Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 109987

Shown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

JonW - Question

Posted by JohnX2 on June 15, 2002, at 23:04:03


Hi Jon,

I hope your Nardil is going well.

What's with the insomnia?

I was wondering about your earlier observation
about excessive thirst and urination (you had
this in a write up for a doctor).
When you did a lithium screening, did they ever
mention anything about your urine specific gravity
being low (a sign of a problem with the kidney
not reabsorbing water properly, a vasopressin response)?

John

 

Re: JonW - Question

Posted by JennyJen on June 15, 2002, at 23:25:23

In reply to JonW - Question, posted by JohnX2 on June 15, 2002, at 23:04:03

Hey JohnX2,

Sorry for chiming in here, but as you probably already know, lithium can cause diabetes insipidus. The symptoms are excessive urination which leads to thrist and polydypsia. This is very common. The pituitary normal secretes ADH which tells the kidneys to absorb water and concentrate urine. Lithium blocks this reaction (I forgot how). An antibiotic demeclocycline can reverse diabetes insipidus induce by lithium.

Urine specific gravity with lithium will be low ... that is very dilute ... because water absorption is blocked by lithium and is release in urine. I have never heard of routine testing of urine specific gravity when on lithium therapy.

Take care.

Sorry to butt in.

Jenny

 

Re: JonW - Question » JennyJen

Posted by JohnX2 on June 16, 2002, at 0:22:11

In reply to Re: JonW - Question, posted by JennyJen on June 15, 2002, at 23:25:23

> Hey JohnX2,
>
> Sorry for chiming in here, but as you probably already know, lithium can cause diabetes insipidus. The symptoms are excessive urination which leads to thrist and polydypsia. This is very common. The pituitary normal secretes ADH which tells the kidneys to absorb water and concentrate urine. Lithium blocks this reaction (I forgot how). An antibiotic demeclocycline can reverse diabetes insipidus induce by lithium.
>
> Urine specific gravity with lithium will be low ... that is very dilute ... because water absorption is blocked by lithium and is release in urine. I have never heard of routine testing of urine specific gravity when on lithium therapy.
>
> Take care.
>
> Sorry to butt in.
>
> Jenny

Thanks a lot for the info Jenny!

My numbers were in before the lithium administration.
I understand the lithium would just make it worse.

I have chronic headaches (sometimes feel like pressure headaches),
and I know that osmotic imbalances can cause this. The docs have never
figured the source of these headaches...

I have chronic thirst and urination (w/o meds) and this is a symptom
of low ADH. I have also noted that vitamins that should pigment my urine
don't because it is so diluted.

John

 

Re: More Info

Posted by JennyJen on June 16, 2002, at 6:45:49

In reply to Re: JonW - Question » JennyJen, posted by JohnX2 on June 16, 2002, at 0:22:11

Hey JohnX2,

Well, if you have diabetes insipidus, docs often do a "water deprivation" test to see if the problem is with your kidney not responding to ADH or if you don't have ADH period. Basically you have to avoid all liquids for like 24 hours and then you get a shot of artifical ADH (or nasal spray of "desmopressin". If you concentrate you urine after the injection, the problem is no ADH period. If you still have dilute urine, the problem is with the kidney not responding to ADH.

Never the less, lots of things can cause excessive urination and thrist. The most common causes are simple urinary tract infections and routine diabetes mellitus. You should get a test for diabetes and urine infection.

Jenny

PS You might hear a weird thing called "Psychogenic Polydypsia" ... where psychiatric patient consume large amounts of water or liquids such that there sodium level drops to a dangerous level ... and we don't know why .... maybe some pituitary/hypothalmus dysregulation

 

Re: JonW - Question » JohnX2

Posted by JonW on June 16, 2002, at 8:46:54

In reply to JonW - Question, posted by JohnX2 on June 15, 2002, at 23:04:03

Hi John,

I share some of your symptoms of excessive thirst and urinations and chronic headaches, but no one ever said anything to me after my lithium screening. One thing I can say is that if I take certain vitamins that color the urine they do so consistently. Before I stopped drinking, I'd take certain B vitamins when I was drinking until I passed out and my urine was yellower than ever the next morning. If this adds any significance to your test results, I don't know (and I may have been tested for this even). Wish I could be of more help!

Keep Searching,
Jon

> Hi Jon,
>
> I hope your Nardil is going well.
>
> What's with the insomnia?
>
> I was wondering about your earlier observation
> about excessive thirst and urination (you had
> this in a write up for a doctor).
> When you did a lithium screening, did they ever
> mention anything about your urine specific gravity
> being low (a sign of a problem with the kidney
> not reabsorbing water properly, a vasopressin response)?
>
> John

 

Re: excess thirst etc » JohnX2

Posted by jazzdog on June 16, 2002, at 13:43:40

In reply to Re: JonW - Question » JennyJen, posted by JohnX2 on June 16, 2002, at 0:22:11

Hi John -

I took a 24-hour urine test a while back and discovered I was drinking and peeing three times normal amounts (6 litres instead of 2). Turns out I have some little kidney glitch that was causing me to pee away vitamins and minerals - I lost so much calcium I'd developed osteopenia. I drank because I peed, not the other way around. The technical name is idiopathic hypercalcuria. It was cured, paradoxically, with a small daily dose of hydrochlorthiozide, a diuretic.

Worth checking out?

 

Re: problem with registration » JennyJen

Posted by Dr. Bob on June 16, 2002, at 22:57:55

In reply to Re: More Info, posted by JennyJen on June 16, 2002, at 6:45:49

> Well, if you have diabetes insipidus, docs often do a "water deprivation" test...

There's a problem with your registration (*not* with this message), so you're not going to be able to continue to post, sorry. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Bob

PS: Follow-ups regarding posting policies should be redirected to Psycho-Babble Administration, thanks.


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