Posted by CareBear04 on August 30, 2007, at 20:39:43
In reply to Re: Lithium - anyone taking over 900 mg???, posted by Jimmyboy on August 29, 2007, at 11:14:29
Hey-- I'm not currently taking lithium, but I have a pretty extensive history with it. When I first started it, I was on 900mg a day. It stabilized my moods, but at a level below baseline. I discontinued it and restarted about six months later. I started at 450mg and increased over a few months to 1800mg of day. At that point, my pdoc said I have "youthful kidneys," and at that dose, I only had a lithium level of 1.12! I felt calmer and was able to get off some of my other meds, but I also had an increase in side effects. For example, I was really thirsty all the time, craving sweet drinks and having to pee all the time. I eventually went down to about 1500mg. Over time, my kidney function has really decreased. Last summer, I had a level of 1.1 on only 450mg a day. I guess that's why blood levels are so important-- lithium levels can increase and decrease based on any number of things like weight changes, hydration, and other meds. I can definitely feel when my level is too high and I'm toxic. I think beneficial effects increase as you go up the therapeutic range, but as you go up, you risk more side effects and toxicity. Good luck!
CB
poster:CareBear04
thread:779312
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070824/msgs/779829.html