Just chiming in to say that antidepressants made my mood swings MUCH worse. Ever since I’ve been on Lithium alone I’ve done much better overall. I experience virtually no side effects, however, my dosage tolerance is low. I can’t take over 900 mg or I get violently ill. Fortunately 900 mg seems to be just what I need.
I’ve been taken lithium carbonate for some years, and it (along with low doses of Seroquel, and Tegretol and Lamictal) totally changed my relationship to depression. I was suicidal for most of my childhood and adolescence, had a few good years as and adult and started having really horrible symptoms originally diagnosed as anxiety disorder and major depressive episodes. I was hospitalized so often I lost count, and had so many different doctors prescribe different medicines none of which worked other than to leave me a zombie.
I’ve not had a serious suicidal thought in several years- I actually felt guilty when I didn’t feel suicidal when one of my best friends died (I felt awful, and most certainly grieved, it just never felt like I would stay down forever)
As many others have said, not everyone responds the same way, it it certainly doesn’t work for everyone. I don’t know where I would be without it, however.
I have a friend on Lithium which is just a salt that some peoples brain does not make. She has been on it for 30 years or ever since her first manic depressive episode. It is used as a mood stabilizer and it helps many people with mood disorders. From what I have seen with my friend she needs to get her level checked periodically by having blood work done.
It works for my friend as long as she stays on it. She is thin so it has not affected her weight at all.
Thank you all very much for your input. Does anyone know any children on lithium?
I have been on lithium for 3 years now. I was proposed by my psych as a second to last ditch effort (last ditch was ECT eek!). Sp to that stage I had been diagnosed with various permutations of severe depression, BPD, schizoaffective disorder, PTSD etc and anon ( I used to (yay for the used to bit) self harm a lot = BPD apparently - but that is a whole nuther thread)
Anyways back to the lithium - I am really sensative so I take a lowish dose (500mg) combined with Talam (antidepressant) and Seroquel (Antipsychotic). I also take Formet (a diabetes drug) to help prevent weight gain associated with the other drugs and help prevent me from developing diabetes for a bit longer).
My life has turned around in the last 3 years. The appropriate medication came first, Then the decision to submit to living God’s way. This gave me the incentive and courage to work on my problems and take responsibility for my actions - through church (forgivness) as well as secular therapy programs (psychosocial rehabilitaion).
I find the lithuim upsets my stomach if I don’t eat before taking it. I have problems if I don’t drink enough. I also notice now if I forget to take it (start feeling odd).
Hope this is of interest
The sustained release (or maybe extended release? Lithium Carbonate ER or SR should be the name) pills I mentioned upthread were originally prescribed for stomach issues. Didn’t work for me, but maybe worth trying.
Lots of bipolarism in my family. So, I never took it myself, but plenty of my relatives did.
My uncle. Took forever to get the right dose. changed his body chemistry to the point where he smelled a lot different. (I should note that he looked like two completely different people, one person when he was manic, one when depressed. The lithium made him look like a third person altogether, but it worked. He was very slow-cycling, manic phase lasted for years.)
Cousin. Developed symptoms much earlier in life than my uncle and hers was faster cycling. She only wanted to take lithium (or any other drug) when depressed, she liked being manic because she felt smarter, stronger, faster, prettier…etc. In the depressive phase she was suicidal and uncommunicative. Lithium apparently doesn’t work that way. It takes it awhile to balance you out. But it made her shake from the first, often so hard that she couldn’t really feed herself, or write, or pick up a telephone.
Another cousin. She started off on things other than lithium, and when it was added to the mix it also made her shake and there were some other symptoms. However, when her other medications were changed–I think eliminated, so she was just on the lithium–it turned out to be just exactly right.