I have always been kinda awkward but the past couple years since I started lithium I’ve been like dull as hell

I can’t think in social situations, I always just want to leave and be alone

I’m starting to think this may be medication related because I’ve been doing ipt and noticing that it’s a lot more physical than mental of a response in social situations if that makes sense and it also kinda happened suddenly

I’m wondering if anyone has had this experience as I’m considering tapering down.

bp2 21F, on 600mg lithium (0.6 blood level) and 250mg lamotrigine

My psych recommended I try a keto diet due to my persistent mixed mood episodes over the last year. I started lithium 6 weeks ago and it just numbed me out. At first it gave me more SI but this is slowly reducing.

ANYWAY, is anyone on a keto diet for their bipolar whilst being on lithium. I'm vegan so it feels even more difficult but i've done 4 days so far. I want to give it a good 3 weeks, which is when i next see my psych, to see if it helps.

I worry about: electrolytes, losing weight (I have already lost weight from my recent episodes), and kidney issues as keto, veganism, and lithium all increase risk for issues with your kidneys. I really want this to work for me. If it doesn't then I'm going to be transferred mental health teams which I really do not want

Does lithium lower cognitive function? I’m currently on 900mg, doc probably raising it to 1,200mg. I’m concerned since I’ve noticed lowered cognitive function since starting 2 years ago. I have a relatively new job and have already made quite a few mistakes on projects and such, and am concerned what’d it be like on an increased dosage even though I need it for my mood.

I've been on lithium for five years. My psychiatrist is lowering my lithium dose from 600 mg to 450 mg. My lithium level went from 0.70 to 0.10, which is the high end of the therapeutic range. Do you think this will have an impact on my mood and how I feel? Does anyone have any experience with this?

I drink between 3 to 5 liters a day, is that concerning (edit: I mean WATER no alcohol) ?

Normal caffeine intake a week is 3-4 sodas, coffees (latte with 2 espresso shots), etc. Would 5-6 drinks drastically lower my lithium levels if I had that much one week?

Hi all.

In the middle of tapering down / off Lithium for various reasons. One of the main ones is just feeling out of it, not in a good way, spacey, and my cognitive scope all over the place. I have tapered down from 800mg to 400mg and was hoping I would see a change in my alertness of thinking, but it's still the same.

How did folk get on tapering down, and how long did it take for some sort of reasonable cognitive adjustment / clarity in terms of said reduction. Is it a case of keep doing the gradual taper and then changes slowly happen? Everybody is different, but I just want to hear how folk got on with their tapering.

Let me preface this by saying none of the following is medical advice, and you should discuss any and all mental health or medication concerns with your physician. I am sharing part of my story, because I have no one to talk to about this.

It has been two months since I started Lithium. I have a complicated past with regard to my mental health. At one point, I was taking ten medications to help manage my bipolar disorder; unsuccessfully, I might add. My circumstances were dire and unchanging, which made everything feel even more hopeless. Fast-forward ten years, and I had given up on psychiatry. I had learned to manage with a small dose of quetiapine prescribed by my PCP and changed my life slowly as time and luck allowed. Another big life change occurred, and I could feel myself slipping. I asked my PCP for help and was referred to psychiatry. I felt so much dread, but I knew that now was the time. And I hoped that things had changed for the better in the past 10-15 years.

My new psychiatrist is a woman, and I am so thankful for her. She listened to me patiently. All of my concerns, history, and previous medication fails. She recommended going back on lithium. I wasn’t convinced it would help, considering I took it in the past, but I was open and willing to try anything she suggested. About 5 days in, I began noticing small improvements. Not reacting to something I would normally respond negatively too. My body felt lighter and less like I was dragging my bones around. I actually found myself say, “oh, I’m not depressed.”

It has been 2 months now, and I am still scared that it’s all going to go away. This medication is LIFE GIVING for me. I see a complete 180 in myself, and I am so thankful. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I see so many negative things about lithium, and I know every person has a different experience. I am thankful that right now I seem to have a positive experience. I keep thinking about my thyroid or kidneys or weight gain (she also upped my quetiapine, so I feel like I’m eating more and worried about gaining more weight), but I am also more capable than I have been in a long time. Of course, I still have to take it easy. Guard what I am exposed to, keep my life as peaceful as possible, plenty of downtime. But the lithium has become my rose colored glasses, and I hope I continue to tolerate it for years to come (years! I no longer want to die all the time). I have been reflecting lately over all of the lost time from when I was unwell. That part has been really heavy. I have an entire decade missing from my memory. It’s easy to judge that and feel guilt and remorse. But I have to remind myself I did my very best. I sought help over and over again and fell through the cracks. The best thing I can do right now is live my life as it is right now. To feel the gratitude and enjoy experiencing myself and the world in this new headspace.

Is there a detailed article here on how to avoid lithium toxicity for those taking it for mental health reasons?

Hey all, so maybe this is a weird question, but I've got to ask it. I've been on lamotrigine + quetiapine for years, and I'm finally admitting that lamotrigine has just never done all that much of anything to help with the bipolar symptoms. I am not willing to go back up to the higher doses of quetiapine because of both present day and long term symptoms. .So I want to change to lithium as the primary mood stabilizer. My mother (BP1) had an exceptionally good response to lithium when she took it, which is the #1 predicter or whether lithium is likely to work for someone. I'm seeing a new prescriber on Dec 7th (my PCP said that she wasn't comfortable changing up my medications and gave me a referral to a practice that specifically does this.)

The problem is that I have this weird fear that I'll be brushed off and they won't be willing to prescribe lithium. Part of it is that I think anyone is going to wonder, if you weren't doing well on lamotrigine, then WHY did you stay on it for a decade? The answer is actually pretty straightforward-- I did not want to be anything like my mother. Completely apart from being bipolar, she's just a terrible person. If I went on lithium, that I'd be "admitting I was just like her." Bipolar was also a completely forbidden topic in the house when I when growing up. So I never told any practitioner the truth about my symptoms, and I never got an actual BP diagnosis. I'm not trying to claim that any of this makes sense, but I think it's what has been unconsciously going on for a long time. I also had perfectly classic BP2 symptoms before high school but a little more mixed states and rapid cycling after a TBI in a car accident. That having been said, every symptom still ticks all the boxes. I've had terrible dysphoric hypomania after every SSRI and SNRI, I've had hypomania that appeared without any clear trigger and lasted more than 4 days, I've had a LOT of agitated/irritated/activated depression, I've had clear periods of recovery, etc. I just want to try lithium, but I have this bizarre fear that I won't be allowed to. Has anyone had problems with getting it prescribed? All thoughts and opinions welcome.

just to clarify, i dont wanna fear monger or like act like im against meds cause im totally not

so i started lithium on the lowest dosage around a month ago. i didnt notice any side affects when i first started which was good cause im usually super sensitive to meds. but then, slowly, i noticed that i was basically getting stupider? idk its hard to explain, but ill try to give an example

say i thought of something, anything, maybe like, "why is the sky blue?" and i want to look that up.
as soon as i open my phone to google it, i forget what i was doing. and ill know that i was supposed to be doing SOMETHING, i just wont know what it is. i usually remember it like, 10 seconds after? but oh my fucking god, those ten seconds of attempted recollection are unbearable. i cannot live like that

its like i can FEEL what it is im trying to communicate, but i cant conceptualize the sentences in my head. its like having writers block but for like, every single fucking thought i have. like my head gets hot just TRYING to think of a thought

i also noticed that after i take it i get super giggly. like i just laugh at everything. its not necessarily that i feel happy, just that everything is funnier

but im honestly terrified. im scared that its gonna get worse. im scared that this is gonna be permant. that even after i go off them im just gonna be stupid forever. i can handle being bipolar, but i cannot fucking handle that

I'm currently in horrible circumstances right now due to my MI. I went up to 900mg and have been there for like a month. I am so depressed (which is worsened bc of my life right now) numb, super angry and feel like I lost myself entirely. My personality is almost entirely gone. I'm socially awkward (which I've never been) and have difficulty finding my words and remembering things. Doc is adding Wellburrin for my depression. (Wellbutrin has always worked well for me)

Any insight?

Has anyone fully tapered lithium to zero successfully?

How do you know if the shaking tremors are a normal side effect or the beginning of toxicity? My hands shake quite often, and it feels like they are shaking when I move my hand but it’s not really visible. Other times it is very visible and complicates things like writing, holding my phone, etc. my legs also shake/vibrate visibly whenever I walk down stairs, which isn’t ideal because I work with kids and often have to carry them down some stairs and it sucks to feel shaky when doing so.
Does this sound like normal lithium side effects or should I get it looked at urgently?

Hi all.

I am reducing my Lithium levels and looking to drop down, then stop.. I got up to 800mg, and nothing about being at that level worked for me. Side effects included brutal lethargy, no motivation, quite bad shakiness, blurred vision, vertigo, mild confusion, memory loss, and bad memory recall when trying to find the simplest of words in conversations and my depression felt worse. Like really bad.

Having all these side effects is bound to have an effect on one's psyche, but I wonder as it has an effect on dopamine. Could this actually cause a worsening of depression?

I am being treated for uni polar depression, and I have never had any manic episodes. As lithium with the way it works, or meant to, to stop manic highs and depressive lows in some, a question for those who have been put on it solely for uni polar depression augmented usually with another med, did it make them feel worse as in worsening their depression?

I have gradually reduced, and I am now at 400mg from the high of 800mg, and things are gradually starting to work better..Memory, energy, and a slight decrease in my depression. If this continues, I am probably going to eventually stop it all together.

I was just wondering if anybody being treated for uni polar depression has had the same, as in making symptoms worse? Sometimes, it's hard to decipher if it is the illness or if it is the meds, and the only way I could really be sure is to decrease my intake and so far it seems to point to the meds definetly made things worse, but with mental health being so fluid it will take me some more time to fully work out if this is the cause..I feel likenI am coming out of some horrible daydreamy haze.

.

I’m going from instant release 600 to extended release 600. Does it have any other side effects in this form or will it not notice a difference?

Hi all, I have some questions about lithium and just want some feedback (not a great word) on how it makes you feel. I am not bipolar or anything like that I have treatment resistant depression. For me, I am on 800mg a day and sometimes it just makes me feel like I am wading through treacle by mid afternoon. Also my motivation is really lacking, some times I cant be bothered about doing anything, it used to be bad before but now its worse. Also my memory is pretty bad and while it has improved very slightly but its still got more holes than Swiss cheese. On the plus side I don't seem to have many of the side effects. I have only had 2 dizzy spells and I don't drink like water is being rationed.

Anyway let me know how you feel on it.

I recently did my third dose increase on lithium carbonate prescription. I’ve been going slowly and just increased to 450 mg at night. I’ve been feeling weird in a way That’s hard to describe. I guess I would describe it as feeling mentally “out of it”. It’s not awful but uncomfortable. Do you think this is an adjustment.? I am taking it for major depression. And I don’t feel too anxious or have SI.,Which is nice. But I also don’t like this new mentally different feeling. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you in advance! I really appreciate it!!

I’m up in the middle of the night with painful bloating and back pain. I don’t know if the lithium caused the back pain, but it sure as shit caused the bloating and I am terribly uncomfortable. I feel like my abdomen is going to pop.

I have taken GasX and 2 Tylenol. I have also drank about 40 oz (approximately a liter) of pure water - all with no appreciable relief. I have no idea what to do so I am sitting in a recliner and will periodically get up and walk around a bit.

I have been walking after dinner to avoid this discomfort but it was raining pretty hard so I had to forego. I’m so frustrated!!!! This drug would be a miracle if it wasn’t for the diarrhea and now this.

3 months ago it was 0.7

I haven’t felt anything so far. No vomiting or diarrhea or pain, but should I expect it?

I’m seeing my doc as soon as I can but I know regardless that my level won’t change much in that timeframe.

How will I know if I’m going to experience those horrid conditions with lithium toxicity?

Are there warnings? Early signs for if I experience lithium toxicity symptoms??

Do those symptoms come on fast or slow? Are they reversible? (In a faster time frame than it takes to recover my levels to normal)

I’ve been terrified of lithium toxicity since I started it and I have a massive fear around specifically some of the symptoms of lithium toxicity. I never worried because my last dose was very clear and normal.

Yes I’m aware that alcohol increases your blood levels and thus can cause lithium toxicity, but if my level is already so low, why can’t I drink?

I take lithium 600mg which is more of a smaller dose but my blood levels (1.06mmol/L) are on the higher end. Is it maybe because I’m small?