Lithium and Weight Gain: What Users Say (Page 2)

• won...
• June 23, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "After almost dying of chronic alcoholism, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and put on lithium in May 2006 (currently on 750 mg per day). I was also taking Seroquel and Imipramine. I put on 50 lbs, and my wife kept commenting on how I was listless and 'zoned out.' This was a big problem because I write fiction for a living, which requires energy and alertness. With my doctor, I started tweaking the Seroquel and Imipramine and finally quit them altogether (the info sheets for both state they 'may result in weight gain'). The weight is melting off, I'm off the booze, and feel great. Life hasn't been this good in a long time."

• Anonymous
• December 3, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 18 months ago and put on lithium 600 mgs a day and Seroquel 300 mg at night. The lithium has been wonderful to stabilize my moods and keep me from feeling so down and depressed. I eventually weaned myself from the Seroquel because it made me lethargic, and I had weight gain that I contributed to it, not the lithium. I now exercise - run 3 miles a day to help me release any pent-up anger or negative energy, and it works wonders. Lithium may be one of the oldest bipolar medicines, but it is tried and true."

• Inv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 19, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "Probably the worst medication I've ever been on. Made me feel completely disconnected from reality and dissociate all the time, made me nauseous, did not help with my suicidal thoughts or impulses at all (in fact, I was MORE suicidal on it). I didn't care about anything, couldn't get any work done, could not concentrate, slept all the time, and gained weight on it. Did not help my depressive symptoms at all."

• Fre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 23, 2020

For Depression "Seemed to work for a week, and at 2 weeks in, then it stopped. Gradually became more depressed than I ever was, developed anxiety, and became very irritable. Got worse the higher the dose (2 increases, 200-600 mg & 600-800 mg). Nasty side effects, felt flat, not happy or sad, but still 'low.' Couldn't laugh or cry. Awful acne. Reading other reviews, I thought people were vain, but it's that bad-whole face, neck, arms, and chest to the point of people asking, what is wrong with your skin! I also had tremors, double vision, weight gain, feeling like you're not there, slow mental function, memory loss, ringing in ears, and insomnia. Still having side effects 5 days after stopping-only on it for 9 weeks!"

• Rac...
• January 3, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I have now been on lithium for 6 months. I am diagnosed with bipolar I. I had a mania in Nov, so I increased my dose from 600 mg to 900 mg, and I doubled my Seroquel dose. It took me a few weeks to recover, but I am feeling better than ever. I will continue to monitor my sleep and make sure to increase my dose if I am not sleeping, as that is a sign for me that I'm manic. But so far, I haven't felt as good as this since before I was diagnosed with BP 13 years ago. Lithium has truly given me my life back. I have gained a bit of weight, but I am unsure as to if this is from lithium or just holiday binge eating and not exercising enough. I am so grateful to have found lithium, and when I use it in combination with Seroquel, it works like a charm. I will keep updating on effects."

• Bus...
• June 10, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been using lithium for over a year, and it really made me like a normal me again in a few months. I used to be very angry, anxious, sad, and suicidal, together with Celexa. I was able to be like normal again, but I gained 30 lbs from my normal weight of 110 lbs. That is why I took one point off. I trained and just finished a marathon, but my weight is not even a pound down. I just had my blood test done today. I will see the doctor tomorrow and see if I could reduce the dose for a better weight result."

• Sta...
• October 11, 2010

Lithium for Bipolar Disorder "I've been taking Lithium for almost 2 years now. It is actually amazing mood-wise, and it helped me get over my social anxiety. The side effects I've had, which technically are not good at all, but are almost worth how I feel, are: I had to be put on blood pressure medicines, my hair is shedding a lot more than normal, I have more acne than I used to, and the worst one: I've gained about 25 pounds, which, for me, wasn't good, I was already overweight. Oh, and I haven't had a period for almost three months now (not pregnant), my doctor thinks Lithium might be to blame. I'm only 25, by the way, so I should still have a period. Besides all of this, Lithium was the best thing to ever happen to me."

• Anonymous
• November 27, 2016

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Lithium has definitely been a lifesaver for me. I've been taking lithium for about four months and finally feel normal. Besides the side effects of extreme thirst and weight gain, I can deal with it. I just love the fact that I have my life back."

• smi...
• October 29, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "I started to take lithium along with Manerix in Jan/Feb 2007. I was diagnosed with chronic depression. I was hospitalized for six months before they found the right medicine that worked for me. They tried so many antidepressants that did not work until these. Now they think I might be bipolar because the lithium was the one that worked. I did have some side effects like dry mouth, tremors, had trouble with doing small things with my hands like writing. But in time, this went away. Lithium did cause hypothyroidism in the second year. That will not go away even if I go off lithium. The endocrinologist has had trouble balancing my thyroid, which made me gain 30 pounds in two and a half years."

• Kez...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 2, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on 600 mg lithium for nearly 2 years now, and all I've read was good things about it and how it stops you from having suicidal thoughts and depression. Well, it's made me worse than ever, I haven't felt so suicidal in my life! And the worst part is my doctor won't change my medication, not even the dose, no matter how many true horror stories I've told about myself. So, I'm fighting all corners for it to be changed and not going to stop before it's too late. My head has brain fog 24/7, I'm confused a lot, my thinking is slow as anything, and I'm gaining so much weight-it's creeping up on me. Sure, it has stopped my mania, but the depression side of things, not at all. At the beginning, I thought this was a wonder drug, and I actually put a really good review on here about a year and a half ago. I wish I could delete it instead of giving people false hope. Give it time before you make any real judgments, give it at least a year before you notice the true difference."

• Nui...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 21, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Taken for a year. All it's done for me is make me lose my personality, sex drive, and some weight gain. Also, too many blood tests...your blood could be toxic at any point. Yes, if you do not want emotions at all, take this medicine. I, however, am switching to Lamictal to try to get my life back together."

• Anonymous
• September 25, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been on lithium for 16 years. The only complaint I have is the weight gain, it has increasingly gotten harder to lose. Also, the last 2 years, the hand tremors have gotten bad. It is very noticeable. I have considered trying another medicine with the help of my doctor."

• Eff...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 27, 2016

For Depression "I have life-long treatment-resistant depression and I'm taking an SNRI, recently started lithium carbonate as augmentation. It just makes me very tired at the starting dose. Although I'll try, I don't expect increasing the dose will help, and feeling so tired is very counterproductive for me. Also, have the typical thirst and no appetite. If it causes weight gain, that will make it even worse."

• Tan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 9, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Lithium has definitely helped me. At the start, I had side effects, but they went away after a couple of weeks. I am currently on 900 mg, I have put on weight, but that is better than being in a bipolar depression. I am also on Seroquel and Lamotrigine. This combo works well, but sleep is still bad."

• mmm...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 14, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Curiouser and curiouser: great drug under meticulous monitoring for toxicity; I have taken it for 41 years now. I had an excellent response of calm and clarity of mind in the first decades. Side effects: the common weight gain, chest tightness, and headache in the first 1 hr of ingestion, frequent urination, hypothyroidism treated with Synthroid, progressive kidney malfunction with time, diabetes (not sure if genetic or lithium-induced), and welcomed sleepiness and CNS depression without typical side effects of sedatives. I have been unable to take it in the past ten years, progressively, due to severe adverse interactions with ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and any other antihypertensives in that class; renal decrease in releasing from the body, and gradually in the last few years, a strange reaction: allergy to even the tiniest amount, including just a dust residue. So, if I had the power to prescribe it, I would use a much lower dose and more careful monitoring over the years."

• Xxc...
• May 8, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "It was on a low dose of lithium, so it didn't affect my mood that much. It definitely combats suicidal ideation, though, which was the reason I was put on it. However, the side effects are horrible: dry mouth, weight gain, thirst, hand tremors, drowsiness, increased urination, no interest in sex, feeling cold all the time. This morning, I passed out due to dehydration. It's not worth it. There are other primary mood stabilizers that you can go on."

• Mik...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 12, 2022

For Depression "Lithium 150 mg once a day. It did rid me of my suicidal thoughts. It helped turn me into a raging nut! I was always pissed off. Within an hour of taking the pill, I was annoyed about something. So no, I didn’t want to kill myself, but I didn't like everyone around me. I’m not sure what lithium does in your mind. I instantly gained 20 lbs. I had an intolerable obsession and compulsion for sweets. It was like an addictive drug. Once I gave in and ate something sweet, I couldn’t stop until it was gone. As soon as I stopped taking this medicine, these urges and my extra weight went away. When I confronted my doctor about this issue, they wanted to add more medications to my daily regimen. All I had to do was stop the medicine, and I went back to normal. It was due to the antidepressant that had me thinking about suicide in the first place. Pills don’t seem to be an answer all the time."

• Anonymous
• January 12, 2011

Lithium for Bipolar Disorder "Lithium was hard for me to take at first. If I did not eat enough with the medicine, I would vomit. The medicine works for me, but I do not like the fact that I have gained weight, and it causes acne. I have done everything I can to have clear skin, but it does not matter what I do. Lithium is cheap and effective, but like I said, I don't like the side effects. I am going to try Tegretol when I go back to the doctor."

• Bub...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 12, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "An update since my last post about 6 or 7 months ago. I have no energy, no motivation, I've gained a lot of weight, and I'm no happier than I was when I was first depressed around 5 years ago, and I have been on lithium for 2 or more years. I am on 600 mg, and I'm on a 600 mg aripiprazole injection every month, which is forced upon me (CTO) and which I have been taking for about 8 or 9 months. Isn't lithium meant to lift depression?! The docs want me to go higher on lithium, but I said no. Luckily, I have a choice in that! If it doesn't work on this dose, then what makes them think it will at 200 mg, a little extra? That's just going to make me gain even more weight and then even more sad and sick of myself! COVID isn't helping either, so maybe it's a mixture of that and the medication. I'm actually in therapy too, and that doesn't change things. It gives me a good perspective on life, but nothing seems to shift this sadness."

• Kir...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 1, 2023

For Bipolar Disorder "This was a weird experience. At first, it started out okay. I was way less angry and didn't get upset about the little things as much, and even my mom and dad commented on it that I seemed more balanced and leveled out. I didn't really notice it, but they definitely did. But come to find out, it made me gain 45 pounds in 3 months. I also started noticing that I had very severe nightmares and headaches and it caused me to have more seizures, which I have had since I was 4. It also wasn't really helping with the depression. It did help with the mania but never did anything for the depression. My doctor wasn't willing to try anything else along with it because it interacts with almost every other drug, including acetaminophen and ibuprofen. This meant when I got bad headaches, I couldn't take it because it has a major interaction between the two, so it caused a lot of problems with other stuff I was taking as well. I definitely would not recommend this med, but everyone is different."

• Ann...
• October 16, 2021

"Lithium may be good to even the moods, so one is stable emotionally. It restrains, be careful, though, because it causes weight gain. Once the moods stabilize, the dosage should be lowered. I have allergies, I think, to this medication. Sneezing all the time. Talk to your pharmacist about side effects."

• mmm...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 5, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "On first initiation with lithium, this drug was a miracle cure for 'mania' and 'anxiety' and 'depression.' For 20-30 years, it was well tolerated at 900 mg maintenance. As the years went on, it progressed, problems such as weight gain, kidney failure, hypothyroidism, type 2 diabetes, and flat affect (which I liked for some strange personal reason) progressed. In the past 10 years, it became difficult to tolerate, and my dose was not decreased upon request, ultimately leading to coma, in episodes of interaction between antihypertensives, where the dose was reduced in half by ER doctors. I would not say that this is a great drug for acute mania, and there is a strange effect on both depression and mania. However, I think, in my case, 40 years has been too long. I would like to report on this one, upon second review, now that I am reducing down to 0, and really not sure what the future will bring: 'Lithium in Neuropsychiatry,' The Comprehensive Guide-some bias FOR lithium, especially on the stats of discontinuation."

• Gvi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 15, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Since starting lithium and Remeron (an antidepressant that helps with insomnia), I have not experienced any depressive episodes or dysphoric hypomania. I was rapid cycling with mixed states when I sought medication. Lithium has definitely leveled me out. I still feel agitated or have heightened anxiety sometimes, but nothing like the hypomania I was feeling before. And no despair and depression. I get shaky hands if I don't drink enough water or if I stay in the sun too much. But it's really not bad. I have gained weight, about 20 pounds, but I think the benefits are worth it. I'm amazed that something so simple has helped me so much."

• Gle...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 5, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "Lithium ruined my life, it caused weight gain, made me fat, erectile dysfunction, and liver toxicity. Now my sex life is ruined, and I can’t build muscle and burn fat as I used to be."

• Nut...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 14, 2022

For Borderline Personality Disorder "Currently on lithium to help with mood liability. I gained 23 lbs and counting. Although I have some negative effects, it’s helped control the intensity of my moods."