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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Lithium level dropping
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
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Lithium level dropping
by jcn, Jun 03, 2002 12:00AM
shalom to all. i am the father of yaron who was diagnosed 3 years ago as being bipolar. yaron is 27 and showed no visible sighns of bipolar disorder until 3 years ago when he returned home from trip abroad. since then we have been riding the bipolar roller coaster. yarons last manic "attack" was about 6 weeks ago, this despite the fact that he was on lithium with a level of .8 on a blood test taken on the day he was admitted to the hospital. my question is the following: yaron is currently taking a daily "coctail" of 1800mmg Lithium,400mmg tegratol, 15mmg Zyprexa, and .5mmg Clonex(before bedtime}. his lithium level after initialy climbing to.9 has for the last 4weeks continued to drop until the current level of .48... assuming that he his taking his pills as required why the drop? is there evidence anywhere that coctails such as his can can act as lithium blocks? and if so what to do.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Jun 04, 2002 12:00AM
, Jun 04, 2002 12:00AM
There is no evidence that these cocktails block lithium uptake, but it is quite common to see lithium levels drop when the patient is in a manic state, at which time the neurochemistry seems to take over.
Also, to ensure that the proper dose is actually being taken, switching to the liquid form of lithium is recommended, especially when in the hospital.
Also, to ensure that the proper dose is actually being taken, switching to the liquid form of lithium is recommended, especially when in the hospital.
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