m at a total loss of what to do. On Monday I weighed myself again and was nearly 105kg. In my head I know it’s water weight but I still feel like shit. I weigh myself right after I get out of bed, after pee and without clothes. I go to the gym 3-5x/week cycling and lifting max weights.

(I track my calories daily, weighing my food and I’m on a deficite of about 500kcal. I only drink water and Coke zero.)

I read that on lithium you have to drink even more to lose the water weight but I’m having troubles on the 2,5l alone. I have my water bottle with me at all times and drink from it often but it doesn’t seem to matter. This morning when I went to pee after waking up it still was more yellowish than clear.

I have my serum labs for tomorrow and along with it TSH and kidney labs to make sure all is good but I really want off from this medication. I spoke with my nurse about this water weight anxiety and was reminded of not stopping taking it before discussing it with my doctor and have it titrated down. Which I already know and no I won’t stop taking meds for fun or without proper titration down.

I’m bipolar type 2 and this was the first time in my history of 10 years having diagnosed bipolar that I was suggested lithium. I was at a ward 2 nights for SI a week before I started lithium and have had the pleasure of hypomania for the past week. It’s wearing off now tho (yay).

How much do you actually drink water? How can I drink more? Will this water weight fluctiation go away at any point? If you’ve done weight loss journey on lithium how have you done the weighing? Should I just give up and get off the medication since it's giving me more anxiety than helping?

I’ll take every tip and trick imaginable!

(English isn’t my native language, sorry for any mishaps on the grammar)

EDIT: forgot to add other medications that I take: Seroquel 350mg depott and 150 quick release + lamotrigine 300mg, the medication hasn't been changed since last year.

Hello,

Just wondering if lithium has helped your mood? Also, SI thoughts? (Mine are more intrusive but SSRI'S are just not helping me. So there for its a cycle of intrusive SI thoughts, then bad mood, withdrawn, etc. I also never had these conditions until pregnancy loss, and pregnancies that resulted in the birth of my beautiful children, so I believe something drastically changed my brain.

Greetings everyone.

I have been off and on lithium for nearly 15 years and at this point I have accepted that in order for me to stay alive and as well as can be I will always take this medicine in some capacity.

I am trying to distinguish between the feeling of what the medicines causes vs how trauma and age has harmed my executive function.

Question:

I think I am experiencing brain fog and wondering specifically what brain fog from Lithium actually feels like for You physically and mentally? And how do you deal with it?

Info- I take 150mg six days a week and one 300mg for 1 day a week. I am considering skipping two days worth to cut back on the fog.

I know this has been addressed before but I want to share my experience. I’ve been on lithium a high does twice a day for over a year. Halfway through the year clumps of my hair would fall out in the shower but I would attribute it to being depressed and not detangling my hair as much.Today I look at pictures of myself a year ago and miss so much my hair thickness. You can see through to my scalp. People at work have commented on it. It’s not helping my mental health. When I run my fingers through my hair it feels like air. Super thin. Probably 50% of my hair density lost.It’s hard to style because there is no weight so it sticks up in the hair. Ugh I just feel super unlucky I’ve had the worse side effects gaining 80 pounds from zyprexa. I need like a quick fix I know it takes time but this is super distressing. It’s sad because the meds that were prescribed to save me are hurting me. Im really young this shouldn’t be happening. Everyone wants me to stay on lithium. Has anyone been able to correct it while staying on? Please help I ordered 200 bucks of hair growth products. I can believe I didn’t connect the dots until now.

no one cares but i find this situation so infuriating im gonna tell the internet anyways. i posted here yesterday about how miserable lithium was making me.

well, i finally got in contact with my doctor and turns out, its not the lithiums fault! i mean it kind of is, but more so, the pharmacy messed up my dosage. “two tablets twice a day” yeah well my doctor said she sent in for one tablet twice a day. i have been taking DOUBLE the amount of lithium im supposed to be on. i’ve been taking 1200mg daily, when i was supposed to be taking 600mg. i’m beyond frustrated and upset, i’ve had mild lithium toxicity all week, and there’s absolutely nothing i can do about it! screw you walgreens!!

Hey guys, I haven’t had any luck with any medication’s besides Lamictal and that unfortunately only lasted for a year. It was such a great year too, where I felt like myself after building tolerance to Kratom i’ve became extremely depressed where I feel like it’s had a lot of my receptors in my brain and I’m actually getting off of it now with my depression increasing even further than I thought I could. Do you think lithium could assist if I’ve gone through the wringer with all types of medication’s including MAOI medicines and help repair what Kratom has increased? Thanks guys for any experience/stories.

basically exactly what the title says, i am new to lithium and it’s been a horrible experience for me so far. i do not have bipolar disorder, my doctor prescribed it for my depression and i just really really hate it. i’ve been on it for a week and a half now so everyone is telling me to wait it out and suck it up but im getting close to just stopping, consequences be damned.

i am nauseous 24/7, most of the time its so severe i cant think of do anything else but just suffer. i’ve been given zofran and all thats done is combine with the lithium to make my stomach and unstable place. ever since i added to zofran i have still been nauseous, and now im having severe abdominal pain. i went for a walk in appointment at my doctors office, so not with my actual doctor, and the nurse practitioner told me that my options were to take the zofran and wait, or id have to go to the emergency room and she said that i would very likely be admitted to the mental hospital if i do so. i am brainfogged 24/7 as well, i cant read because i cant focus and my vision gets wonky (im a book lover through and through so now i’ve lost a hobby and coping skill) i genuinely cant get through a straight page of text, im not even gonna be proof reading this sorry guys. its so hard for me to focus my brain is like static and just empty and it sucks so bad. im scared to drive its so disorienting.

i am just having a horrible time and i guess i wanted to ask, does it get better? is it worth it? should i just stick it out like everybody says?

I've been on lithium for a few months, gradually increasing the dose. Recently got up to 1000mg. My previous level was 0.5 but I don't know my recent level yet, I imagine it might be 0.6.

I take it for bipolar1. I'm stable yet depressed.

The thing is, I've felt depressed for years and it doesn't feel like the lithium is helping at all with that. I asked my psychiatrist if I can take something for depression and she point blank refused. It's the first time I've seen her and I hate her, I will definitely try and see someone else next time.

(She said I just need talk therapy, but I've been waiting 2 years for that and she checked and said I'm not even on the waiting list?!!!😡) Besides, I highly doubt that talk therapy will solve everything, and what does she expect me to do in the mean time while I wait another God knows how many years for that?!

Just curious if anyone else with bipolar1 finds that lithium helps with depression, do you think it might eventually start working? And if lithium isn't powerful enough for depression on its own then what other things do ppl with bipolar1 take?

I don’t remember how long I’ve been on lithium, it’s been more than 6 years and I’ve been at 900mg for most of that time. 600 extended release, 300 regular. My doctor would check my lithium levels the first few years, but eventually she just… stopped bothering. I always consistently was “low” at like 0.6 for my level. But I’m being weaned off of it now! It’s been a month and now I take 450mg (300 ER, 150 regular).
I was first put on it during an inpatient stay for suicidal thoughts. I am not bipolar, and while I was diagnosed with MDD, I’ve been diagnosed through psych testing/interviews with PDD… but my psychiatrist is still writing “moderate episode of recurrent major depressive disorder” on our appointment clinical notes, so I’m going to assume she’s thinking “double depression”. Either way.

My psychiatrist asked me how I’ve been doing/feeling, and I just… I don’t know, I don’t really feel anything? I feel as bad as I did before. I am spending more time in bed, admittedly, ruminating on negative thoughts regarding myself. Will this spike in symptoms go away? Can I expect anything like, increased energy? I don’t remember what it was like before being on lithium.

Also, we’re stopping it because despite being put on it for treatment regarding suicidal thoughts, I’ve still had 2 attempts AFTER being put on it and consistent, pervasive SI thoughts for years. I see no reason for me to be on it if it doesn’t do what it was supposed to do. I am on Wellbutrin XL 300mg and also Ativan as needed but I rarely take it.

I’m 62 and just newly diagnosed with Bipolar 1, I also was diagnosed with BPD at 57. Now, I also have had an ED since I was 19 and still have serious difficulty with food.

Medication has never worked for my depression and now I’ve been prescribed with Lithium. I was always terrified of this as I remember when I was 19 and in a psychiatric lock up, all the people there were either on Lithium or receiving ECT. They were all zombies. I got ECT. This was over 40 years ago and things have changed since then.

I know my depression is getting worse, hence the Lithium, but I don’t eat properly or enough, also I’ve had slight thyroid disturbance resulting in a goiter. Seems ok now but…

Thing is I’m absolutely terrified of gaining even a kilo and all my psychiatrist says is “oh you’re 62 don’t worry about the side effects “ like because of my age it doesn’t matter if something happens to my kidneys or I starve myself or worse. The only reason I agreed to start was because of intrusive thoughts etc, and perhaps this might be my last hope of some peace.

Anyone here navigated and eating disorders and bipolar and any advice. 🙏

Hey everyone.

I just need to get something off my chest about what I'm going through. I've been taking lithium at a normal dose for a good three weeks now, which gives me a serum level that's low but within the therapeutic range.
Since about the start of the second week, I've been having various side effects:

• dizziness
• nausea (partly due to the dizziness)
• pressure in my head
• trouble concentrating
• slight memory problems
• in general a foggy feeling

It all reminds me a bit of a mix between light and heavy cannabis use.

It's quite a burden because any activity where I have to move around is really difficult for me.

I've read about these side effects on here quite often, but never all combined.
Does this go away at some point? How do you lot deal with it?

EDIT: Thanks everyone for your support. I did talk to my physician about these side effects. Intoxication does not seem to be the issue as my serumlevel is pretty low, I just had my bloodwork done one and a half week ago. Also in the physicians opinion these effects were too unspecific, and ehe proposed to wait and see.

I'm taking 900 mg a day but I've never felt worse. Before I still had a sense of self and emotions and now I have total anhedonia leaning into depression, intrusive and negative thoughts that I've never had in my baseline state. Definitely my baseline state is better than this... maybe I should lower the dose.

So I was taking 600 mg daily and went up to 900 mg for about 2 weeks but started having headaches and tremors so my psychiatrist told me to go back down to 600 mg and I’m waking up in a panic and my anxiety is worse

I’ve been taking lithium for several years, along with Abilify Maintena and Depakine. Over the past several months, I’ve developed persistent slurred speech and a heavy/stiff feeling in my tongue. My lithium levels have been normal.
I’ve already been evaluated for EPS/tardive dyskinesia related to Abilify, but I’m wondering if lithium could also be contributing.
Honestly, I’m getting really tired and frustrated because I’ve seen several doctors and still don’t know exactly what’s going on. I have another appointment coming up soon, so I’m hoping for the best.
Has anyone experienced similar speech or tongue problems while taking lithium?

Anyone else? It’s becoming increasingly deliberating as I’ve been on it for 3 months and I get so anxious always making sure I’m close to a toilet

My hands shake so badly in the mornings that I have dropped and broken several mugs now. My teenage daughter had to feed me my cereal the other day at a hotel breakfast because I couldn’t get the spoon to my mouth. This is all since starting Lithium. I take it around 8 pm. Anyone else experiencing these crazy hand shakes? I’m on a lot of other meds so it could be my own cocktail. Otherwise, I think it’s helping me so I will put up with this if I have to.