Posted by Squiggles on August 28, 2007, at 17:49:07
In reply to Re: Lithium blood levels - is more better? » Jimmyboy, posted by Larry Hoover on August 28, 2007, at 17:26:19
> > I am on 900 mg of Li right now and it has put me at the very low end of the theraputic blood level ( can't remember but its like, .7 or something like that) It has helped the major mood fluctuations but I still have pretty bad and predictable mood swings like before, just not quite as severe. If I take a higher dose and raise the blood level, will that cause the mood swings to be even less --- or once you hit the theraputic range that is that.. no more help no matter how much higher you go?
> >
> >
> > Thanks for info
> >
> > JB
>Sorry, to interrupt:
> The potential for therapeutic effects, as well as that for side effects, will increase with increasing dose.But not indefinitely-- after a certain point 1200mg i think, it becomes dangerous and has the greater potential for toxicity.
Yes, your doctor may increase your dose, to magnify the response. As it stands now, you're barely into the blood concentration range that is considered to be therapeutic (0.6-1.2 mmol/L).
Europe uses lower therapeutic ranges than the States, Canada, and Australia. I read that somewhere :-)
Dose is not an infallible measure of blood concentration,
dose is an infallible measure of blood concentration in the 24 hour cycle, but not an infallible measure of brain accumulation of lithium [after Schou]
which is why you need to get blood work done. Because you have already exhibited some mood stabilization, I would expect your doctor to talk to you about increasing the dose.
>
> Lar
>
No offense Larry, just some footnotes.Squiggles
poster:Squiggles
thread:779312
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070824/msgs/779366.html