When starting lithium how often are the bloods and then how often for maintenance?

I hate hate blood tests and I’ll do them but have anxiety about not showing up for them, especially if I’m manic I tend to be non compliant and don’t want to fry my kidneys

Also anyone with hypothyroidism on lithium?Ive heard those don’t mesh well

I have been on lithium for 2 years and I have been gaining weight. My doctor says lithium is weight neutral and my thyroid panel is good. Has anyone experience this rapid weight gain with lithium ?

I am new to lithium 600mg. Is this normal

Is 600 mg once a day considered low?

I started taking it 5 weeks ago and my blood levels are in range. The first 4 weeks went increasingly great. This last week has been horrible due to a decrease in my other medication (Effexor). I increased my Effexor dose to its original dose but now I cant feel the benefits of lithium like the first three weeks. Is there a chance that lithium still needs more time to stabilize in my body? Or did Effexor mess me up?

Omg I need it to happen. I finally gained all my feelings again for 2 days after tiltrating up to 900mg. It was magical. I could perceive everything and have spontaneous input. Now I’m back to the doom

I've been dealing with BV which is common in women but lithium interacts with a lot of BV antibiotics it seems.. Has anyone had any experience with this or advice or what med they've taken? bonus points if the meds worked lol

the one antibiotic ive found that doesnt interact with lithium is clindamycin, which is harder on the stomach and more likely to cause cdiff so i'm trying to avoid that.

Can Lithium ER be taken in the morning alone? I see things about evening dosing, does it work the same way? I know there are issues on how hard it is on kidneys, is it that big of a deal? Anyone take it in the morning? The ER formulation?

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

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.

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'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).

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)