Lithium has helped me more than any other medication that I have taken for bipolar disorder, and it hasn't done as much damage, in terms of dangerous and unpleasant side effects, as some of the newer, more expensive medications. It helps some people with depression, but for me, it is especially helpful in preventing mania.
This is not widely known, but communities in different parts of the world have considered adding lithium to the water supply as a way of preventing crime and suicide, because it has been shown that in places where lithium occurs naturally in the water, people are calmer and happier. Of course that amount of lithium would be much smaller than the amount I take. I take 1800 mg. every night before I go to bed. That is four of these 450 mg. tablets. Lithium should be taken after eating a small amount of food containing protein and fat to prevent diarrhea that can occur if it is taken on am empty stomach. I usually take it with a small glass of milk or a piece of low fat string cheese and water.
As I was walking out of the drugstore with my new refill, I wondered how many pounds of lithium I have ingested in the past 17 years. When I got back to the car, I asked my boyfriend what he thought, and he said, "Ha! Probably enough to build a Prius." I appreciate his sense of humor.
I just found your blog! What a nice find :) I agree with you too - lithium helps prevent mania very well for me. I think it helps with depression some... but I still get the blues sometimes. But not becoming manic is very important to me! That way I can lead a (mostly) normal life :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. I just looked at your blog too and found a lot of interesting things to read. When I started my blog, I really didn't think of the blogger community that I would meet, and it has been really good to connect with people who are working on the same problems and passing what they have learned along to others.
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