Posted by lynn roberts on September 21, 2009, at 12:30:19
In reply to Re: Discontinuing Lithium after many years, posted by ramsea on August 22, 2006, at 23:15:57
IN JANUARY 2010 I WOULD OF BEEN ON LITHIUM FOR 27 YEARS. I HAVE BEEN EXTREMLY SICK FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS. TERRIBLE NAUSEA,LOSS OF APPETITE,VERY SHAKEY, DIZZY AND LIGHTEHEADED,AND PHYISCALY- BALANCE PROBLEMS. FYI I AM BIPOLAR. ALL MY LIFE I'VE BEEN MOSTLY ON THE MANIC SIDE WITH ONLY A FEW EPISODES OF DEPRESSION. ALTHOUGH FOR ABOUT THE LAST 7 YEARS I HAVE EXPERIENCED LONG TERM DEPRESSION DUE TO SEVERAL MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND LIFE EXPERIENCES IN GENERAL. (FYI ANOTHER SYMPTOM WAS CHRONIC DIAHARIA). DURING THIS PERIOD I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL STRESSORS. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO SICK FOR SO LONG. AT FIST WE ATTRIBUTED IT TO PAST AND PRESENT SEVERE GI PROBLEMS AND OTHER MEDICAL ISSUES. I ALSO HAVE BEEN TRYING TO QUIT SMOKING FOR THE LAST 3/1/2 MONTHS. I IMEDIATLY WENT FROM ABOUT 3 PACKS A DAY TO 6 TO 8 CIGERETTS A DAY AND CONTINUE TO DO SO. PROBABLY A BIG STRESSOR AMONG OTHERS, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL. ( fyi if it matters i am 59 years old). I WAS TOLD BY MY PHYCH PROVIDER TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTON, BECAUSE OF MY MEDICAL HISTORY IT APPEARED TO BE A MEDICAL ISSUE. SO FAR AFTER MEDICAL TESTS HAVE NOT FOUND ANY APPARENT MEDICAL ISSUES. THEY ARE STILL TESTING, BUT NOW I BELEIVE IT IS LITHIUM RELATED. THEN MY MEDICAL PROVIER REFFERED ME BACK TO MY PHYCH PROVIDER. I INITALLY WAS PUT ON A DOSE OF 1800MG OF LITHIUM. OVER THE YEARS THEY LOWERED THE DOSE BECAUSE OF SEVERAL BOUTS OF TOXCITY. I HAVE BEEN ON 450MG FOR SEVERAL YEARS. MY PHYCH PROVIDER THEN HAD 2 LITHIUM LEVELS DONE. MY LEVEL WAS HIGH ESPECIALLY AT THIS DOSE. I WAS SEVERLY TOXIC. SHE ADVISED ME TO DISCONTINUE IT, BECAUSE I WAS ON SUCH A LOW DOSE. SO FAR AFTER 13 DAYS I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCEING TERRIBLE WITHDRWALS, EXTREM NAUSIA, DIAHRIA,HAIR LOSS, HEADACHES EVERY DAY AND MOSTLY ALL DAY LONG,VERY LITTLE SLEEP, RESTLESS SLEEP, FREQUENT URINATION. ALSO A SENSATION OF PHYCALLY BURNING UP. NO FEVER AND NOT HOT TO THE TOUCH, ALSO CONTINUAL SWEATING. I WAS DIAGNOSED IN 1977 AS HAVING LUKACITOSIS. ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING A ELEVATED WHITE BLOOD COUNT WHICH CAUSES THESE SYMPTOMS. NO LONGER BEING SHAKEY OR DIZZY THOUGH. THESE WITHDRALS HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE AND I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE EVEN WORSE. I WILL CALL MY PHYCH PROVIDER TODAY. I AM WRITEING THIS FOR PROVIDERS AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO MAYBE CAN RELATE. I HAVE HAD A HARD TIME WRITING THIS DUE TO THE WAY I FEEL, BUT FEEL IT MAY HELP SOMEONE. I HAVE COME TO THESE CONCLULIONS BECAUSE OF THE DOCTERS FINDINGS AND INFORMATION ON LINE ABOUT LITHIUM, LITHIUM WITHDRALS, AND LITHIUM SYMPTOMS. SINCERELY,
LYNN ROBERTS
rlynnie13@aol.com
poster:lynn roberts
thread:917945
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20090801/msgs/917945.html