Posted by Ron Hill on June 10, 2010, at 0:10:35
In reply to Re: Lithium dose?, posted by SheilaC on June 8, 2010, at 9:29:29
Sheila C,
Generally speaking, high dosages (about 900 mg/day or higher) of lithium are used to treat the manic side of bipolar I patients.
Antiepileptic medications (AED's) are typically used as moodstablizers for bipolar II patients. Lower dosages of lithium are, at times, added to the med cocktail of a bipolar II patient. Based on what you have written, I suspect you are bipolar II.
I am bipolar II. Like you, I was misdiagnosed as ADHD and given a pstim (Ritalin). The pstim was followed up with the addition of an SSRI (Paxil). All of this was done without a moodstabilizer on-board. These two meds pushed me into a full-blown mania. As a result, I lost my job.
The only reason I wound up in the office of a p-doc to begin with, was because I was having trouble focusing on my work after I was kicked to the curb by a woman that I thought I loved. Prior to the break-up, I was a fully functioning environmental engineer. However, as I look back, I have childhood-onset bipolar disorder.
So, I chose to go to the Employee Assistance Program in an attempt to get my focus back on my work. This ended up leading me to a p-doc. Unfortunately, the p-doc turned out to be inept and he ruined by life.
Without boring you with all the details, the bottom line is that his administration of Ritalin followed by adding Paxil turned me into an ultra-rapid cycler. I go through one complete cycle every 15 days; 6 days of depression, followed by 9 days of normal. Then immediately the next 15-day cycle starts, and this occurs over-and-over, forever and ever.
I lost my career.
Now-a-days, if I try to add-on a pstim to my cocktail (to counteract Nardil-induced low blood pressure) the pstim makes me VERY irritable (i.e.; dysphoric).
So, please be careful re-adding your pstim. In my humble opinion (IMHO), the pstim will destabilize your mood.
I don't know if this post helps or not.
-- Ron
dx: Bipolar II with ultra rapid cycling, and mild OCPD
600 mg/day Trileptal
200 mg/day Lamictal
500 mg/day Keppra
90 mg/day Nardil
1.9 mg/day Deplin (taken with methyl B-12 and P-5-P)High dosage of fish oil
100 mg/day phosphatidylserene
Several other vitamins and supplements
Dark therapy via LowBlueLight glasses (When I remember)-----------------------------------------------
> SSRIs and SNRIs (Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor, etc.,) all induced my bipolar symptoms. At first they made me feel good and quickly they made me feel through the roof, bouncing off the walls good - which was really bad.
>
> I was diagnosed with ADD and given Adderall, which actually helps with some of the depression, but taken without a mood stabilizer it can make me hypomanic (irritable, too talkative, way too out there).
>
> So, for now I am sticking with Lithium, Klonopin and Seroquel. Then, in time I can add back Adderall. For now, I am too afraid to add Adderall back to my med regime. I need stability.
>
> This is only my 2nd dose of Lithium and it is really helping with calmness and irritability.
>
> Amazing stuff. I should have tried it 20 years ago - my life would have been soooo different.
>
>
poster:Ron Hill
thread:950285
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100604/msgs/950538.html