Hey, I've been frequenting the neurologists' offices, doctors' offices and am soon to patronize the good, old psychiatrists' as well. I've been informed that I, more than likely, have bipolar. Lithium is quite commonly prescribed for bipolar, as I understand. Now, I'm not some fucking fool that doesn't know if I should be mixing Klonopin with alcohol or snorting 16 rails of coke while I plug a bowl of cornflakes and inject myself with poisoned dart frog feces. I know my shit well enough. The question is this: what are the effects of Lithium? What does it do, how do you feel, etc.,etc.? I'm curious. My neurologist said that he was thinking Lithium from the start and I would just like to get some human beings' opinions of this, rather than going to some pharmaceutical companies' websites and reading the thoughtless black and white, you know? Thanks.
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OD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | Tryptamino
Lithium, anyone?
- Thread starter ~edemon
- Start date
PhreeX
Bluelight Crew
No recreational value what-so-ever ... 100% DEVOID of ANY FUN PROPERTIES.... might help you be less nuts though!
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# unzip ; strip ; touch ; finger ; mount ; fsck ; more ; yes ; umount ; sleep
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# unzip ; strip ; touch ; finger ; mount ; fsck ; more ; yes ; umount ; sleep
Definatly no rec value. Closer to anti-recreational value actually.
Anyhow, an aquaintance of mine is on Lithium for his bipolar disorder, and he HATES them. I think his exact words are that they make him "not feel like himself", "just like a shell with hardly any emotional feeling", and other no-fun type of things like that.
So, he usually sells them to kids around town for 2.50 a pill. <shrug> Whatever floats your boat.
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"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you ca'n't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here..."
Anyhow, an aquaintance of mine is on Lithium for his bipolar disorder, and he HATES them. I think his exact words are that they make him "not feel like himself", "just like a shell with hardly any emotional feeling", and other no-fun type of things like that.
So, he usually sells them to kids around town for 2.50 a pill. <shrug> Whatever floats your boat.
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"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you ca'n't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here..."
Curious_George
Ex-Bluelighter
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2000
- Messages
- 184
Taking lithium is to be avoided at all costs. It has horrible side effects such as shaky hands, cognitive impairment, and people will start telling you that it seems like you have no personality anymore. Tell your doctor you want Depakote, Tegretol or Zyprexa instead.
SovietContin
Bluelighter
I take lithium for bipolar.
In the past I have taken desipramine, zoloft, paxil, prozac, wellbutrin, celexa (the serotonin syndrome it gave me is how my doctor determined i was bipolar, not just depressed), depakote, effexor, and probably some more I'm forgetting of.
At any rate, lithium is the only drug that hasn't given me any horrible physical side effects or side effects such as turning me into a zombie or making me feel more unstable than I was prior to.
The only negative side effect I have gotten from Lithium is slight dehydration and needing to drink all the time. Considering how dysfunctional I was before and how functional I am now, I wouldn't even consider it a price to pay, that's how well this stuff is working for me.
I also only take a minimal dose of 300mgs. No, it didn't do enough to help me much at first. I decided to stay with a low dose to use it to help out and I learned how to deal with my other problems on my own with the lithium keeping me from getting too unstable, rather than just letting a drug change my personality.
I have gone up to 600mgs but I find I don't really need it unless I'm going through a hard time. I didn't experience any more symptoms from that level either.
As for Zyprexa.. that stuff is designed for schizophrenics and it's given to bipolars while they're exibiting extreme mania. I used to have manic episodes where I wouldn't be able to sleep for 2-3 days, and the two times I tried Zyprexa it just knocked me out for 23 hours on a full pill, then 18 hours on a half pill. It's not meant to normalize the chemical balance in your brain.
In the past I have taken desipramine, zoloft, paxil, prozac, wellbutrin, celexa (the serotonin syndrome it gave me is how my doctor determined i was bipolar, not just depressed), depakote, effexor, and probably some more I'm forgetting of.
At any rate, lithium is the only drug that hasn't given me any horrible physical side effects or side effects such as turning me into a zombie or making me feel more unstable than I was prior to.
The only negative side effect I have gotten from Lithium is slight dehydration and needing to drink all the time. Considering how dysfunctional I was before and how functional I am now, I wouldn't even consider it a price to pay, that's how well this stuff is working for me.
I also only take a minimal dose of 300mgs. No, it didn't do enough to help me much at first. I decided to stay with a low dose to use it to help out and I learned how to deal with my other problems on my own with the lithium keeping me from getting too unstable, rather than just letting a drug change my personality.
I have gone up to 600mgs but I find I don't really need it unless I'm going through a hard time. I didn't experience any more symptoms from that level either.
As for Zyprexa.. that stuff is designed for schizophrenics and it's given to bipolars while they're exibiting extreme mania. I used to have manic episodes where I wouldn't be able to sleep for 2-3 days, and the two times I tried Zyprexa it just knocked me out for 23 hours on a full pill, then 18 hours on a half pill. It's not meant to normalize the chemical balance in your brain.
Thanks for the replies. I've heard that it was sort of a happy pill from people I know that know others with bipolar. I don't know. I don't feel like myself as it is, so I don't know if taking lithium would help or push me farther away. I was given Ritalin because they thought I had ADD and that just turned me into an unbearable asshole. It was alright a few days after I stopped taking it and decided to rail one, though. What to do, what to do....
I am mildly bipolar and take depakote with wonderful results! (its even safe enough to give to infants who have seizures)
My psych. said to me hed like to try depakote 1st as its side effects are far less dangerous and more tolerable then lithium.
Ive seen people on lithium and they have so many problems but if its that or living in a manic abyss then id choose it even with its side effects.
many bipoalr people hate their meds as they give them a "flat feeling" no more super highs (when so many manics are super productive and creative) and no real lows.
When i get manic i only get angry and anxious no "euphoria" people talk about, but having a very manic friend I can see how people would hate to medicate and lose that, but it always goes out of control and he becomes schitzoaffective or he crashes and wants to die.
Someone else mentioned zyprexa terrible side effects with that too, and it only controls mania its not a stabelizer.
My psych. said to me hed like to try depakote 1st as its side effects are far less dangerous and more tolerable then lithium.
Ive seen people on lithium and they have so many problems but if its that or living in a manic abyss then id choose it even with its side effects.
many bipoalr people hate their meds as they give them a "flat feeling" no more super highs (when so many manics are super productive and creative) and no real lows.
When i get manic i only get angry and anxious no "euphoria" people talk about, but having a very manic friend I can see how people would hate to medicate and lose that, but it always goes out of control and he becomes schitzoaffective or he crashes and wants to die.
Someone else mentioned zyprexa terrible side effects with that too, and it only controls mania its not a stabelizer.
SovietContin
Bluelighter
About Depakote working for you, Special K, did you notice it's effects change after a while?
I tried taking it on two seperate occassions.
It would work beyond well during the first three months and I would feel completely normal like I did before I ever started experiencing symptoms from my bipolar and anxiety. But around the three month mark within a week or two I would end up going completely flat and just be totally emotionless to the point everyone I was close to would be asking me what was wrong.
As for Lithium, you had mentioned it'd probably be better to take it than live in a manic abyss even if it had side effects. I think one of the points I prefer about it is that at least for me (I'm assuming because I'm such a small dose) that I really like it is because it doesn't really make the emotional mountains go away, it just reduces them to hills and I get to retain some of the manic episodes, which unless they're making it impossible me to sleep for days at a time, I very much enjoy. So I can still experience my mania where I feel creative and can get more done, but it's controlled enough so I can still function normally. I usually take advantage of these times to work on music or art.
I tried taking it on two seperate occassions.
It would work beyond well during the first three months and I would feel completely normal like I did before I ever started experiencing symptoms from my bipolar and anxiety. But around the three month mark within a week or two I would end up going completely flat and just be totally emotionless to the point everyone I was close to would be asking me what was wrong.
As for Lithium, you had mentioned it'd probably be better to take it than live in a manic abyss even if it had side effects. I think one of the points I prefer about it is that at least for me (I'm assuming because I'm such a small dose) that I really like it is because it doesn't really make the emotional mountains go away, it just reduces them to hills and I get to retain some of the manic episodes, which unless they're making it impossible me to sleep for days at a time, I very much enjoy. So I can still experience my mania where I feel creative and can get more done, but it's controlled enough so I can still function normally. I usually take advantage of these times to work on music or art.
Soviet- Ive been on and off Depakote for 5 years now, I took it for a long time then my insurance ran out and I had no way to pay for it (without insurance it would have been close to $300 for the month).
I last took it for over a year and still had no problems with it.
Right now I am nursing and dont want to take anything unless I really need to so I am not on it and havent been since I got pregnant.
I only need to take 1500mgs which I understand to be low, how much were you on?
I last took it for over a year and still had no problems with it.
Right now I am nursing and dont want to take anything unless I really need to so I am not on it and havent been since I got pregnant.
I only need to take 1500mgs which I understand to be low, how much were you on?
I was on lithium and depakote combined for over a year with no side effects a part from shaky hands. I tried zyprexa and couldn't function on it as I was always sleepy; tegretol and trazedone were the worst though: I would get so uncoordinated that I couldn't even drive.