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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by rod on August 19, 2005, at 19:06:39
Hello World
As a little folow up I wanted to say that my initial positive response to 200mg litium dayly didnt last very long, unfortunately. After some days I got really mentally slow and very suicidal. Suicidal thoughts are quite untypical for me. So this was clearly drug related. I guess it lead to a depletion of some stuff in my brain which is supposed to be good for most bipolars, but obviously not for me! Also I think it affected my thyroid. because I ended up feeling exacly like when I tapered T3. (rebound) I didnt do any blood work and so I also dont know my thyroid status and plasma level. Maybe I will retry someday and make the lab tests. maybe it was just hypothyroidism I experienced. But the suicidality makes me wonder if it is the right drug after all...
anyway :)
good bye world
Posted by linkadge on August 19, 2005, at 20:10:56
In reply to Lithium not good on the long term fo me.., posted by rod on August 19, 2005, at 19:06:39
I found that lithium was a very difficult drug to tollerate. It kind of makes me feel worthless. It also seems to make the world very grey, and colorless. I just want to sleep all the time on it.
Linkadge
Posted by SLS on August 20, 2005, at 11:15:34
In reply to Lithium not good on the long term fo me.., posted by rod on August 19, 2005, at 19:06:39
> Hello World
>
> As a little folow up I wanted to say that my initial positive response to 200mg litium dayly didnt last very long, unfortunately.Roland, I am VERY disappointed to hear this. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that a "low" dosage of lithium includes a range of 300-600mg.
> After some days I got really mentally slow and very suicidal. Suicidal thoughts are quite untypical for me. So this was clearly drug related.
Or drug-failure related. The acute depressive relapse or depressive rebound can be more severe than the depression itself. You might just need more lithium. I hope so. It would be such an easy out.
I found Cytomel T3 to exacerbate my depression quite severely. Thyroxine T4 treats me much better. Perhaps T3 benefits unipolar and T4 benefits bipolar. You might consider going up in lithium and starting T4 if you are convinced thyroid is playing a role. These are quick things to try while you are in your present situation. You should know within a few days if increasing the lithium would help. When you were feeling well on it, I don't recall your complaining of a flattening of affect or impingement upon your motivation or creativity. That alone is a blessing.
I'm bored today, but I don't feel like doing anything. Does this ever happen to you? Arghh.
- Scott
Posted by rod on August 20, 2005, at 12:02:32
In reply to Re: Lithium not good on the long term fo me.. » rod, posted by SLS on August 20, 2005, at 11:15:34
hi Scott :)
>I'm sure I don't need to tell you that a "low" dosage of lithium includes a range of 300-600mg.
I know. My doc also said I should try a higher dose. Maybe I will.
> > After some days I got really mentally slow and very suicidal. Suicidal thoughts are quite untypical for me. So this was clearly drug related.
>
> Or drug-failure related. The acute depressive relapse or depressive rebound can be more severe than the depression itself. You might just need more lithium. I hope so. It would be such an easy out.hmm could be true.
> I found Cytomel T3 to exacerbate my depression quite severely. Thyroxine T4 treats me much better. Perhaps T3 benefits unipolar and T4 benefits bipolar. You might consider going up in lithium and starting T4 if you are convinced thyroid is playing a role. These are quick things to try while you are in your present situation. You should know within a few days if increasing the lithium would help. When you were feeling well on it, I don't recall your complaining of a flattening of affect or impingement upon your motivation or creativity. That alone is a blessing.
I also thought about T4. and no flattening of affect or impairment of cognition at all. It had quite much the opposite effect..
> I'm bored today, but I don't feel like doing anything. Does this ever happen to you? Arghh.
Yes! But I would rahter call this feeling "empty"... I guess thats just a symptom of depression
> - Scott
Well. I have Lithium still on my list, on a higher dosage with (maybe) T4.
But for now, I am giving Opipramole (Insidon) a try. Its one of the best selling ADs over in Germany, and its on the market for over 40 years. I guess it has a reason why this drug is still so often used there! so I hope it also works for me, of course. Hopes are high, because its supposed to decrease CRF levels :) I hope it will be useful. I am a bit worried about the D2 blocking abilities, but the Sigma agonism is 6 times more potent than the d2 blocking effect. anyway. Thats soemthing completely new actually. I already popped my evening dose, and will tell you how it goes...
bye
Roland
Posted by ed_uk on August 20, 2005, at 12:19:14
In reply to Re: Lithium not good on the long term fo me.. » SLS, posted by rod on August 20, 2005, at 12:02:32
Best of luck with Insidon Roli :-) Tell us how it goes :-)
~ed
PS. Remember how darkhorse loves Insidon!
Posted by SLS on August 20, 2005, at 12:38:59
In reply to Re: Lithium not good on the long term fo me.. » SLS, posted by rod on August 20, 2005, at 12:02:32
> But for now, I am giving Opipramole (Insidon) a try.Very cool!
> Its one of the best selling ADs over in Germany, and its on the market for over 40 years. I guess it has a reason why this drug is still so often used there! so I hope it also works for me, of course. Hopes are high, because its supposed to decrease CRF levels :) I hope it will be useful. I am a bit worried about the D2 blocking abilities, but the Sigma agonism is 6 times more potent than the d2 blocking effect. anyway. Thats soemthing completely new actually. I already popped my evening dose, and will tell you how it goes...
Thanks. I didn't know it was a sigma agonist. I knew it was a potent ligand, but I didn't know how it affected the receptor.
- Scott
Posted by Sabino on August 21, 2005, at 10:20:55
In reply to Lithium not good on the long term fo me.., posted by rod on August 19, 2005, at 19:06:39
Rod, I've tempered my initial positive response to Lithium too.
Something was really negatively affecting me cognitively, and I could no longer sufficiently concentrate enough to do my job as a systems analyst. I've been off work for a couple of weeks. I had already been off something like 8 weeks previously.
Anyway, I'm still taking some Lithium, because I still get frazzled, and it does help for that, but I've also started Lamictal close to two weeks ago. Jury's out on that, as I won't even get to 50 mgs until tomorrow. I think it's doing something positive for me though. Doesn't feel like a cognitive killer so far.
Still don't think I can return to work yet, which could be devastating financially.
This is the end of the thread.
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