Posted by barbaracat on February 23, 2005, at 19:05:22
In reply to Re: Cymbalta to Barbaracat, posted by ravenstorm on February 23, 2005, at 15:46:42
> Barb-I'm glad you are back on the lithium, it has always seemed to work for you. I know you also take thyroid meds. Do they help at all with the lithium induced thyroid problems?
**I go through periods of relative stability with my TSH around 2.0 or so, but then it will rise for whatever reason. I've gone back to straight Synthroid T4 instead of the natural T3/T4 so we'll see if it holds. So many other things are involved with thyroid and my sex hormones were very low according to a recent test. Very low progesterone cascades on down to low estrogen, low thyroid and low serotonin. I use a bio-identical hormone cream and had that adjusted as well.
The question becomes why are all these hormones fluctuating? To tell you the truth, I think it's mercury. I have a high mercury level and mercury likes to occupy all those hormone receptors. But that's another huge issue I'm dealing with that won't be gone right away and until it is I have to deal with the symptoms as they arise.
So these hormonal swings no doubt contributed to my recent crash but indeed I need a mood stabilizer also and lithium seems to be it. To let you know how wiggy my system is, I've been taking 3 little grains from my Cymbalta capsule and getting a response that is definitely a feeling of having taken Cymbalta. No wonder I was tripping my fanny off with 30mg.
It makes me really question the dosages of many of these meds. Perhaps some of us, especially bipolars, don't need the standard dosages of SSRIs and would benefit instead from minute amounts, as I seem to be doing. An interesting chemical soup we live in. Thanks for your response and ongoing support, Ravenwood. If I can ever return the favor... Barbara
>
> I think we know our bodies. If you have never done well on an SSRI or SNRI even while on lithium, then it probably isn't worth the risk. If all of your trials were WITHOUT a mood stabilizer, than you met have reason to rethink it.
>
> Hang in there!
poster:barbaracat
thread:380308
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050222/msgs/462419.html