2006-08-28 16:37:12 · 6 answers · asked by MOMOFIAN 2 in Health ➔ Mental Health
my husband takes abilify and depakote.he has tried welbutrin and lexapro no for 3 wks he has been doing 1000gm of lithium
2006-08-28 16:50:34 · update #1
The theraputic dose of lithium is very close to a toxic level of the medication. Make sure your doctor gives you regular blood tests to test for the proper serum level. Because of this, symptoms vary between users ( I had diarreha at first). Any adverse symptom should be reported to your doctor immediately.
Lithium takes a while to work and to get it to the proper level. Many people make the mistake of not taking it before giving it even a chance to work. Give it a few months to get your blood up to the proper serum level and to give your doctor a chance to regulate it. If it works, the most important thing to remember is to NOT STOP taking it. It will continue with good results unless you stop and if you do, it may not work as well ever again. The average number of days that people continue to take lithium is only 72 days. Is it any wonder that many complain that it doesn't work? Please give it time.
If the lithium doesn't work, there are many, many medications and combinations that will eventually help. The hardest thing to do is to continue to take the medication(s) daily on a regular schedule and to wait a month or so to see it they work. Sometimes side effects will be a lot worse at first and then settle down after 3 or 4 weeks so as I said before, please be patient.
Take your medications, get plenty of rest and exercise and you will be feeling better eventually and it will all be well worth the hassle.
I hope the lithium works well!
2006-08-28 18:45:30 · answer #1 · answered by Paula P 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lithium is one of the oldest medications used to treat bipolar disorder. It works for some people and others cannot tolerate the side effects. See how your husband does on it. Make sure he follows his doctors directions about how much water to during and how much salt he can have. Make sure he gets his lab work done regularly. If he has problems of any kind contact his doctor.
http://www.nami.org has information about many medication and bipolar disorder. It is under the tab inform yourself and then select medications and go down to lithium they will list all the side effects.
2006-09-01 14:45:46 · answer #2 · answered by adobeprincess 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lithium can make you tired at first so be careful the first few days, also take it with food or your stomach can get upset. You will get very thirsty from it so always have a bottle of water with you, and always take it at the same time so that the level stays steady in your system. Many other drugs interact with lithium so be sure to tell your doctor everything you take and ask about over the counter meds.
2006-08-28 23:46:18 · answer #3 · answered by melebop 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Personally lithium made me jittery and I had sexual side affects. My doctor put me on Depakote and Abilify and I have been sailing smooth ever since.
2006-08-28 23:42:51 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
my side effects are minimal compared to what life used to be like
I have also used depacote and between both the lithium has many fewer side effects
if you are concerned about the sexual side effects, there are meds they can prescribe to help
2006-08-28 23:47:50 · answer #5 · answered by leslieguelker0517 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It didn't work well for me, but then not much has. The good thing was that I felt no side effects from it. The best thing you can do is try it and see what effect it has on you.
2006-08-28 23:46:50 · answer #6 · answered by Gypsy Girl 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋