is it true: lithium once lithium forever

the reason why i resent taking lithium, is that it's said if one takes lithium once he is doomed or codemned to take it forever. is this true ?
i.e. did some of you who took it for a while then stopped it with no dreadful consequences

thx

[ILADVOCATE]

Actually when I was on lithium after a while it stopped being effective so I was transfered to Lamictal without any real problem. Any mood stabilizer should be transfered to another one of course under a psychiatrist's supervision but lithium can be changed in that manner just like anything else.

[adel_ezz]

thanks once more

[moonpanda]

I stopped Lithium and took up Lamictal as well, eventually. My reasons for stopping Lithium were complicated and foolish, but I did it on my own without consulting my doctor. I did become manic, mixed, and depressed in the few months before starting Lamictal, but that's to be expected when one just stops taking a mood stabilizer. Besides that, there were really no withdrawal or side effects that I encountered, to be honest. Just speak with your doctor and you can very easily and safely switch over!

[braccio]

I was on Lithium for 16 years, but went off it because of kidney problems.  It was a wonderful drug for me, but I had to switch over to Depakote.  I had no adverse reactions when switching over.

[hell1971]

I was on lithium for about six months, I got a tremor and it wasnt really doing any good so I came of it with no direct concequences and the tremor disappeared.

[jimgreg]

i was on it..but went sevre toxic on it..although it was a great med 4 me..but no u dont have to stay on any med 4 ever..unless its a blood p problem or cancer related to these areas

[paranoid_cataclysm]

I think what they mean is once you start taking a psych med, you generally have to keep taking that type of psych med because for some reason if you stop taking it your symptoms will return worse than before usually.  Also I was told each time you relapse if you have bipolar disorder, you will recover less than before which should be more incentive to stay on medication.