Posted by mars on January 15, 2001, at 4:37:58
In reply to Re: Lithium success stories - Are there any?, posted by Squiggles on January 14, 2001, at 8:28:45
hi everybody ~
i think of my experience with lithium as a partial victory. i was diagnosed as bipolar II (following Akiskal's scheme) in 1994. my pdoc primarily works with treatment-resistant depressives, and counseled me that lithium could take up to a year to work, based on her experience.
i had to start at a very low dose of liquid lithium because i am sensitive to meds and experienced some problems with nausea. lithium took about five months to have an effect on me. i haven't had the same success as Squiggle, but i do feel it has kept me from getting too low or too high. i now take Lithobid which is very easy for me to tolerate - i can even take it on an empty stomach. i modify my dose according to how i am doing, from 300 mg to 900 mg. i also take synthroid and (currently) venlafaxine (effexor). during the course of my treatment the last seven years i have also tried anti-convulsants such as Depakote (terrible weight gain) and Tegretol, but Lithobid has been the best for me.
i know that in some places there is a naturally higher occurrence of lithium in the water supply. sometimes i think i am a descendant of a group who somehow wandered away from such a place =:)
best wishes to everyone dealing with these issues. it was difficult waiting for the lithium to work, but it was worth it for me.
mary
poster:mars
thread:36179
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010111/msgs/51711.html