Lithium - is it really the Gold standard for depression/bipolar d/o?

• By certified
• Posted December 25, 2008 at 2:06 am
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Lithium is considered the "Gold Standard" of treatment for Bipolar Disorder because it was the first treatment found for Bipolar and it does work well for many people, but not all.
I love my MD, but please, please see a psychiatrist for your Bipolar symptoms. Most MDs are not up to date on the newer psych meds and don't understand how to use them for a psychiatric patient. You NEED a psychiatrist on your treatment team.
Lithium was the first med (of many) I was put on and finally convinced my psychiatrist after a year it was not working at all.
Thus began 10 years (and lots of different meds) before we found the right combination. My dx was Bipolar II, rapid cycling, refractory (hard to treat). After a disasterous manic episode, I've been stable 3 years on a mix of Seroquel 300-600mg, Lexapro 20mg and clonazepam 2mg.
Seroquel is a mood stabilizer that prevents mania AND depression. It is expensive, so unless you have great insurance, go to www.needymeds.org for patient assistance programs to get it free.

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• By Polarguy
• Posted January 20, 2009 at 6:55 pm
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Lithium is a really good tool for bipolar disorder. Only catch is you need to stay on it. Your life can have no room for negativity and I'd suggest one who is on Lithium should strive toward the laws of attraction and focus on them...I do believe that lithium is useless without good sound family and/or friend support. It for the time being has saved my life. I've been taking it for 3 years...ventured off it once and never again. Hope this is supportive advice. Peace...keep the mania down!!

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• By Highlander38
• Posted April 13, 2009 at 3:23 am
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Lithium is a very OLD Drug made in the 60's and 70's... it was seen then as a wonder drug used for many things including epilipsy .... Neurological Pain, "Manic Depission", "BUT NEVER DEPRESSION".... theres a Mile of difference between Clinical Depression and Manic (as I'm sure you agree)

I had a friend who was Manic, this is how I got educated, he was always going through books to learn about Manic Depression, simply cuz he did not trust his doctor. (He was very bright and often suggested treatments to his doctor)... He could NOT tolerate lithium period.

He like so many when through many combinations of Meds before he found the correct one for him, Lithium has many very nasty side effects, "Like leaving you with a feeeling of hopelessness and insomnia, emotionally numbness, to name a few etc.

Many more new drugs made in the 90's are now used in the treatment of Manic Depressive illness, Lithium is usually never used in my area any more, because of the toxic side effects. There are so many more drugs, just google.com type: drugs to treat Mania or Manic Depression, read about them... learn, and suggest some to your consultant, usually Manic Depression is treated with 2-3 drugs these days my most Doctors who have enough experience in the field.

Take Care,
David.

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• By FaithCures
• Posted May 23, 2009 at 9:54 am
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a nurse told me recently that lithium is a natural element our body should make on its own. if it doesnt then it needs to be replaced. finding the right meds that work for u is a constant process but stick w/it. jayne pauly swears by lithium she says it saved her life but everybodys chemical make up is different. get a good doc who is willing to listen and compare meds w/u. u r awesome for taking control ant treating your illness. its gunna be trial and error. good luck to u.

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• By morganpatrick
• Posted June 4, 2009 at 10:52 pm
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I think most people don't quite understand how lithium is used in bipolar and why it gets to be so toxic.

David, by the way, there are not really many or any drugs out there that are necessarily better or cleaner or safer or more tolerable than lithium. Valproic Acid, Lamictal, Tegretol, Trileptal, Keppra, Neurontin, are all mood stabilizers that potentially give people bad side effects. These side effects are no more or less likely to occur than with Lithium treatment. There are many that respond well to Lithium and tolerate it with little or no side effects. Also, the atypical antipsychotics that are used sometimes for bipolar have terrible side effect profiles and can be potentially harmful long term. Unfortunately, for bipolar, there is not yet a totally safe and effective treatment.

Lithium is often used at doses that may be too high, much higher than what may be necessary. Some may actually benefit from a lower dose less toxic dose. Also, in the beginning, as with many medications, one may feel worse before they feel better. The body has to go through an adjustment period.

The good thing about lithium is that if it does work and the right dose is found, it actually does some things to the brain and body that may be good for health over the life time. It has been shown to promote neurogenesis and increase grey matter in the brain. It also can act as an immunostimulant and has antiviral properties, possibly suppressing the herpes virus. There are many out there that take low doses of lithium in the aspartate or orotate forms strictly for neuroprotection. A study showed that lithium significantly increased the life span of nematode worms. Lithium is also being investigated for its benefit in treating and possibly preventing disorders like ALS and alzheimer's.

Over the years, people have come to know lithium as this toxic evil drug that only very mentally ill people take. One thing people do not realize about lithium is that is only toxic when used the way it is used to treat mania. I think we will find over the next ten years that low doses of this very soft metal element that has been around since the big bang, may just be one of those keys to health that is good for our brain and bodies and may help us live longer.

Did you know that potassium is a soft metal similar to lithium? Anything can be toxic at extremely high levels.

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• By lucky13
• Posted October 21, 2009 at 7:03 pm
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Hey, I take lithium also and my Dr. said I couldnt just take one medication that I would have to take two. I take wellbutrin to take care of the depresstion. It gives me energy speeds me up a little it also helps keep the weight off. I weigh 128 pds, Its important to get plenty of exercise if you can't just walk everyday or atleast a few times a week. The lithium often makes me confused, upset stomach if I dont drink enough water, also God forbid I drink any alcohol I get extremly sick to say the least. Also feel dizzy although all symptoms go away within about 15 min of taking the meds. I hate it but im crazy as hell without it and can be violent. Most of the time im happy go lucky and laid back and most people cant believe I can be this way but boy can I get sideways. I also have bad nerves im a nervouse person so insted of kylnopen wich is just for bad occasions, I take Busbar that one realy helps and its a non narcotic. I wish I was normal. Try getting on Wellbutrin or the generic bupropion it should get you going cause it speeds me up. Good luck..PS this girl can not spell hell If I could Id just forget cause my memory is shot to hell!!!!!

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