Posted by Tomatheus on July 29, 2006, at 11:46:24
In reply to can lithium CAUSE hallucinations?, posted by parasolips on July 28, 2006, at 18:15:55
Parasolips,
I experienced some of the same symptoms that you've reported -- particularly the confusion and the general "weird" feeling -- when I took lithium. I did not experience any hallucinations or illusions, but I did notice that I became more sensitive to light once I started taking lithium. I was on lithium for a little more than a year and a half.
When I took lithium with Wellbutrin (which was the case for most of the time that I spent taking lithium), I noticed a partial antidepressant response but felt somewhat more anxious and less focused than I did previously. Actually, trouble with focus and concentration had always been a moderate problem for me, and the lithium seemed to make these symptoms worse. But after more than a year on my Wellbutrin-lithium combo, I eventually reached a point where I could no longer afford the Wellbutrin, so I stopped taking it. For the first few weeks after discontinuing the Wellbutrin, I felt basically the same as I did when I was on the Wellbutrin-lithium combo. But slowly but surely, I eventually developed what I now recognize to be symptoms of panic disorder, and it wasn't long before these symptoms became quite severe. I've since stopped taking lithium and have noticed that the symptoms of panic and anxiety (as well as the photosensitivity) that developed during my time on lithium have subsided to some extent, but not completely.
The point that I'm trying to make is that even though lithium can be a very effective drug for some individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (especially those who experience endogenous or "spontaneous" [hypo]mania without rapid cycling), it is not for everybody. It was an awful medication for me, and based on your post, it sounds like it's only made your condition worse. I know that it's generally a good idea to give most meds (or minerals, in this case) a fair trial, but if you keep feeling worse with the lithium than you did before you started taking it, please make this clear to your doctor. Staying on lithium for as long as I did was probably the worst mistake that I've ever made (and I've made some pretty stupid mistakes in life), so I caution you not to stay on it for too long if you're not receiving any benefits from it.
Thanks for your post.
Tomatheus
> hello,
>
> i've only been on lithium for a few days...starting at 600mg lith carbonate er [300 2x/day] and supposed to move up to 900 soon...but since i've started taking it, i've noticed that, in addition to having nausea, confusion, sleepiness, and just generally feeling "weird", i think i have been having mild hallucinations. Not full blown, more like illusions i suppose....things look strange, i look at my computer screen and i see shadows moving around in it, i feel like the world seems...pixelated, and it's like i can see swirling gasses in the spaces between objects. also, i get vivid closed eye visuals. i've experienced both the illusions and the closed eye thing before without meds, but it seems to now have been triggered by starting lithium.
>
> i'm also on lexapro and klomopin, and have been taking those for a while.
>
> also, this "weird" feeling is kind-of triggering me toward self-injury...and i cut myself last night for the first time in a while and i'm not even sure why.
>
> i guess my main question is just whether anyone has heard of hallucinations/illusions being caused by lithium? maybe it's just me being crazy or having too much in my system? should i be concerned?
>
> thanks!
poster:Tomatheus
thread:671526
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060724/msgs/671754.html