Posted by Larry Hoover on June 26, 2007, at 21:50:29
In reply to high dose lithium, posted by big time on June 26, 2007, at 19:58:47
> hi,
>
> i have bipolar 1 and i take lithium and zyprexa. i want to decrease the zyprexa and increase the lithium, but my pdoc is hesitant to increase it. does anyone have experience with high doses of lithium for maintenance therapy for BD? i know its really old school, but i want to try it
>
> thanks!You can't increase your lithium as you might increase other drugs. Lithium has what is called a narrow therapeutic index. What that means is the dose that is effective is not very much lower than the dose that is toxic. That's why you have to have blood tests done when you go on lithium. You might be able to increase your lithium by a little bit, but only under close medical supervision. You'd also have to understand the extra risk that accompanies moving towards the higher blood concentrations of lithium. You have to be much more careful about fluid intake, excercise, exposure to heat, and so on. Your pdoc is hesitant for good reason.
What you might consider instead is finding a different drug to combine with your lithium.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:766032
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070622/msgs/766065.html