Lithium for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• Retir...
• February 22, 2017

"I have been taking Lithium, 1000g a day, for the past 39 + 1/2 years. I always drink a lot of water daily, + wee a lot or course. I have experiences tremours when water intake is low. I initially had hand tremor and some thinning hair. I have been taking 2000g of fish oil for the past 15 years and have recently started epilim to fine tune my short manic episodes. Lithium has been the saviour of my life many years ago after 2 manic episodes in one year. I take blood tests yearly or every 2 years ( if I forget, )to determine effect/normality of the internal organs in relation to Lithium. Resisting gambling, drugs ( smoking, ) and limiting alcohol has given me a lovely wife and seeing my now 2 adult sons grow up."

• compl...
• March 14, 2009

"This is the only medication I have ever taken with 100% results. Without this drug my life was uncontrollable. Always either ups or downs, now because of lithium I have been stable for over 25 years. I would recommend this to whoever wants to be their true selves again."

• Aimer
• December 16, 2014

"I've been on lithium for about a month now. I was put on it by the doctor in the hospital after a major manic episode. This is the first time in my life that I have no have thoughts of harming myself. My mood is stable, life is easier and I am not suffering. I had some side effects of nausea and vomiting but with a reduction in my level and always taking it with food these side effects have subsided. I am still getting used to being stable after over three decades of illness but this is getting better every day. I recommend giving lithium a try if nothing else has worked."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 6, 2016

"Been on lithium about 26 years. Currently on 1,200mg putting my lithium level at 1.0. It dramatically improved my sleep which without lithium is a major problem. It has made me more pleasant to be around, close to stopped my angry, irritable ways and keeps me from destroying relationships. No weight gain, mild tremor and dry mouth. This medication I combination with lower dose Prozac has saved my life and given me a quality life. Outstanding medication and very inexpensive!"

• Johan
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 7, 2016

"I've had a severe manic episode and was put on antipsychotics which helped calming me down but I was still a bit manic. When put on lithium I felt a lot better because mania ceased. The difference between antipsychotics and litihium for me was like if antipsychotics stepped on the brake and lithium lifted the gas pedal. The only, but still significant, side effect I've had is less short term memory. Lithium stabilize my mood, less anxiety and stress (less diarrhea, less neck pain, more relaxed), better sleep not just because mania stopped but also because overall well being I'm very satisfied with lithium as a mood stabilizer"

• Kaos
• December 15, 2016

"For the first time in my life the noise my very loud voice in my head that has NO filter is gone! The lithium has given me peace.. 8 months in and I am starting to miss my grandiose ideas but not enough to stop medication. I will now be on this forever the peace and quiet in my mind allows me to regulate better and not get so angry"

• Serica
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2019

"Lithium is nice, but it does have little price to pay. Diagnosed Bipolar II 2 months ago, figured that I had bipolar literally since my first memories and started taking lithium (600mg at day and 600 mg at night), absolutely works like a charm, and now I picked up my social relations and is able to work full-ahead for my college applications. However, it does make me thristy (I mean water is healthy so it's not bad) and numbs my emotions. I don't feel any happiness or sadness, nor am I capable of love. My personality hasn't changed however, and I still appears to be the same in front of others, only calmer. That inner peace is invaluable, although you may need to think twice if you have a significant other."

• EMVW
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 26, 2017

"I have been on Lithium for about 1.5 months, along with Lamotrigine. As soon as one week, I could tell a difference in myself. I was finally starting to feel like my "normal" self. At the time of starting these medications, I was easily agitated, would get angry at everyone over simple things. I found I was grinding my teeth a lot, trying to cope with my feelings. I was also becoming reclusive, since everything bothered me, I tried to avoid people and things that bothered me, so I would "hide" in my bedroom, and then the depression set in. So far, these two medications have helped wonderfully, and have changed my life!"

• Beepoo
• October 1, 2011

Lithobid (lithium) "Changed my life totally and completely. I used to be on a emotional roller coaster...up and down, over and over again. This medicine just brings me to a mellow state. I let nothing get to me anymore. I never get hostile, and that was my norm. I actually think this medicine saved my life because I was so tired of being emotional and angry! This was my last resort. I tried everything else that the doctor wanted me to try and none of that phased me. I recommend this to anyone with bipolar. "

• Tamrock
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 27, 2019

"I have been taking Lithium for 11 months for bipolar depression. I do not want to interact with other people and I feel like I'm dead. I have gained like 20 to 25 lb. All I want to do is eat and then I'm so depressed from Gaining so much weight. I'm talking to the psychiatrist this week I'm going to try to get on a different medication. All I want to do is sleep and not get dressed."

• Ava
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 7, 2018

"Lithium has been very helpful and it has really helped the depression side of bipolar II. No more suicidal thoughts (which no other medicine has this benefit!) and quality of life has gone up. It has stabilized my mood, and the hypo-mania with severe depression (psychotic features) I have been on lithium for about 5 months and the benefits started to show after 3 months of being on it. if you are starting this, be patient, results are not immediate."

• Scooby
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 9, 2019

"Bipolar / adhd. I take Lithium, 300 mg morning, 900 mg night, Epival (Valproic Acid) to stabilise the Bipolar. It's amazing! If head ache, a dab of salt on the tongue, it's gone! No mood swings, no numbness, no memory loss, I got my life back. There's a 1 hr window to take bipolar pills, if forgotten, I'll get moody or excited, once taken, I'm back to calm and happy. For Adhd, I use Concerta. It's amazing! I'm learning to live with adhd (my brains needs glasses (for children), My brains needs glasses again (for adults)). I learned about the VAGUS NERVE, a nerve directly linked from the stomach to the brain / vise-versa. Self-help books can heal you from head to toe. In conclusion. I adore Lithium, yes I gained some weight, began a thyroid gland problem ,but will be off Synthroid, some doctors give it for prevention. No other issues with Lithium, nor Epival, nor Concerta. Perfect combination thanks to my psychiatrist!"

• BP...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 15, 2015

"Have been diagnosed since 15, am 35 now. Went through copius medicines, being the medicinal guinea pig made me not want to deal with the mental health problems i faced. Years unmedicated, and the destruction got to me. Two years ago I slipped into the depression, I tried going back in meds. All made me sick, or flat, dizzy or angry. Last Dr said lithium, at first I was scared, I heard a lot of bad things. Ok, life was sooo bad, suicidal ideations were running me, so decided to try it at 300Mg 3x a day. I started Tuesday, its only Friday, and my thought are clear, and I feel the best I have felt in years. Any other medicine takes weeks to work. This Is amazing!!!! It won't work for everyone. But for those of us it does, it us literally a life saver."

• KCano
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 1, 2018

"I started taking lithium when I was about 24 yrs old. It did help my mania and depression. I decided about a year later that I didn't need it anymore so I stopped taking it. I went manic almost immediately and ended up in the hospital for 3 months. I have now been on lithium for over 40 years and no mania or depression has come back although I really enjoyed the mania part. Getting the levels right is really important and it takes time. I've read some other comment on here where people are saying they've tried it for a few months and quit....lithium takes about a year to feel like normal, at least it did for me."

• Cmb
• April 11, 2017

"Lithium has been a life saver. I have been diagnosed with everything under the sun. Bipolar type 1 severe, ADHD, PSTD, and panic disorder. I have tried lamictal, Latuda, resperidol, trazadone, seroquel, vyvanse, adderal, concerta, kloninipin. I am now only down to this one drug twice a day. Only short coming is extreme thirst. But I've been happy and normal for the first time now for 2 months! Yay, wish I was on it sooner."

• lexana
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 9, 2014

Lithobid (lithium) "Many years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar ll. Lithium was my doctor's first choice. Not even sure how effective it was. The side effects were awful. I could not work, I lost down to 95 pounds. I was so weak I had difficulty climbing stairs. I shook so bad I could not sign my own name. Then my doctor started to add all sorts of medicines to counteract the side effects. I became hypothyroid had to take medicines for that, tremor had to take medicines for that (didn't work well). Dr. decreased dose (didn't help much). I was on leave from work for 12 weeks. Finally stopped the lithium. It took awhile for my Dr. to believe my problems with this medicine because they were not typical. Those 12 weeks were the worst."

• Kyle...
• November 14, 2015

"I'm a 21 year old male who was recently diagnosed with Bipolar 2 disorder ultra rapid cycling. Before this I got started on this salt, I was truly at the mercy of my moods. My highs ranged from acting highly inappropriate in public places to my highly suicidal lows of which I've been hospitalized. My psychiatrist quickly put me on the "Gold Standard" for bipolar treatment. I titrated up. My first dose was at 300mg then 600mg and now, 900mg. My dosage at 900 makes my emotional roller coaster a smooth and highly manageable kiddie ride. Side effects I've experienced are an increase in appetite and weight, a small amount of hair loss and a bit of fatigue. Give lithium a shot - it has potential, but remember, it is not for everyone."

• Ceareal
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2013

"I have found lithium works awesome for my depression/bipolar however the side effects are causing a problem. After couple weeks the nausea has not gone away. I am losing my instant memory and found myself confused when doing or talking about a topic, I can't remember what I just said or heard."

• Demos...
• December 28, 2016

"I've been on lithium for two months now, and honestly, it's given me my life back. I was treatment resistant for years, until Abilify came out. Unfortunately, that stopped working a few months ago, and in a fit of desperation, my doctor decided to add lithium. I was highly resistant, for many reasons, but I'm so glad I decided to try it. It took a few weeks to start feeling better, plus an increased dosage to 900 mg, but I honestly feel alive now. I'm better than I've been in years. In fact, we've started titrating me off the Abilify, which has had disastrous consequences in the past. I'm quite optimistic about my future now. The only side effect I've had is the tremors. Fingers crossed the nastier side effects stay away, amiright?"

• RetroR
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 17, 2018

"Honestly this is the most effective drug by far! I am so calm and my thinking is so much more organized. All the cry babies whining about the blood tests are ridiculous. This medicine is awesome. Don't give up on the drug you have to give it time. The only downfall is getting to a serum level that works for you. I'm on 1200mg 0.7 and that seems to be working just fine. Keep your head up and give it at least 3 months."

• LdyLa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 25, 2018

Lithium Carbonate ER (lithium) "I had high hopes for this drug as I had heard so many great things about it especially for people who are seriously in the throes of major depression and/or have and are experiencing a lot in their lives on a regular. However, sadly it really didn't do much for me. I just felt flat, not happy, not sad but still sad if that makes any sense, and somewhat neutral. Now I thought that I would prefer to be neutral but it's like I didn't care, didn't feel, everything was whatever. On top of that it made me go to the bathroom a lot. I already drink about 6-8 bottles per day and had had to go up to 8-10. My system just couldn't handle this drug and like I said, no real relief. I also want to add that this was my second time trying this drug and likely my last. Additionally, the 1st time I was prescribed 600mg, the second time 1200mg. Didn't matter either way, it just makes me not care and that's already part of my problem."

• Andrea
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 9, 2019

"Lithium worked when all others failed. However, when I first started, I felt a numbness in my thinking. I am an artist and it took away my creativity for about a month but then life went back to normal. I would recommend this as a fist drug though doctors may disagree."

• Midni...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 23, 2019

"Been on lithium for about 2 years now for bipolar 1 disorder this medication helped in the beginning but now it does nothing for my unstable mood the side effects get worse each day it also causes severe acne and weight gain I wouldn't recommend lithium to anyone lots of bipolar meds out there try something else!"

• hiano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 11, 2019

"I was prescribed 450mg of Lithium to take in conjunction with 200mg of Lamictal and 300mg of Wellbutrin due to still experiencing irritability, impulsivity, and paranoia from bi polar. The psychiatrist who prescribed this to me said that it was “the cure” for bipolar to combine Lithium and Lamictal so I was eager to try it. I was only on it for 5 days. I had to stop because my job requires me to drive a lot, and I was getting tired early on in the day, almost to the point of being drowsy like I was on a high dose of Xanax or something. Also, after looking up all the long term side effects , I wasn’t too thrilled about taking it anymore anyway. However I will say my mind was much clearer on this medication and it made me more articulate. I was still pretty irritable though. My new psychiatrist added 100mg of Lamictal in the morning along with the 200mg of Lamictal at night so we’ll see if that helps."

• Marc
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 8, 2019

"I've been on lithium for 16 years to treat my bi-polar depression. I take 1200 mg per day (600 mg in morning, 600 mg at night). My bi-polar episodes are completely cured. I haven't had a manic episode since on the drug. HOWEVER the drug completely numbs me out, and I don't experience any happy or sad feelings. In the last year I've been at two funerals and a wedding and I didn't once have tears of sadness or of joy."