Posted by BetweenDreams81 on February 11, 2011, at 7:18:46
In reply to Re: Lithium...did you gain weight? or, other options?, posted by Hombre on February 11, 2011, at 1:30:19
> Herbs that "warm the kidneys" help check meds that tend to slow down metabolism and lead to weight gain. I take two meds that are notorious for weight gain, but I'm in the best shape of my life.
>I have Planetary Schisandra adrenal Complex...would that do the trick?
> Lithium made me put on a little weight and I got some weird skin issues. Ramping up the dosage increased my depression and gave me mild tremors. This was before I started taking herbs regularly.
>We're starting low...150mg first week in PM, then 150mg AM and PM to see if there is any improvement/change.
Before going up in dosage did you notice a difference in depression?
> If anxiety, irritability, insomnia and mania are chronic symptoms, you might find your energy levels increasing on a proper mood stabilizer. You won't be wasting so much energy being in a perpetual "emergency" state. Once you're sleeping and a little more chilled out, you can work on ramping up activity to keep your metabolism up.
>THIS...describes me to a 'T'...minus chronic mania, if anything it would be chronic depression with swings into mania sprinkled here and there. Since the orotate helped with anxiety we are hoping that this will have even more benefit (Hopefully without the icky side-effects)
> Without the base of calmness and good sleep, you won't have the energy to pull yourself out of the depression and to get stuff done. It seems harder to get keyed up and then try to modulate down. If regular stuff stops stressing you out so much, you'll be able to do things to pep you up. A cup of coffee or tea or a brisk walk will shake off drowsiness and brain fog. Meds that sedate get a bad rap, but they can be a life saver and you do get used to them over time.
>Yes, I definitely notice a difference already even though this program is just a bandaid (ambien/alprazolam...just put in the RX for the lithium). I AM getting more sleep, and I am able to calm the storm of an overly stressed cyclical thought pattern. Hopefuly the lithium will even things out a bit.
> My $.02.Always look forward to seeing your $0.02 :o) Thank you Hombre!
poster:BetweenDreams81
thread:978642
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110130/msgs/979081.html