My brother and lithium

[caringsis]

my brother started taking lithium 8 weeks ago. since then he has become very tearful all the time. his speech is slurred and he seems really spaced out. I'm very concerned

[rogelio63]

Is he on any other medications?  Are there any circumstances in his life that have changed recently?  Is this a new diagnosis and treatment?  I'm just curious about other possibilities.

[Crystal413]

You are right to be concerned. It is important to call the dr without delay. The dose could be to high and his symptoms could be from Lithium toxicity. It is very very important for him to drink lots of water every day while on Lithium. If you don't, you can become toxic. If he takes a morning dose and an evening dose it is important they be divided equally. If he takes it at ten am then he should take the next dose at 10pm.  I take Lithium and have experienced toxicity before. It is easy to fix but you have to have the bloodwork to know what the number is. My dr has lowered my dose before and the sx went away. With the symptoms he's experiencing I would not be surprised if the dr lowered his dose right away. FYI,  Lithium toxicity effects your kidneys.

[persephonedemeter]

He will likely need his lithium level checked as well as other blood works, but it all boils down to calling his psychiatrist or primary doctor. I don't know if you pointed it out to your brother. Ask him to call his doctor, preferably, the one who prescribed it. If you are concerned and he doesn't do so, you can always alert his doctor yourself that you are concerned and say what you noticed about your brother, and that you asked him to call but he isn't.

I had times when I wasn't aware I was going through concerning, observable changes. Also, I wouldn't call because I just didn't feel like it or didn't think it was a big deal. My therapist or a friend would call my psychiatrist and let him know. Then, I would get a call from my psychiatrist, and he would check me out over the phone and either ask me to come in, get a lab, get a drug at the pharmacy, etc. You wouldn't be stepping out of line on this, but you should ask your brother to do it first, since it is his doctor.

My therapist and friend didn't trust me, so after they asked me to make the call, they usually just go ahead and call the doctor right after they spoke to me. So, he usually expects my call or when I don't call him, he calls me after the alert is given to him. There was one time he sent the police to check on me because I didn't answer his phone call. So, I always answer when he calls since then.