Posted by SLS on September 20, 2011, at 17:02:07
In reply to Re: Lithium - Anyone use to augment antidepressant?, posted by atypical on September 20, 2011, at 15:28:46
> You would need to be on a high enough dose of Lithium so that you have blood levels of at least 0.6, which, for most people is about 600-900 mg.
For treating MDD as an augmenter to antidepressants, the dosage range you suggest is higher than what one Harvard research team discovered is necessary. They suggest a range between 300mg - 600mg. They found that most people responded to 450mg to receive full benefit. After some experimentation, I found that 300mg was optimal for me. The risks of kidney failure and thyroid damage produced by lithium are dosage-dependant. It is thus important to establish the lowest effective dosage. The Harvard study chose a dosage range rather than a range of blood levels to investigate. At the end of the study, the mean lithium level was about 0.40 mEq/L. My blood level is about 0.25 mEq/L at a dosage of 300mg. Increasing the dosage beyond 300mg was of no added benefit.
- Scott
Some see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:997291
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110914/msgs/997312.html