Posted by Ron Hill on June 27, 2003, at 12:12:47
In reply to Re:To Taylor » » ace, posted by Taylor123 on June 27, 2003, at 4:35:09
Tay,
> Don't know if you've been reading most of my posts, but I have to decided to deny the Carbamazipine (tegretol) and go back on Lithium. I guess it's time to bow down to the inevitable... it works!
A week or two ago I had the following thoughts but I did not share them because at the time you were not viewing lithium in a favorable light. May I share my thoughts with you now?
Would it be possible to try a lower dosage of lithium than you were previously taking? The idea being that a lower dosage might still be able to hold your hypomania in check while, at the same time, reducing or eliminating the side effect of diminished creative.
Or if the lower dosage is not adequate to keep you out of hypomania, then maybe a low dose of an AED (e.g.; Trileptal) added to the low dose of lithium might control your hypomania. The lithium side effects and the AED side effects might be slight or non-existent because of the low dosage level of each medication.
If you don't mind my asking, what dosage, blood level, and brand of lithium were applicable to your situation when you felt the need to stop taking lithium a couple weeks ago due to the loss of your creativity and other lithium side effects?
I consider myself moderately bipolar II and a low dosage of lithium keeps me out of hypomania while at the same time I experience little or no side effects. I take 600 mg/day of Lithobid (a slow release lithium carbonate) and this gives me a blood level of 0.4 mmol/l.
What do ya think?
-- Ron
poster:Ron Hill
thread:235993
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030624/msgs/237511.html