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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Cass on June 3, 2009, at 22:31:21
I am finally stabilized on medication, 40mg prozac and 300mg of lithium as an ad booster, not for bipolar. I've been in a major depression because of the loss of my husband and because I am prone to depression. It feels pretty miraculous to feel better. The only problem is that the lithium makes me so dehydrated. I'm also nauseated sometimes, and I'm having minor leg cramps and some constipation. I think I'm drinking enough water. I figure it's really the prozac that's making me feel better. The doctor just put me on lithium to boost prozac before the prozac really kicked in because it was taking awhile to kick in.
I won't go off the prozac, that's for sure, but I'm thinking of tapering off the lithium. If I ask my doctor, I wonder if he'll say no considering how depressed I've been in the last months. Maybe he won't want to take any chances changing anything. I don't want to take any chances either, but I don't like these side-effects.
Posted by SLS on June 4, 2009, at 19:12:07
In reply to I want to get off of lithium, posted by Cass on June 3, 2009, at 22:31:21
> I won't go off the prozac, that's for sure, but I'm thinking of tapering off the lithium. If I ask my doctor, I wonder if he'll say no considering how depressed I've been in the last months. Maybe he won't want to take any chances changing anything. I don't want to take any chances either, but I don't like these side-effects.
If it ain't broke...
Perhaps it would be worth trying to substitute Lamictal for the lithium. I would first start off by adding the Lamictal. When you reach 150-200mg, then you can begin to perform your experimental taper of lithium.
- Scott
Posted by Cass on June 4, 2009, at 23:23:35
In reply to Re: I want to get off of lithium » Cass, posted by SLS on June 4, 2009, at 19:12:07
So lamictal is another bipolar medication? (not that I'm bipolar.) Is that why you suggest it, or are you suggesting it because I might have seizures going off of lithium? The lithium just isn't making me feel well physically, so in that respect, it is "broke."
Posted by morganpmiller on June 29, 2009, at 5:43:59
In reply to Re: I want to get off of lithium » SLS, posted by Cass on June 4, 2009, at 23:23:35
You are on a VERY low dose of lithium. You will NOT have seizures even if you stopped lithium cold turkey. There is a lot of potentially good things that lithium can do for us other than treat depression or mood disorders.
You would be surprised that Prozac may be playing a part in some of you physical issues. I would not blame it all on lithium.
Lithium most likely is causing the dehydration. Though I have always been more dehydrated in the past while on SSRIS, prozac and zoloft. So the double whammy of dehydration from prozac and lithium is not good.
I would cut your lithium dose down to 150 for a week and see how you feel. If the dehydration gets better, great, stay at 150 and don't change it. Like I said, lithium can have beneficial effects on your health in other ways over your lifetime.
Are you taking Lithobid? It's the extended release version that many people have less side effects with, especially concerning the stomach.
DO NOT take Lamictal. Your not bipolar and since your depression is much better already, there is no reason to add Lamictal as an antidepressant adjunct. Besides, Lamictal sucks donkey dong. They will have you believe it is the cleanest mood stabilizer out there. I will give you plenty of reasons why it is not.
Just go down to 150 of lithium. Call your doc and tell him that is what you are doing. And, tell him you want to get a script for 150 of lithobid. You take it once a day and because of the extended release, it may not effect your stomach the way the regular tablets/capsules do.
Posted by morganpmiller on June 29, 2009, at 5:52:58
In reply to Re: I want to get off of lithium, posted by morganpmiller on June 29, 2009, at 5:43:59
BTW, your constipation could very well be due to prozac or a combo of prozac and lithium. I doubt it is lithium alone that is causing the constipation. Lithium has such a bad rap because of the extremely high toxic doses that are usually used to treat bipolar. Most people have misconceptions about what lithium is. It is not the toxic drug that we all grow up hearing about. It's a naturally occurring salt. It's been around since the big bang. A pharmaceutical company did not spend lots of time and money developing it. Sorry now I'm just being annoying.
Prozac will make you poop out little pellets. I experienced this the first time on Prozac. Just this past year my buddy called me and asked me why he was cr*pp*ng out pellets, I told him it was the Prozac he started a few months ago. Lithium can constipate you I think. Your problems are probably more of a combo of both. If you lower the lithium dose, hopefully some of those side effects will subside significantly.
Keep drinking plenty of water and in time some of the side effects may go away. It's hard to be patient with theses things. Just think about how much better you feel. Your depression has lifted. It's worth putting up with some side effects, especially if they will eventually go away.
This is the end of the thread.
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