lithium

[Dave824]

If you are on lithium do you need to go to the doc and get checked out every so often?  I am debating on telling my doc to put me on lithium to try and help the depression side.

[bernie40]

I was just like you and very resistant to starting the Lithium and it was all due to the horror stories I'd read.  On reflection I realised that it wasn't the whole story and after coming on here and doing some research I realised it wasn't as awful as I'd heard.

I'm also upping the dose slowly.  I'm supposed to be going up to 600mg from 400mg but I'm holding back at the moment.  I don't know why, I think its a control issue :-s

I take mine in the evening and will probably continue to do that.  My psych advised taking it at night rather than in the morning.

[2009toads]

I started Lithium before Christmas, and have been titrating up the dosage to 1000 mg/day.  My question to the group is do you find it OK to take the dosage all in one go or do you spread it out over the day?  I find if I can do it once a day I am more likely to remember taking it.

I had a hard time accepting Lithium as an option....now that I am feeling better I am not sure why I was so resitant to taking it....maybe I was buying in to societal perceptions/attitudes?  

[monkeyc]

Lithium affects the thyroid like it affects the kidneys - its a salt.

It cannot destroy the thryroid however in normal safe usage unless a pre-existing condition is there or levels are not monitored.

I understand where you are coming from but blanket statements bother me deeply - the risk of thryoid damage from all that I can find and read is very small especially when compared to things like Tardive Dykensia in Atypicals which has a much higher risk.

Lithium requires management and patient compliance, its not a take and forget drug but there is literally no better mood stabiliser on the market for effectiveness in both phases.

[bernie40]

Hi,  I started on lithium just before Christmas.  I had my blood checked prior to starting the medication and then again 3 weeks after starting it to check the levels.  So far so good.  My doctor checks for the lithium level and the T levels (I'm assuming this is the thyroid but could be wrong).  I am due another test in a couple of weeks time.

I don't mind blood tests so it really isn't a problem to me, plus if this is going to help make me feel better then I'd gladly have a blood test on a weekly basis let alone a monthly one!

It is important to be aware of possible side effects but I would stress that the side effects are rare and as ILADVOCATE and monkeyc have stated, this drug has been around for a long time and there is little they don't know about it.  

[ILADVOCATE]

Right but it doesn't mean it will happen. It just one of the things they test for. The bloodtest for Lithium is monitoring a large number of things. I know because when I got a bloodtest for Lithium every three months I had to get a fuller bloodtest than just for Lithium level. All of the things they are monitoring for if caught in time are reversible and none are typical long side effects nor are they inevitable. They are rare. But they are a very good reason to get the blood tests regularly to make sure everything is in balance.

[Venora Moonwind]

http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/10866336?src=emed_ckb_ref_0
check out this article. Lithium does affect the thyroid.
Love Venora