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Topic: For chronics on lithium.... (Read 1425 times) |
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Garys_Girl
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For chronics on lithium....
« on: Apr 30th, 2008, 4:47pm » |
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What mg dose do you take?
Experiencing any side effects?
Do you take any other meds (esp verapamil) with that?
If verap - what dose?
...finally... how long have you been taking the lithium or lithium/verap combo?
Most importantly - and I don't really know how to ask this - but do you know to what extent it's helping?
Gary's tried everything - but he never did the verap/lithium combo, and I think his doses were too low. But we've got to try something again, because he hasn't really been able to work or do much but be in pain since September.
Thanks for any input,
Laurie
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| « Last Edit: Apr 30th, 2008, 5:15pm by Garys_Girl » |
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Guiseppi
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #1 on: Apr 30th, 2008, 5:08pm » |
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Not sure if this helps as I'm episodic. I'm 48, male, episodic about 30 years. When on cycle I take 1200 mg a day, 300 mg pills 4X a day. I've never got the trembles people talk about. I pee a lot the first few weeks while my body adjusts, and I do feel lethargic at first. After about a week I don't notice the lethargy as much, although my wife says she does.
I'm in law enforcement and have worked shift work while in cycle, my beat partners were informed and said they noticed no decline in my performance. Hope it helps.
Guiseppi
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Garys_Girl
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #2 on: Apr 30th, 2008, 5:16pm » |
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Yes, it helps very much.
I was editing my post to ask if people take it in combo with anything else. After conducting a search, it seems many take it with verapamil - but even that, I think, Gary's doc had him on too low a dose.
Thank you,
Laurie
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kevmd
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #3 on: Apr 30th, 2008, 5:18pm » |
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at my highest dose, I was taking 1200 verap and 1200 lithium per day. Don't think either was working. In the past 600 mg of lithium did the trick.
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Brew
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #4 on: Apr 30th, 2008, 5:25pm » |
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I've been up as high as 960mg/day verapamil and 1200 mg/day lithium. Absolute beast killer combination, and if I had to, I'd go back on it in a New York minute.
Unfortunately, Mr. Verapamil and Little Elvis didn't play well together, and Little Elvis needed to get out and get more exercise, if you get my drift. Now I'm on lithium and methysergide, currently tapering off the methysergide. Will start the taper off the lithium next week.
Does it make me tired? I don't know. I've been on it so long that I'm pretty sure I got a lot older since then, and it's age that's making me tired.
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Jonny
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #5 on: Apr 30th, 2008, 5:45pm » |
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When I was chronic I was taking 480 Verap and 600 Lithium everyday, for nearly 14 years.
No side effects and it blocked 85-90% of the HAs from breaking through. It gave me my life back!
Now that im episodic, Verap is enough to tame the beast when he shows up.
We are all different, so Gary will have to take the combo to see if there are any side effects. If it works as good for him as it did for me.......You better hold that boy down because he will want to be dancing on the moon like I did.....LOL 
Good luck!!!
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It is up to YOU to educate yourself and then help your doctor plan your treatment. If you just sit down in front of your doctor and say "make me better" you are setting yourself up for a great deal of pain.
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Garys_Girl
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #6 on: Apr 30th, 2008, 5:48pm » |
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Gary has so many problems with his GI system, any of the ergotamines - methysergide included - just aren't an option. We've finally got him down to throwing up just 3 - 5x a day.
I don't remember the lithium upsetting his stomach as much - but the verapamil did.
Laurie
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Karla
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #7 on: May 1st, 2008, 2:35pm » |
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I took 900mg of lithium and it cut the number of ch in half. I went from 8 ch a day to 4 ch a day. To me that was a miricle in itself. I tried 960 mg of verapamil but it caused me severe constipation and a irregular heartbeat so my dr took me off of it. The lithium quit working after a couple of years. I wish him the best of luck in finding something that works.
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Karla
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wildhaus
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #8 on: May 1st, 2008, 3:44pm » |
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I am new to Lithium, still building up to the a concentration level of 0.60-1.20 mmol/l (Millimol pro Liter)
I am just below with 0.42 mmol/l most likely by Monday I will have just over the 0.60mmol/l
I take now 2 x 450 mg. per day.
It did cut my attacks, but after 2 weeks of use it is to early to say.
I will use it as a combo with my Injection, which should give me some PF time.
I do experience some adverse effects from the Lithium, I just hope it will go away
with time (4 weeks).
Michael
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Garys_Girl
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #9 on: May 1st, 2008, 4:44pm » |
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Thank you all so much for the feedback.
Constipation would be a benefit! The verap just came with SO much nausea for him.
Laurie
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Laurie
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Brew
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #10 on: May 1st, 2008, 4:48pm » |
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It's generally verapamil that is considered to cause constipation - in spades. Like swallowing kwik-crete. Never heard of it being associated with lithium.
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clavers
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #11 on: May 2nd, 2008, 12:21pm » |
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Some time ago I used lithium (900 mg daily in 300 mg. doses) It stopped my chronic CH for six months and then just quit working, even at an increased dose. I think that the CH will eventually find its way around any medicine. But, that was a good six months!
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purpleydog
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #12 on: May 2nd, 2008, 10:04pm » |
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on May 1st, 2008, 4:48pm, Brew wrote:| It's generally verapamil that is considered to cause constipation - in spades. Like swallowing kwik-crete. Never heard of it being associated with lithium. |
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Lithium can have just the opposite effect.
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Brew
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #13 on: May 2nd, 2008, 10:17pm » |
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on May 2nd, 2008, 10:04pm, purpleydog wrote:
Lithium can have just the opposite effect. |
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So, if you take a verapamil/lithium cocktail, things should work out just fine. In restroom terms, it'd be like taking nothing at all.
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Guiseppi
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #14 on: May 3rd, 2008, 10:38am » |
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I have a fairly "fragile" digestive tract, doesn't usually take much to spin me up. I tried verapamil in the 80's, at a fairly low dose, I think I never got above 240 a day, and it stopped me up quick!!!!
With the exception of peeing a lot the first few weeks, I'm really fortunate in that lithium doesn;t seem to have any effect on the tummy and it's associated components!
Guiseppi
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Giovanni
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #15 on: May 3rd, 2008, 8:52pm » |
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on Apr 30th, 2008, 5:25pm, Brew wrote:I've been up as high as 960mg/day verapamil and 1200 mg/day lithium. Absolute beast killer combination, and if I had to, I'd go back on it in a New York minute.
Unfortunately, Mr. Verapamil and Little Elvis didn't play well together, and Little Elvis needed to get out and get more exercise, if you get my drift. Now I'm on lithium and methysergide, currently tapering off the methysergide. Will start the taper off the lithium next week.
Does it make me tired? I don't know. I've been on it so long that I'm pretty sure I got a lot older since then, and it's age that's making me tired. |
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Yo brew, that explains it. I thought it was old age with me.
John 
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Brew
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #16 on: May 3rd, 2008, 10:00pm » |
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on May 3rd, 2008, 8:52pm, Giovanni wrote:| Yo brew, that explains it. I thought it was old age with me. |
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hornedone
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #17 on: May 4th, 2008, 1:08am » |
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Lithium - 1200mg (300mg x 4)
Clonazepam - 3mg (1mg x 3)
Other natural stuff:
Magnesium - 300mg x 3
Taurine 1000mg x 3
DLPA 500mg x 2 (taken with B6/12)
GABA 1000mg x 1
Kudzu - 300mg (AM only)
Sounds like a lot, but I'm down to 1 K6-8 on average per day, with occasional minor shadows.
Have had CH for 16 years and been chronic for the last 5. This is the best I've done since Topamax stopped working for me.
As for side effects, initially when i increased the Lithium from 900-1200mg I would every now and then have some hand tremors.
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Pinkfloyd
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #18 on: May 4th, 2008, 2:15am » |
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on May 4th, 2008, 1:08am, hornedone wrote:
That's a lot of magnesium. You should probably be taking a calcium suppliment with that. Check with your doc.
Bobw
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kevmd
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #19 on: May 5th, 2008, 2:55pm » |
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AH YES, THE BOWEL MOVEMENT BATTLE BETWEEN LITHIUM/VERAP. WHILE ON BOTH, SOME TIMES I GO SEVERAL DAYS WITHOUT ANY ACTIVITY. SOMEDAYS, CAN'T GET OFF THE CAN. AT LEAST ON THESE DAYS, I CAN CATCH UP ON READING THE PAPER.
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Jonny
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Re: For chronics on lithium....
« Reply #20 on: May 5th, 2008, 4:54pm » |
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on May 1st, 2008, 4:44pm, Garys_Girl wrote: The verap just came with SO much nausea for him.
Laurie |
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Dramamine should do the trick, give it a shot!
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It is up to YOU to educate yourself and then help your doctor plan your treatment. If you just sit down in front of your doctor and say "make me better" you are setting yourself up for a great deal of pain.
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