Posted by Janice on April 13, 2000, at 21:15:22
In reply to need info on lithium, posted by kate on April 13, 2000, at 9:20:22
•The good thing about lithium is that it works for alot of people.
•The bad thing about lithium is that when it works, it seems to work so well, I (probably other manic depressive too) start believing I'm not manic depressive and have thoughts about going off the lithium.
•The dangerous thing about lithium is that its therapeutic range is quite close to toxicity levels. But at the level you'll be on, I don't think you'll have to worry about this.
•Another potentially bad thing about lithium is the weight gain. I've been on it for 5 years or so, and have gained NO weight until the past 3 weeks. 3 weeks ago I increased my dosage to 1200mg, and I have gained 10 lbs. I had/have an eating disorder too, and this is making me very nervous--sick almost! I believe I'm gaining weight because I am eating more. Another reason people gain weight on lithium is due to the lithium's affect on their thyroid.
Lithium is a salt found in nature. I cannot understand why people react to lithium the way they do. It's no big deal. I'm pretty certain I'd be dead by now if it weren't for lithium. It also has a pretty good anti-depressant effect!
kate, please ask me if you have any other questions. Janice
poster:Janice
thread:29827
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/29910.html