What should I expect from my first dose of Lithium?!
Question: What should I expect from my first dose of Lithium?
I was taking Seroquel for about 8 months and the only thing I liked about it was that it quieted down my brain about an hour after I took it. Will Lithium do the same thing? I stopped taking Seroquel w/ my pdocs help because I was falling into the 1% category of side effects....Go Figure..
Anyway, will this Lithium quiet down my thoughts shortly after taking it like the Seroquel did, or is it one of those medications, like an antidepressant, that can take several weeks to start working?
The doctor said it will without the major sedation of Seroquel, but I might get drowsy feeling at first. But I've learned that everything a doctor tells me ISN'T always the case, even though I trust him. So I'm looking for some personal experiences.
I know about all the blood work that I have to do regularly if it works for me, and I'm ok with that if it's something that will give me some relief from "Busy Brain". I also take a low dose of a benzo for the anxiety, but even that's not helping me overcome the initially fear of sticking this little pill in my mouth..... (Whoever thought I would be hesitant to take what is basically a form of salt.)
I know I sound like a kid afraid of the dark, but with everything I've tried and gone through, I basically am.
Thanks for your feedback and support everyone.....
Answers:
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
You don't at all sound like a kid afraid of the dark. This is a normal fear that many have when starting a new medication for mental illness. Lithium is the oldest of the mood stabilizers and it works much quicker than an antidepressant. You should notice a "quiet down" within a day or two. If you have any more questions the best person to talk to is the pharmacist who prescribes your medications. He is the expert and knows more about all medications than doctors do. He can ease your fears. Take care of yourself and you will begin feeling better soon.
Lithium is a mood stabilizer. It is a wonderful drug for some, and for some it's a worse nightmare. Each person's case is different. If you trust your doctor I would go with what he says. Usually, when taking Lithium (or any Lithium type) it requires blood tests for your safety. I recommend seeing www.lithobid.net. This sight will explain things. I hope this helps
Personal Research
www.lithobid.net
Lithium should not give you any side effects except some drowsiness and it does take a couple of weeks to reach a peak level in your system. Don't be afraid to take it, it is safer than alot of other medications.
I don't think you will find Lithium helpful, it won't quieten your mind down like an antipsychotic, most of the older antipsychotics will quieten your mind down and help with anxiety.
Don't believe those drug company hand outs that say only 1% got a certain side effect - they routinely downplay the side effects. In actual practice, the rate of side effects is MUCH higher than usually seen in clinical trials. for some drugs, they actually coded suicide attempts as "depression."
Anyhow, the side effects I got from lithium were bad dry mouth, so I was drinking fluids all the time, and so I had to get up to go to the bathroom 3 times in the night, so my sleep was just terrible. Sucking on sugarless candy didn't do it for me. Also, I tended to get really overheated in the summer. i am not sure if lithium raises your risk for heatstroke as antipsychotics due, but one risk is that your lithium level will then go too high, if you are dehydrated in the sun. finally, on my final attempt to take lithium, which only ever helped mania for me, btw, I got weird seizure like problems when I would wake up in the morning. i would shake for like a minute or two and it was very scary. my doc said she didn't think it was a real seizure, but rather partly do do with my brain waking up. she said that your brain has to do a lot to switch from sleep to waking up, and so many weird things happen then. so it maybe was that in combo with lithium.
finally, and this is rare, my brother did get tourette's disorder really bad from lithium, prozac, or the combo. he had it very mildly when he was little. now he barks like a dog, jerks, etc - acts freaky, and it has been 15 years now and no improvement. Every psych drug is a psychoactive substance and has a risk of causing brain damage instead of helping you. In my case, after 25 meds and ECT, i gave up, stopped pills 10 months ago, and now for about 6 months have been doing much better (although still depressed). Read my questions from a couple years ago - i would be dead if it kept going on like that. the meds were a disaster for me.
In my case, lithium wasn't so bad, but look what it did to my brother. which again, that is rare, but it happens! I get thumbs down for telling people these things, but the psychiatrists do not tell you their patients' disasters, and the drug companies sure won't. the only way to get this kind of story is from other patients.