Comments for this is your brain on lithium

Comment on Merry Xmas! by matt

matt — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:04:28 +0000

i know how you feel…xmas a disaster here too..stopped lithium 3 days ago…and not going back

Comment on Lithium by Pythia

Pythia — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:33:33 +0000

Sarah, my guess is yes. That is one of the side-effects. I hadn’t been able to lose the weight I had put on until I started taking Wellbutrin (bupropion)in addition to the lithium.

Comment on Teaser by Pythia

Pythia — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:08:22 +0000

Um, I was pregnant for three months and then miscarried.

Comment on I’m on Drugs by Pythia

Pythia — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:07:05 +0000

Um, guess what. About three months after this, I found out that I had been pregnant—the real reason I couldn’t stay awake for more than a couple of hours at a time.

Comment on Lithium by sarah

sarah — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:17:14 +0000

My mum has been taking lithium since she was 16 after being diagnosed with bi-polar!

She was very slim when she was younger but has put on a lot of weight in her early 20’s and never lost it. she never tries to lose it and swims and everthing but is still overweight!

could this be down to taking lithium?

Comment on Lithium by Pythia

Pythia — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:38:58 +0000

Well, I’m still on 150mg Lamictal and 300mg lithium and doing rather well. (Funny how I stop posting when I feel better.) I think since the last update (might be a good idea to put a date on the updates–commenting might work better) I switched from I don’t remember what to 100mg Wellbutrin, and then about three months ago, went up to 150 mg on that, which is working great. Oh, and something that is really helpful is that my doctor is ok with me taking extra lithium (only another 300mg–doubling up the dose) when I need it. “When I need it” is when I start staying up all night, bouncing off the walls, suddenly become the best poet ever, or just really wound up and anxious–but mostly for the last. I much prefer taking an extra dose of lithium for a few days to doping myself up with Xanax or its friends. Yes, my mind still goes fuzzy, and I kind of get holes in my mind, but that goes away when I go back to the regular dose, and, more importantly, it works so much better. It’s like the difference between taking aspirin for a tension headache and getting a neck massage to make the headache actually go away.

CC, if you haven’t tried lithium, you might want to, just to see how you react to it, see if it helps. From what I’ve read and from my own experience, Lamictal works ok as a maintenance medication; in other words, it works best once you’ve gotten the symptoms under control with another med first, but it sounds like the side-effects are a little much for you anyway. As for Seroquel, when I took Seroquel, I literally could not get out of bed, because I couldn’t stay awake long enough to put my feet on the floor. It was bad. That said, I have a very successful, university-professor friend for whom it works wonders. You just have to find what works for you. Unfortunately, you have to become your own chemistry experiment (and your doctor’s) to do so.

Comment on Lithium by s. merrington

s. merrington — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:36:31 +0000

i have been on lithium for 25years. ialso take nardil iwas really poorly until put on these drugs/ doctor said i would relapse if i came off them. ihave afew side affects butiwould rather feel well.

Comment on Lithium by CC

CC — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:32:50 +0000

I took Lamictal and had terrible nightmares on it. Felt like I would jump out of my own skin, at times. The higher the dose, the worse my response. Went back down to 100mg Lamictal, added 25mg Seroquel and had better results. No longer on Lamictal but feeling the need to get back on a medication. Not sure I can handle the weird and upsetting dreams on Lamictal, however…

Comment on Lithium by Renee

Renee — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:52:10 +0000

I have been on lithium for 21 years. I progressed up to 900 mg about 6 years ago. Several years ago I tried to lower the dose and had major problems. I took Lamictal for about 6 years but my knee joints began to hurt and I discontinued it. I also have been on Ritalin and then Concerta when it came out for 21 years. I have searched for info on long-term use of these drugs and aging bipolar/ADHD. Not much luck.

I would be interested in hearing about other long-term lithium users.

Take care.

Comment on Lithium by nicole vega

nicole vega — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:12:31 +0000

im 15 and i have been studying lithium and its uses for a while i think its fascinating. i wish to become a physiatrist when im older. I wish all of you the best.