Diagnosed with Bipolar recently. I have been suffering for well over 25+ yrs with this illness--progressively gotten worse as I have aged markedly my illness has taken me places I never imagined. I have tried every anti-depressant on the market in the past 20yrs from A-Z exception of Lithium---All the previous prescribed anti-deps made me feel worse--I hope Lithium will work for me. What do to expect ? So desperate for balance and normalcy in my life. I feel that I have been living as a cripple mentally for a long time and hid it well. Now I expose myself and can't keep up the farce.....I hope Lithium will work for me. Any input from others with some experience with same would be appreciated. Also I use to self medicate with cocaine and alcohol, off of all of that, coke off for 2-yrs, off alcohol on and off, now off for almost 30 days now. I don't want to go back to the booze/drugs, tired of the merry go round ending up at the same place I started. I hope this new med will work for me--What should I expect to happen, details if you will. Thanks for sharing folks. I am new here BTW ! Very tired I only sleep 3-4 fragmented hours per nite....this chronic insomnia lack of quality sleep aggrivates my illness even more, will this help with sleep issue ?
A place to come to ask and answer questions from others on mental health and relationship issues.
Copyright © 1992-2008 Psych Central. All rights reserved.
Answers
From wiki:
Lithium salts were used during the 19th century to treat gout. Lithium salts such as lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), lithium citrate, and lithium orotate are mood stabilizers. They are used in the treatment of bipolar disorder, since unlike most other mood altering drugs, they counteract both mania and depression. Lithium can also be used to augment other antidepressant drugs. It is also sometimes prescribed as a preventive treatment for migraine disease and cluster headaches.
The active principle in these salts is the lithium ion Li+, which having a smaller diameter, can easily displace K+ and Na+ and even Ca+2, in spite of its greater charge, occupying their sites in several critical neuronal enzymes and neurotransmitter receptors. Although Li+ cannot displace Mg2+ and Zn2+, because of these ions small size and greater charge (higher charge density, hence stronger bonding), when Mg+2 or Zn+2 are present in low concentrations, and Li+ is present in high concentrations, the latter can occupy sites normally occupied by Mg+2 or Zn+2 in various enzymes. Therapeutically useful amounts of lithium (0.6 to 1.2 mmol/l) are only slightly lower than toxic amounts (>1.5 mmol/l), so the blood levels of lithium must be carefully monitored during treatment to avoid toxicity. Therefore, in theory, coadministration of 400 IU vitamin D, 1 g magnesium citrate (not the insoluble oxide or carbonate), 15 mg Zn (as gluconate or piccolinate, not the insoluble oxide) and 1 pill of vitamin B complex a day, should potentiate the effect of Li,[citation needed] in some cases allowing for the reduction of the therapeutic range to 0.5 to 0.9 mmol/l, of the daily dose of lithium carbonate and of the risk of toxicity.
Common side effects include muscle tremors, twitching, ataxia, hyperparathyroidism (bone loss, hypercalcemia, hypertension, etc,), kidney damage, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (polyuria and polydipsia) and seizures. Many of the side-effects are a result caused by the increased elimination of potassium.
Pregnancy - teratogenic properties: Ebstein (cardiac) Anomaly - There appears to be an increased risk of this abnormality in infants of women taking lithium during the first trimester of pregnancy.
I dont see where it could help sleeping, but I am not for sure. Maybe others could point it out, yes or no?
Best,
Clyde
Hi Clyde, thanks for the info - sleep is still on ongoing issue.
PS; I too am a big fan of WIKI :)