Lithium

[LebaneseChica]

Is anyone on Lithium? What doses are people on? I was on 900 but they decreased it to 600 and now I feel horrible...Does it just depend on the person what the dosage should be?

[Rutherford The Brave]

Lithium salts you mean? Yeah, I know people who are on them but I am not on them.

[thesphinx]

I was on Lithium Salt, I believe I was on 700mg.
I was happy when I got off of it though since I had to get my blood checked every week.
And yes it depends entirely on the person because it has to do with the amount in your bloodstream.

[Θάνατος]

I was on Lithium for about two years then it started making me nauseous every time I took it. I told my doctor and she reduced had me quit taking it and I started feeling better. I think you need to tell your doctor about the problems you are having taking the Lithium and see if you can get it worked out.

[nachtspiegel]

I was on 1500 mg a day and it always made me sick.
Talk to your doctor.

[Kaleidoscope Eyes]

I used to take Lithium, and I was on 900mg a day. Yes, it depends on the person. Lithium is only effective at certain concentrations in the bloodstream. Too little, it won't work so well. Too much, it's not going to work any better and it'll just be icky for your system anyways. When they do those blood tests, it's to check your Lithium levels. Around 1 (I don't know if that's percent or what, I just know that's the number) the dose should be perfect, that's ideal. The doctor will want to get you as close to that as possible. 900mg is usually a good starting dose, to establish a baseline, but some people need less or more.

How long ago did you step down to 600mg? Give it a good two weeks from the day you started that dosage, and see how you feel. Lithium is one of those drugs that can have some icky withdrawals. When I went off of it, I stepped down my 300mg every two weeks, and each time it was a few days or a week of feeling "off". My head felt weird (not physically, but like, inside my head), my mood was a little unstable, all that fun stuff. It doesn't mean the dose is too low, it could just be your body getting used to it. If after about two weeks you're seeing no improvements, go ahead and call your doctor to see what they want you to do.

Post-Script: And be sure to drink PLENTY of water! That's important when you're on Lithium, because of the way it's processed in your kidneys. You'll need more water than normal, and if you're not drinking enough your Li concentration can actually rise in your blood stream, which makes you sick. You may feel sick at your stomach or have other gastrointestinal problems, you may experience tremors (typically in the hands), watch for that. If it's happening, drink more water. If you do get the tremors though, mention it to your doctor and keep an eye on it. If those won't seem to go away, Lithium is probably not the drug for you. Unless you're doing what you're supposed to, you can't really be sure why you're feeling so icky now.

[Halibut]

ya it depends on the person

[bliss]

yep I'm on 9oo mg a day