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lithiem??

i went toxic on this med 6 monthes ago..the doc has tried other meds..this was the only one that helped me..but went toxic on it  very bad time  with it..but below 900 mgs was great..when i went from 600 mgs to 900 mg  i went toxic in about a mointh....my levels were .6  at 600 aday..then the toxic level was 2xx,s the rate i was 3......let me hear your story's if you went toxic on this and  whatr did they do..i heard alot of people go toxic then get right back on it...my kidney is good..and also the thyroid is good....was checked after  last time also....thanks all  james
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Avatar universal
Dear jimgreg,
I have been on lithium er, 450mg x2 for around eight maybe nine years. I have blood work up every three months.  It is responsible for affecting  my thyroid and some day I am pretty sure it will kill it.  But Lamictal, Depakote andy of the second and third generation stabilizers, I have not tolerated.
Do you have routine blood tests?  Do you juice and over water your internal body?
I hate the fact that it is probably the cause of my lack of creativety, but I love the part about living in a city known for gambling and I am safe.

Sorry you went toxic

zzzmykids
Helpful - 0
883607 tn?1241847511
the missing word is "mood-stabilizer" - (must have pasted it from somewhere)
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883607 tn?1241847511
Lithium is the oldest and easily the most studied ************** for bipolars.
Efficacy serum range is 0.4 to 1.2 mmol/L. Toxicity can commence at around 1.4 and onwards.
I went toxic (1.7) some months age (this was related to kidney function issues eminating from a bad adverse drug reaction).
My symptoms were bad headaches and moderate to bad tremours.
I ceased lithium for 4 days and then recommenced (900 mg/day) without problems.
One last comment I would make is that studies have shown that the slow release version has slightly fewer side effects.
PM me if you need detail.
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585414 tn?1288941302
I'm sorry. As I remember you were starting Lamictal. That didn't work out? I know you've seen this list of mood stabilizers:
http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/meds/moodstabilizers.htm
But you might want to show it to your psychiatrist. Lithium is a very effective medication but if you had an adverse side effect you might want to try others before you go back on it. Your psychiatrist probably only tried a few standard options. There's a lot more out there that's FDA approved but used off label as mood stabilizers. You could obtain a consult with a mood disorders specialist and then go back to your regular psychiatrist. That might be an idea worth asking about.
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