Posted by McPac on August 12, 2003, at 13:23:31
We all know that lithium is mostly used to control mania and even-out moods. But this is the very important way that I use it and I'd love to hear if others here have ever had similar experiences.
First off, I only need to take it in much lower doses than most folks take it. My lithium levels upon blood testing are VERY low, wayyyyyy below therapeutic blood levels. Yet I have been diagnosed as bipolar. Anyway, the first time a pdoc ever put me on lithium was MANY years ago when I felt HORRIBLE. Back then I had stopped taking my anti-dep (I just chucked them down the toilet one day...I was only about 18 at that time). Many months passed and I began to feel terrible. When I went back to him I was in the worst state of my life....I was feeling a combination of TERRIBLE feelings ALL AT ONCE. I felt VERY scared, panicky (I didn't know what was going on with me), very depressed (totally "hollow" and "empty"), I could not eat a THING (not even a raisin), I was doubled-over--mainly it was a VERY scared, VERY depressed, VERY empty feeling....I was BEGGING for help. He put me on lithium (for the first time in my life) and Xanax....I was KNOCKED OUT completely for a few days (all I did was sleep and take the meds)....in a few short days I was FINE, joking and feeling MUCH better. But ALL these years since then, I've only needed to take lithium in very sub-therapuetic doses to keep that combo of feelings from hitting me in that same way. And when I try and take even LESS lithium than I normally do, sooner or later I get a "hint" of that old combo feeling again (NOT anywhere near as bad though because I'm still on SOME lithium, albeit a puny amount).....so, if I try to reduce the lithium even less, sooner or later I start to feel a hint of that "scared, hollow, all of a sudden feeling like my body wants to cry type of feeling, my nerves actually feel like they're just about ready to fall apart" combo of feelings.......and if I increase my lithium just a tad, that feeling goes away. Go figure! I mean it is like I'm using lithium more as a "nerve stabilizer" instead of an anti-manic! When I explain that combo of feelings and how I use lithium to keep that away, my GP said, "but that's not what lithium is for"....I replied to him, "but that's what it works for for me! And since I don't know what other pill would work just as well for THAT purpose, I'm going to keep using the lithium for that". For YEARS I never really heard anyone describe a combo of feelings all rolled up into one like that...and I never heard of lithium being used in that way...then, just rather recently in Dr. Amen's book he was saying how lithium can be used for some very effectively AS A NERVE STABILIZER! Geez, I was glad to hear that, it was like FINALLY someone (a well-known doc no less) was talking about using lithium to stabilize someone's jangling nerves! Today I'm still taking this puny dose (300 mgs/day now and I'm a big guy...my lithium level is PUNY when tested (.02 or so....actually I think it was .016 last time tested). But if it gets TOO low for ME, then I start to feel that crummy combo feeling (just a hint of it) and then I bump my lithium dose up for a while. Actually, I'd probably feel best at 600 mg/day. Soooooooo, has anyone felt this "combo" of feelings at once? What do you all think of my using lithium in this way? And lastly, what other types of meds could solve this problem for me (if I wanted to try something else)? I'm thinking something like Klonopin. Anybody? All responses greatly appreciated.
poster:McPac
thread:250266
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030812/msgs/250266.html