Morning All, I am about to fill a script for lithium and I am very nervous about taking this drug.  I just finished taking sansert, which has been discontinued.  Can anyone tell what to look for in terms of side effects.  I believe the dosage is for 150 mg twice daily.

Patricia

You doc should be scheduling you for regular blood work to determine the level of lithium and to monitor for any toxicity. Doc should have given you the side effects.

Your best protection is to know and watch. The troublesome effects, if they appear, are dose dependent and can be handled with an attentive doc.

Thanks Bob, I did my homework on the side effects but I just wanted to hear from those that actually use it.
What do you mean by, dose dependant?

Thanks for your insight

Patricia

I've been on and off it (mostly on) for the better part of 5 years, and my doc was diligent about lithium and creatnine level tests every six months for the first couple of years. Once we honed in on the proper level for me (900mg/day), it was more a matter of being aware of the first signs of toxicity, namely hand tremor. Never have had that.

The only side effect I've ever experienced has been occasional lethargy, but it's so slight that I don't even notice it anymore.

By the way, Sansert is the commercial name for methysergide maleate, and you can get it made for you by a compounding pharmacy. You just can't buy the brand name stuff anymore because Sandoz doesn't sell it in the USA anymore. You can also get it from Canadian pharmacies.

"Dose dependent" = the development of many side effects (speaking of meds in general) is tied to the dose of the med being taken.

Side effect "depends" on the dose.

Lithium has been my silver bullet for many many years. I use 1200 mg a day while on cycle. I pee a LOT the first week to 10 days I'm on it. They caution you to drink a lot more water as it is a salt. The lethargic feeling I sometimes get is easily overcome with a cup or two of coffee. The Hollywood versions of a mouth breathing zombie are a bit of an exageration! ;)

Once I've been on it about 10 days, it blocks 70-80% of my attacks. Like I said, it's been my silver bullet. Just let those close to you know about the potential problems with lithium toxicity, the hand tremors, mental confusion, just so they can watch for you too. You're starting at a very low dose. They'll be doing blood work as they bring your dose up. Takes a lot of blood work the first time around to figure out how your body processes the lithium and what dose is right for you. After the first run, it's much easier.

Hoping it works as well for you as it has for me!

Joe

hey everyone, as we all no these headaches make things a struggle, depressing if u will, and i have found lithium to flip my mood for the better

i started taking 300mg twice a day, after my blood work my level was 1.3, doc says that   .4 - 1.2   is the optimum range for effectiveness and not being totally spaced out from it like i was

now i am taking 300 once a day before sleep, i just had my dose changed so hopefully it will not space me out lkike it did before, and hopefully it will be enough to help keep my mood elevated

Yeah I always thought the dosing was based on your body size. Then Bob explained it related more to how your body processed the stuff. That's why a therapeudic dose for me could be a toxic dose for someone else my same size! A long way of saying work closely with your doc, sounds like you're already on the right road with that!

Joe