Third day since I ditched Lithium. Can’t say I’ve had any withdrawals apart from headaches. I was fed up with the fatigue on lithium. Nodding off throughout the day. Feeling heavy all the time. Even had moments driving back from the shops when I nodded off for a split second. Bloody dangerous. Not had any fatigue today ! I had the same issue with other meds; Aripiprazole was the worst.
Guess I just haven’t found the right one for me.

Currently on:

Effexor 225mg

Mirtazapine 30mg

Socian 100mg

Lamotrigine 200mg

Clonazepam 2mg

All this to control my cronic anxiety that lead to depression and its like a snow ball.. :(

Is lithium good to discuss with my doctor? Is there any interaction?

Thank you

Does anyone take a GLP-1 with Lithium? I was thinking of starting Mounjaro but scared of the contraindications.

Hello, I (36 F) have been trying to get stable on Lithium since April, and I want to try Lithium at a therapeutic dose, I'm not hesitant, I was excited. I am very upset by this issue.

Essentially. if I'm at 600mg of Lithium, I'm fine, bloodwork fabulous, etc. But when we go to 900mg, my lithium levels skyrocket. I don't drink alcohol, take stimulants (caffeine included), take NSAIDs, and none of my other medications interact with Lithium.

My psychiatrist and I are baffled. Idmf anyone here has any advice or has had a similar experience. I would appreciate feedback. Thank you!

I can’t find information online on my experience. I’ve been on 900mg for 5 weeks. I felt increasingly well the first 4 weeks. This last week I’ve felt depressed, then neutral, then good, then depressed again cycling each day. Has anyone else experienced something similar?

My lithium levels are in range. SSRIs/SNRIs, and Antipsychotics don’t help so I can’t supplement.

I've heard that lithium regulates the circadian rhythm and the biological clock. Is this true? If so, what does this mean in concrete terms?

Last night I switched from immediate release to extended release and the next day my face started to burn and I looked in the mirror and saw that I was having the hives so I was rushed to an urgent care. Psychiatrist thinks this is because of an ingredient inside of the extended release form. Has anyone experienced something like this?

I am starting on adding lithium to caplyta

Guys what meds have worked for you, I’m on lamictal, lithium and coming off a benzo despite that I’m really not having that much success they only recently discovered it’s CPTSD cos I rapid cycle tonnes. Hesitant to put me on an antidepressant iv tried them before without a mood stabiliser and I was suicidal not manic tho. So any success trying with one? I have two on board now. What’s ur med regimes? Xx

Hi, I am on day 10 with lithium and since a week ago I have basically no appetite. It takes an effort to eat at least one meal per day and I feel full from a small portion. I cannot find much info about this side effect, in fact it seems that the opposite is more common? Those of you that lost appetite on lithium, did it come back after some time? How did you cope with this? I also noticed that my libido changed and its lower than usual. Otherwise I have no side effects.

I talked with a psychiatrist today and I actually have to increase my dosage because my blood-test came back 0,18 mml and it should be 0,4. He mentioned that it was uncommon to loose appetite on lithium, he had actually never heard this side effect before.

Hi everyone. Yesterday, my psychiatrist prescribed me Lithium (Resilient, 83mg, 1 pill at night for the first 10 days).
I am already taking a few other medications daily:
Sertraline: 75 mg
Abilify: 5 mg
Diazepam: 10 drops, 3 times a day
I mainly suffer from an anxiety disorder and, most likely, unipolar depression. On top of that – although I don't have official diagnoses yet and these are just strong personal suspicions for now – I highly suspect I might also have comorbid BPD (Borderline) and ADHD.
Since I am just starting this new combo, I would love for you guys to analyze my current situation and share your experiences. My main questions are:
1. Lithium & Anxiety/Unipolar Depression: Is anyone here in a similar boat taking lithium alongside an SSRI/antipsychotic for unipolar depression and severe anxiety? Did the lithium actually help calm your anxiety and lift the depression, or did it feel redundant/negative?
2. Benefits & Side Effects: Generally speaking, what were the actual benefits and the "non-benefits" (physical or mental side effects) you experienced when adding lithium to your stack?
I know 83mg is a very low starting dose to get my body used to it, but I’d love to gather some real-world insights from people with a similar drug regimen.
Thanks to anyone who analyzes this with me and shares their experience! 🙏

Given it a few months now. Second time round. Started at 400 and increased to 600mg. Fed up with the fatigue. Times when I was driving to the shops and back and I’d be fighting to stay awake. Dangerous. Fell asleep playing on the PS with my daughter. Anyone else struggle with this? Going to drop to 400 tonight then stop after a week. Must have tried at least 8 different meds now and most cause fatigue. 🙁

I got prescribed 300 mg lithium carbonate about a month ago to help with treatment resistant depression. I do have depressive episodes but I don't think I've ever experienced manic or hypomanic episodes, only "manic spikes" as my therapist put it but they last too shortly and are too sporadic to be important I think.

Since lithium is supposed to suppress manic symptoms, I'm worried that this would interfere with me getting my natural energy back and getting better? Because I only take it for depression but I don't want to be feeling like an emotionless zombie either (already had that experience with other medications).

I think my previous post disappeared, so I'd really appreciate your thoughts on these questions.

1) I've been taking liquid lithium orotate so far. I am from Europe and its not "legal" so I have to order an expensive liquid version. However I can also import some pills from US. To save money, I'm thinking about switching to Swanson 5 mg lithium orotate capsules.

Have you noticed any differences in quality between liquid and capsules? Is liquid lithium generally more effective or better absorbed than capsules? In your experience, are there noticeable differences between brands?

For example, I've read that some people didn't notice much (or noticed less) with Vitamatic capsules. Does anyone have experience with Swanson?

2) I've noticed that when I take 7.5–10 mg of elemental lithium in the morning, it's noticeably harder to get out of bed. Does this side effect tend to go away over time? I had a real good start with 5mg and really felt good, but these days I am really depressed and not free anymore. It seems that all positive effects are gone :-(

Should I increase up to 10 mg. I'm hoping it will help loosen my OCD symptoms a bit and that I feel better again.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!

Do you guys have any experiences with mixing lithium with other meds? I‘m currently on sertaline, valporate, quetiapin and aripiprazol and lithium and it kinda seems like over the top for me so I wanted to see is this combo of meds common and does anyone have experiences with being on this?

I am rounding out my second week on lithium. I’ve been in menopause for almost two years, but since I started this med, it seems like I’m having hot flashes again. (I am on a stable dose of HRT, and that has not changed in months.) Is that possible - that hot flashes re-emerge, or that lithium makes HRT less effective? I see some people here talking about heat/exercise intolerance on lithium. Any suggestions?

Hi all, I posted on this subreddit a couple days ago describing some post-meal nausea and other gross stuff. Everyone’s advice was very helpful! I’m back again because over the past like, 12 hours, I’ve not been able to really eat or drink anything. I feel incredibly sick and my stomach is in constant pain. I try to take sips of Gatorade, and even though I’ve hardly eaten, I am still constantly running to the bathroom. I’ve also been feeling kinda shaky? I lay still and it feels like my body is vibrating, and I feel a little unsteady on my feet when I first stand or move.
I tried to google my symptoms, but of course google says I’m dying lol. I just didn’t know what real-time warning signs I should be looking out for.
Or should I play it safe and go to the hospital? (I hate this option)

Hi all,

I've been taking 5 mg of lithium (orotate) for about 3,5 months. After just 1-2 weeks, I noticed that it helped me become more relaxed about my obsessive thoughts and compulsions. However, beyond that initial "wow" effect, I haven't experienced any further improvement.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with increasing the dose, eg from 5mg to 10mg or even 20mg. Did a higher dose provide any additional benefit? I don't necessarily expect it to make things twice or four times easier, but I'm curious whether it led to a noticeable, measurable improvement.

thank you!

Hi!! I was recently prescribed Lithium for my bipolar schizoaffective disorder, and have been taking it since Monday night. I’ve definitely noticed the drowsiness and the dehydration, which I’m prepared for, but this small symptom is bothering me.
I know nausea is a side effect, and is usually a side effect for lots of medications! My problem is every single time I eat something, even if it’s small, thirty minutes later (if not sooner) I am in the bathroom either vomiting or having horrible diarrhea. The stomach pain that comes with this is pretty intense.
I just didn’t know if anyone else has struggled with this, and if so, how *long* it lasts.

Thank you!!

For background I first tried lithium a few years ago, I started at 300mg and it worked great, until pharmacy shortages and a depressive episode caused me to go off it, when I tried to go back on it didnt work anymore

I have been raw dogging life no meds at all, adhd is brutal, ptsd is managed by smoking weed but thats not rlly ideal, im also autistic and bipolar 2, the lithium was prescribed before the bipolar diagnosis to treat treatment resistant depression.

Ive been in this persistent burnout and mild depression for ages (i am out of my massive depressive episode from last year tho) and i feel like im losing the battle on my own as things deteriorate more

Has anyone gone off lithium and been unresponsive to restarting treatment? Should I give it another go and see if it works this time around? Was there a magic lithium +() combo that worked for anyone? (I've tried Zoloft, lamotrigene, Seroquel, atomoxetine, Wellbutrin, prazosin, pregabalin all while on the lithium) (I've also tried other meds but I have bad reactions to most SSRIs ) should I give it another shot? Should I give up on finding the right meds entirely?(my psych has:,)

Just wondering

Is Lithium ER better dosed at night and is there any interaction between taking Seroquel with Lithium together? Thank you!

I got my blood drawn for lithium levels which I believe are normal. But my Vitamin D level is 8.5. The reference level says 30-100 for the appropriate range.

I am wondering if anyone else has had this experience. I’ve tried to look it up and I’m seeing mixed results on whether Lithium can decrease it.

I can’t find it on a recent past lab, but 4 years ago when I started lithium and was slightly low but not this bad.

I’m sure I don’t eat enough foods with Vitamin D. I’m not inside all the time but I try not to stand out in the sun for too long.

I’m trying to go lower to regain some cognitive functions I’ve felt I’ve lost with .6 in my blood levels.

Good morning, everyone!

Could you please help me with something that's been worrying me? My psychiatrist doesn't reply to private messages.

I went through a really difficult period from January to June. My doctor kept asking me to get my lithium levels checked, but I often skipped the tests or didn't send her the results because of everything that was going on.

I'm doing better now and I'm staying on top of my lab work.

I noticed that some of my lithium levels were elevated: the highest was 1.41 mmol/L, and others were 1.10 and 1.21 mmol/L.

My concern is that, since I was exposed to these relatively high lithium levels for some time—and they may even have been higher than 1.41 mmol/L at certain points—I might have developed some irreversible neurological damage.

I've never experienced any obvious symptoms of lithium toxicity, though.

Sorry for overthinking this. I've become pretty obsessed with the possibility, and it's been really stressing me out.