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Misc Quitting Lithium

TheBollocks

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
142
Are there any dangers in quitting lithium "suddenly"? I was 302'd and put on the stuff along with some seroquel which im also going to stop taking as the doctor at the psych ward is a fucking idiot and im not bipolar hell im not even depressed he prescribed everyone in the ward the lithium seroquel combo. Ive been taking it a month and now i have the choice to not taking it so should I taper or continue with my slightly painful cold turkey approach?
 
Were you set up with a psychiatrist upon being released from the psych ward? I know over here (NY, USA) that's standard procedure, and they keep up with your meds too. I was given the Lamictal/Seroquel combo by my psych dr, and decided to stop taking the Seroquel since it made me a zombie and she got extremely pissed off. So, do you have an outside psychiatrist you can talk to about it? No one here is really going to recommend you just STOP taking medications without any medical advice.
 
Yeah I have one but no appointment until next week and the constant eating and horror stories I kinda want to get this stuff out of my body and mind Im perfectly healthy physically and mentally I suppose my question is more along the lines of are there any adverse reactions to cold turkey stopping lithium?
 
I would not cold turkey the lithium.

I have been on many psych meds. Lithium is the only one where you should get blood work done shortly after starting to monitor serum levels.

However, I did quit lithium abruptly a little while back but I was on such a small dose (200-300mg?).

The average dose is around 1200mg a day. So, how much do you take?
 
900mgs Ive been on it for 3 weeks Ive had a crazy stupid cluster headache for 2 days which is normal but the intensity of it isnt thats why I turned to BL for some advice.
 
I still would not cold turkey it. I would speak with Psychiatrist before doing that. If you can't reach them, I suppose the next option would be a slow taper.
 
900mgs Ive been on it for 3 weeks Ive had a crazy stupid cluster headache for 2 days which is normal but the intensity of it isnt thats why I turned to BL for some advice.

This is one of those questions best left to your doctor, not BL. Good luck and let us know what the results are in case someone else may benefit from your experience.
 
Honestly I would continue taking it until you can speak to a Psych about it. It was likely given to you for a specific reason.
 
Im doing better today I think the headache was coincidental other than that no wd or negative side effects and I can walk at a normal rate now without trudging along like a zombie. also the meds were given to me as the psych wards apparent "we use these 2 meds on everyone because we like money, alot. No I dont care if theres nothing wrong with him im a doctor goddamnit" policy. The experience was horrifying to say the least.
 
Quitting Lithium....my experience so far.

I was diagnosed Bipolar II about 4 years ago. We went through a few combinations of meds before settling on Lithium (1200mg per day) and Abilify, which I stopped last year. (Abilify can create blood sugar issues). I was on the Lithium for that 4 years until I ran out in December, and failed to pick up the prescription for a few days....and then I realized how good I was starting to feel. I'd recently taken off about 30 of 90 pounds that I had gained with meds, and I have an awesome counselor that over the years has equipped me with fantastic tools to keep my issues under control. I am now over 3 weeks into quitting the Lithium cold turkey, and feel better and better every day. No, I don't believe I'm in a manic phase. I am feeling like I'm thinking clearer, unclouded and intelligently. I'm being productive but not to an annoying point to myself or others. I'm just feeling "alive"....and am feeling after reading a lot of these posts that I'm the exception to the rule. I don't feel the tugs of mania, although I do feel optimistic and positive about some big life changes that are coming this year. Makes me wonder what the drug has actually done for me other than put weight on me, slowed my metabolism down, given me diabetes, and elevated my kidney functions to unhealthy levels. I'm thinking that I'm going to keep on the present course, and monitor any changes, either towards depression or mania. But I'm also thinking that I've gained enough control of my mind that I can control it better without medication now. Anyone else ever experience that???
 
I would not cold turkey the lithium.

I have been on many psych meds. Lithium is the only one where you should get blood work done shortly after starting to monitor serum levels.

However, I did quit lithium abruptly a little while back but I was on such a small dose (200-300mg?).


The average dose is around 1200mg a day. So, how much do you take?


Twelve-hundred mg is actually a very high dose, and would push many people into toxicity levels. Even 900 mg is pushing it. But everyone is an individual.
 
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I was diagnosed Bipolar II about 4 years ago. We went through a few combinations of meds before settling on Lithium (1200mg per day) and Abilify, which I stopped last year. (Abilify can create blood sugar issues). I was on the Lithium for that 4 years until I ran out in December, and failed to pick up the prescription for a few days....and then I realized how good I was starting to feel. I'd recently taken off about 30 of 90 pounds that I had gained with meds, and I have an awesome counselor that over the years has equipped me with fantastic tools to keep my issues under control. I am now over 3 weeks into quitting the Lithium cold turkey, and feel better and better every day. No, I don't believe I'm in a manic phase. I am feeling like I'm thinking clearer, unclouded and intelligently. I'm being productive but not to an annoying point to myself or others. I'm just feeling "alive"....and am feeling after reading a lot of these posts that I'm the exception to the rule. I don't feel the tugs of mania, although I do feel optimistic and positive about some big life changes that are coming this year. Makes me wonder what the drug has actually done for me other than put weight on me, slowed my metabolism down, given me diabetes, and elevated my kidney functions to unhealthy levels. I'm thinking that I'm going to keep on the present course, and monitor any changes, either towards depression or mania. But I'm also thinking that I've gained enough control of my mind that I can control it better without medication now. Anyone else ever experience that???

I know that Abilify and Seroquel help a great deal of people, myself included, but frankly, I feel like I'm being slowly poisoned by these medications.

OP, I take 900 mg of lithium and 300 mg of Seroquel. I wouldn't drop either one abruptly, but if you decide to do so, the Seroquel is the one you really want to taper slowly. Discontinuing Seroquel abruptly feels a lot like stopping an SSRI abruptly: insomnia, anxiety, cramps, brain zaps, tremors, etc. The one time I ran out of Seroquel was worse than the one time I ran out of Suboxone--no joke.
 
I'm thinking that I'm going to keep on the present course, and monitor any changes, either towards depression or mania. But I'm also thinking that I've gained enough control of my mind that I can control it better without medication now. Anyone else ever experience that???

Umm...yeah.

Watch your step there. Do you have at least one person who you trust to tell you that you're winding up?
If you do, will you listen?

When that person won't talk to you anymore, it's time to check yourself in.

I wish you the very best of luck, but I worry for you.
 
Umm...yeah.

Watch your step there. Do you have at least one person who you trust to tell you that you're winding up?
If you do, will you listen?

When that person won't talk to you anymore, it's time to check yourself in.

I wish you the very best of luck, but I worry for you.

Excellent advice.
 
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