Posted by Tomatheus on November 12, 2010, at 19:17:47
In reply to lithium dosage, posted by cee on November 12, 2010, at 17:33:58
Cee,
According to Dr. Jim Phelps (http://www.bipolarworld.net/Phelps/ph_2001/ph268.htm), the therapeutic dose range for lithium in patients with bipolar I disorder is 0.7 to 1.2 nanograms per deciliter. Dr. Phelps mentioned that studies found that bipolar I patients with lithium blood levels of 0.7 or higher were less likely to relapse than patients with blood levels of 0.5 or lower. What this means for someone with depression and anxiety is difficult to determine, at least from my standpoint. If you're not getting enough relief from your depression and anxiety, it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor about trying a higher dose of lithium. Considering that you're only taking 300 mg of lithium, there should be plenty of room for you to increase your dose before your blood-lithium level approaches the toxic range. Of course, although increasing your lithium dose may bring you added therapeutic benefits, there's also the potential that you might experience increased side effects at a higher dose. The importance of having a blood-lithium level that's in the therapeutic range is probably more important for someone suffering from bipolar I than it is for someone suffering from depression and anxiety (avoiding getting into the toxic range is important for everyone, though), but if you feel that your symptoms are unmanageable, increasing your lithium dose sounds like it might be one option to consider.
Tomatheus
Diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Currently taking 5 mg Abilify, 12.5 mg Lamictal, 2.25 mg Hydergine, and four supplements.
poster:Tomatheus
thread:969976
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20101107/msgs/969989.html