Posted by Mitch on October 13, 2001, at 18:27:30
In reply to Re: Keppra Journal, what is next?-Mitch, posted by Chloe on October 13, 2001, at 17:50:48
> >It seems the N just needs a decent teammate. Lithium would do it but it rips my guts to shreds,
>
> Mitch,
> I totally agree that N needs a teammate. I suffered a few months just taking N as a mood stabilizer, and it was awful. The addition of low dose extended release Li has been a huge help.
>
> I would not assume that the extended release Li will "rip your guts to shreds". I have the most sensitive stomach out there. I get heartburn from Tylenol! But the enteric coating on the ER Lithobid makes it completely tolerable. I have no nausea or diarrhea and I don't even have to take it with food. When I took Li years ago, it was just a white powdered pill. It burned a hole in my stomach lining and I was nauseated all the time. The Lithobid form is a totally different animal with a constant level of mediction given over 8 or so hours. And if you really need something to augment the N, my vote is for the Li, esp over on of these "new" mood stabilizers. I found those, Triletal, Topamax, etc. to really have harsh side effects. But that is just my opinion since the advent of a simple coating around the Li.
>
> Anyhoo, Take care Mitch
> ChloeHi Chloe,
Lithium is not "off" the table altogether for me. I have never tried it *with* Neurontin. I have IBS and the diarrhea was the main reason I had trouble complying with Lithium. One thing that I have found out about Neurontin, it is the *only* mood stabilizer I have taken that doesn't jack around with my guts-in fact it seems to settle them down-MAYBE the Neurontin being taken along with your Lithium is keeping your stomach settled.....? Hmm, now you have got me thinking about this. Oh, as far as Lithobid goes-that was what I was on for years and years. The enteric coating *does* help, but for me it didn't help that much. I really believe that the Neurontin is the one that is stabilizing to the GI tract. Also Lithium clearly has an antidepressant effect over Depakote. I switched to Depakote from Lithium years ago and my depression *definitely* worsened. I'll keep you posted.
Mitch
poster:Mitch
thread:72416
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011007/msgs/81240.html