I just got prescribed Lithium Carbonate. What am I in for? What should I expect to happen?

White sips contain inositol, which does more good for your condition than Lithium ever will.

Your going to to need regular blood tests to monitor your lithium levels becuase they become TOXIC over time.

Basically your being scammed, hardcore.

When a doctor tells you that you have a 'chemical imbalance' ask them to prove it. Don't tolerate them talking in circles or anything else. Simply ask them to prove it.

There is no test for 'chemical imbalance'. There is no way to prove or disprove there's anything wrong or that your treatment is working.

That means they can treat you for how ever long they want.

youtube.com/watch?v=pkcJEvMcnEg

Get these anons fold a nice tinfoil hat.

Need regular monitoring to be safe, but safe it is, however possible long term nephrotoxicity at therapeutic doses.

Only mood stabiliser proven to reduce suicidality. Prescribed either for bipolar or some other refractory mood disorder i.e. likely that you are ill and should take it. Nothing to do with a chemical imbalance; any psychiatrist will freely admit that nobody knows how lithium works, but that work it does.

anyone here have experience with lamotrigine/lamictal?

>any psychiatrist will freely admit that nobody knows how lithium works
Lol.

Fuck you pharma bro, acting like it ain't no thing.

yikes. sorry user. but i take it you've tried therapy first before resorting to this shit? it fries your brain literally far as i've seen.

We don't really know how paracetamol works. Ever take it?

I was on it at some point. It doesn't have that many side effects for most people, especially compared to SSRIs, so it's worth a shot. Didn't do much for me, though.

>Lithium carbonate is used to treat mania, the elevated phase of bipolar disorder.
op is a nut

My pet hypothesis is that it effectively dampens the K+ and Na+ channels in neurones, making them less likely to depolarise.
I.E. It effectively acts like a dimmer switch, turning down nerve pulses

Found the kike.

You fucked

big pharma to get rich maybe?

Bullshit. Don't do it

med student here. would never do or let anyone in my family do lithium. i watched a lady go from having to be braced up to a chair and spoon feed. she couldnt even talk. she was detox off lithium to do ECT. day i saw her for her to consent for ECT she could talk and eat by herself and talking, pretty much 100% acting like she was normal. i was like wtf....

...

Spooky

I'm taking it since july, it's no big deal really. Had no weight gain, but got some tremors once I had 900+mmol/L on blood.

I watched a doc about some teenager with Bipolar that killed himself, his parents convinced his doctor to taper off the doses of Lithium in the weeks before the suicide.

Really? A med student yet willing to believe n=1 shit? Li monotherapy or antipsychotics too? Granted, ECT is magic.

I was on it years ago from a misdiagnosis and wanted to unironically end my life more on it than off it. It makes you a shell of who you were and thirsty as fuck, amongst like 39182 other shit symptoms. CBT, lifting and a good diet helped 100x more

Started lam a few months back on top of lithium

Feel a bit more stable and getting easier sleep. Watch for the rash, but I've not had problems

Your gonna get a lot of stomach upset and tremors.

Been taking lithium for five years

Initially, it took some treats and error to get the dosage right. Now things are good. I miss the fun of mania, but I'm not putting everything else in my life at risk with constant bad impulse decisions and plummeting depression. Make sure you stay dedicated to your goals because you might feel "normalized" and bored at first. If you're taking it because you're bipolar, that is. But compared to mania, everything is boring, so don't blame the lithium. Benefits far outweigh drawbacks on this one.

Stay regular on dosage or you'll never dial in to the right amount.

Tremors maybe. Usually a sign the dosage is off. A good doctor will adjust accordingly.

Upset stomach no. Take with some food as ordered and you'll be fine op

I've seen people go fucking nuts on lithium. Youd probably be better having a nutritional work up and fixing nutritional deficiencies in your diet. Most docs don't bother with that because it's "too much work" and they automatically start giving you the "easy" pull option instead; plus they make money when they sell you pills.
basically 99.99% of the time you don't need the pills and you'd be better off without them

lithium orotate is way better.
it's otc too.

low dose lithium is beneficial for the brain.

lithium orotate isn't toxic at therapeutic doses.

look into lithium orotate.

your dick will fall off and you'll become yet another vitamin-user.

It turns you into nothing. I actually mean this. lithium just makes your brain hollow. You feel nothing, in a pointless way, and you have no drive to think of anything fruitful. You are a zombie and a rock all in one. It's amazing it doesn't effect your motor skills, at all really.

can you shut the fuck up with this broscience shit

Long term nephrotoxicity is new evidence.

Bet you recommend juice cleanses for cancer.

Actually it's from hours of listening to someone with a PhD who does research in bio chem. How stupid are you? Did you not realize your diet directly affects your mind and body?Did you not realize that docs get paid to sell you pills? Did you not realize doctors aren't particularly trained in nutrition? Did you not realize that docs are so overwhelmed with fatties that their go to answer to just about everything is to shove pills down your throat for an easy quick fix that never actually addresses the problem? Which part are you too stupid to get?

>bipolar disorder
>just a nutritional deficiency

I'm sure schizophrenia and cancer can also be fixed with vitamins too.

Actually I've said many times (particularly a year or so ago when idiots on fit were following the meme) that juice cleanses are retarded. You're throwing away the pulp, which is one of the best parts of the produce. I've said maaaaannnyyy times why juice cleanses are b.s. if you want a quick way to get your foliage , I'd recommend blending everything so you don't throw out nutrients.
But yes, I'm familiar with you idiots and the stupid memes you follow like mindless sheep.
I bet if this was a year or so ago, you'd be the idiot making the thread asking about the latest new juicing meme

You're all sheep and my crackpot theory that isn't supported by any evidence is the right one.

>docs get paid to prescribe pills
no we don't lmao, that's not how it works
>aren't particularly trained in nutrition
again wrong, biochemistry and nutrition are parts of medical school
>overwhelmed with fatties
are you implying the bipolar people tend to be fat? kek this is off base
>never actually addresses the problem
the "problem" is that these people make rash decisions such as gambling money they don't have then getting fucked when reality hits/the mania ends. I'm sure your PhD podcast was great but that is a single person and there are lots of quack PhD's out there whereas lithium and valproate are widely accepted as first line treatments for bipolar disorder.

also lithium is one of like two psychoactive drugs that lowers suicide risk.

>don't worry goy, it's good to lobotomize yourself. Human emotions are a barbarous relic anyway. The modern goy has no use for such things.

You clearly are not educated in psychology, those labels are arbitrary; in Europe they have a completely different system to put dsm in the states- they have diagnoses that don't exist here and vice versa. There is no exact definition of the physical ailments of many "mental illnesses", its an educated guess at best. Labels are always getting changed or thrown out. We no longer have the term "manic depression", but that's not because we magically cured it. Mental health is a wide spectrum and using labels like add or bi polar doesnt actually do anything to bring us closer to understanding or treating what's going on. And the pills they give you are nothing but a band aid on a festering infected sound, convenient for their wallets if anything

>ALL MEDS ARE BAD GUISE
>LOL JUST STOP BEING INSANE DUDE
So how else do treat legitimate mental diseases? I'm sure with your experience in medicine you'd know so much

As someone with actual MDD, this is only a partial fix, as are other behavioural fixes. Nutrition and exercise and lifestyle fixes are things every person with depression or other illnesses *must* do, but only potentially cure moderate sufferers (who may not have chronic illness at all) or a minority of cases.

In my case, it alleviated things maybe 25-50%, a life-changer but not a cure. With MDD you alleviate symptoms, science-based evidence and long term studies from countries around the world show the most severe depression forms are lifelong and unknown in cause, only clues are hippocampus damage and other brain irregularities.

Heh guys I'm so intellectual, look at me discarding alternative explanations because they don't fit the narrative I've been told my whole life.

by narrative you mean methods that are evidence based from scientific trials?

why don't we just let people with fucked up minds kill themselves?

Schizo, depression, manic, retarded, whatever. If those people kill themselves off, they won't pass on their garbage genes and in the future people will be better off.

Like the fag movement right now, they don't have to hide it anymore. So they don't have kids and live a lie. Watch faggot rates drop like a rock in the next few generations because of it.

>docs get paid to prescribe pills
>no we don't lmao, that's not how it works
Here in the US that's how it works. You can Google kickbacks that doctors have received as result of promoting a certain companies meds. This is all accessible on Google, there's no debate to be had. Maybe you live in a different country, but this is how it is in the states
>aren't particularly trained in nutrition
>again wrong, biochemistry and nutrition are parts of medical school
Ok now I'm convinced youre not in the states, because our docs aren't taught much besides the very basics
>overwhelmed with fatties
>are you implying the bipolar people tend to be fat? kek this is off base
No, you fucking idiot; the medical system in general as a whole is being stressed by the by fatties, they're a majority of the population now. How can you even be on Veeky Forums on not realize this? You've definitely never been to med school
>never actually addresses the problem
>the "problem" is that these people make rash decisions such as gambling money
That wouldnt be the actual problem, that would actually be a symptom of a problem, but obviously someone like you probably lacks the depth to realize that
>im sure your PhD podcast was great but that is a single person and there are lots of quack PhD's out there
I actually Google anyone I listen to at length before doing so, i don't waste time on people that have evidence of being a "quack". Also it's near impossible for everyone to agree on something in science, expecting them to do so tells me you're delusional
>lithium and valproate are widely accepted as first line treatments for bipolar disorder.
You know what else used to be a widely accepted treatment for all sorts of arbitrary labels? Lobotomies. Doesn't mean they were right.
Basically what I got from your post is that you're uneducated yet still like to talk a lot of shit, a fairly common combination to have in a person actually

I've taken it myself, for treatment-resistant depression.
Pretty bad side effects compared to most psychiatric meds: besides ordinary stuff like headaches and minor nausea, it seemed to cause moderate emotional lability and cognitive dysfunction.
It didn't work for the depression.

Lithium orotate is for ultra-low-dose dietary supplementation, not actual therapeutic use.

You mong how does a doctor make money selling a drug that's been generic for 30 years.

the toxic effects of therapuetic doses of lithium carbonate were known for a long time.

lithium orotate has the same active ingredient as lithium carbonate, namely lithium.
it just gets to the brain more easily, lowering the serum levels of lithium.

no, lithium orotate is not just for low-dose dietary supplementation.
if you put some research into it, you'll see why.

not the guy you're responding to, but being accepted as first line treatment doesn't mean it's not bad for you long term.
valproate is a sodium channel blocker, which means it'll "help" with attenuating mania the same way benzos "help" with sleep: brute force.
SSRI's are also first line treatments for depression, yet they don't actually address the causes of depression. they just mask the symptoms.

>safe it is
>work it does
fuck off yoda

Fuck all these mind numbing drugs.. weening myself off venlafaxine and feeling like fucking trash

I wish I could be normal without meds

a friend of mine tried that, but failed miserably.
make sure your enviroment and circumstances are as good as possible if you're trying to get off an anti-depressant like that.
otherwise you'll end up even more depressed and suicidal.

In other words...fix the problems that were more then likely the root cause of their depression in the first place?

yes, although I do understand that that's a very difficult task.

there are some relatively easy things that can help though:
* social contact
* exercise
* diet
* sleep
* sunlight
* vitamins and minerals
* other supplements

Topkek

I don't understand your point, we know that these drugs help with these symptoms which is why we use them. mental illness is largely uncurable past things like specific phobias. also the comparison with benzos is poor, benzos are sedating but they don't result in "restorative" sleep just like other gaba actors eg alcohol. valproate is also importantly not addictive like those drugs.

those kickbacks you're referring to are illegal

I am in the us you brainlet, we are taught nutrition, just because they don't teach about iifym and fitness shit like that doesn't mean the teaching isn't there

your point about fatties is absolutely retarded, a lot of patients with mental health issues aside from just depression are not fat.

and yes the fucking effects are the actual problem. if the effects didn't significantly affect people's lives the diagnosis would more likely be cyclothymia. why do you think we don't just label bipolar patients as being moody? it's because of the life altering aspects of the disease eg irresponsible sex, delusions, gambling, etc

also nice fucking strawman comparing valproate to lobotomies you fucking brainlet, I'm glad you're able to google some alternative theories to accepted medicine but maybe if you want to refute modern medicine you should fucking learn it first.

>I don't understand your point
That's the problem.
If you don't understand how the body, the brain, or those drugs work, it's hard to give good advice.

>we know that these drugs help with these symptoms which is why we use them
Those drugs seem to mask the problems, which can appear as helping short term.

>mental illness is largely uncurable past things like specific phobias
I don't see any reason why mental illnesses would stay uncurable if we learn more and more about the human body.
in the end, we're all just very complex lego sets.

>also the comparison with benzos is poor, benzos are sedating but they don't result in "restorative" sleep
That was exactly my point.
Valproate and SSRI's mask symtoms (analog to sedation with benzos) but don't fix the actual problem (like restorative sleep).

They also make the problems worse and cause a whole host of new problems.

A med professor literally admitted that ECT is not used because it is not profitable to pharma companies and their doctor clients

I feel you.
Went off it cold turkey a couple months ago. Withdrawal lasted a goddamn month.

The main reason it's not used is because normal people are fucking terrified of it.

The companies that make money off of mind altering drugs are in league with people that make mind altering media and advertisements and social manipulations.

1+1=2.

I guess you're right, but for now the best solution is the one that is not the worst. If valproate and SSRIs is all we have, there's no choice but to use them if they are the only things that help people with mental ilnesses survive and live a better life.

ECT also has under-reported memory loss issues. It's not guaranteed to happen and varies in severity but a lot of ECT patients with chronic amnesia have begged for investigation as to the discrepancy between official literature and patient experiences

I think there are better solutions available now. They're just a lot more difficult to put into practice.
Among others, the things I listed here .
Lifestyle "choices" can make a huge difference for many people.
Psychologists and psychiatrists flat-out suck at their jobs, which makes it very hard for people to change their lives.

I do agree that in solutions like valproate and SSRIs can be helpful in some circumstances though.

>we shouldn't treat life destroying psychiatric conditions because we have imperfect solutions

it is underused because it is fucking scary and is more involved than outpatient medications, it requires anesthesia and literally induces a generalized seizure

it isn't underreported, it is well known that there is associated amnesia, it causes a fucking seizure

naturopaths please get the fuck out

it's sad that's all you took away from that

it's sad that you just google these drugs then start writing about them like you have seen them used in a clinical setting in order to support your bullshit naturopathic beliefs

I hope you'll get better soon.

yep the withdrawal is brutal from this but have been doing alright so far. was never suicidal just anxious/depressed, drug helped for a little bit then stopped helping and just gave me side effects. ultimately I have figured out I just need to fix my own emotions and thinking, doing some CBT. also gonna start pinning trt test as I got mine tested and am quite low.

I've done a ton of bloodtests and my T has been low too.
The last few years it went from ~380 to ~315. But in the last few months I've managed to get it up to ~560.
I think low test is more often a result of depression instead of a cause.
(if you've got 1 testicle or damaged testicles, that's a different case)
I'm not sure exactly how I got my T up, but I think that if you can find and fix the root causes of your depression, it's likely your T will go up too.

I'm actually a RN with lots of psych experience

But now you'll say how I'm obviously part of machine/brainwashed/sheep/don't know about how fruitarian diet will cure mental illness.

The labels are arbitrary but the disease processes underlying them are not. Just because the name of Manic Depression was changed to Bi-polar disorder doesn't change the mechanics of the disease, just a clearer name.

I for one when my patients come in claiming the medications I give them are poison and I'm actually defiling their body and guilty of sacrilege since they are Jesus Christ reborn.

You sound like you're almost there.

If that were true lithium wouldn't cause muscle tremors. Taurine becomes depleted on lithium, which is a chemical buffer that attenuates K+ release and has some kind of reaction with Ca2+ as well, basically depleting it makes nerves more likely to depolarise.

I don't think supplementing taurine actually works at suppressing tremors though, I can't get anyone to try it.

not him, but I've read that lithium carbonate also depletes peripheral inositol.

afaik lithium orotate just depletes neural inositol.

I'm not really sure how depression would cause low T (not saying it doesn't) but I know low T can certainly cause/contribute to depression. It does vary in a range too so it's difficult to say if or by how much yours would have really increased. Over the past months I've been exercising 5 times a week, sleeping 8+ hours, and eating well and still coming up low.

Expect to be the next "mass shooter" in a few months.

Yep.
Lithium depletes and messes with a whole lot of shit, it's why it's a mystery as to why it works. There are so many interactions.

Frankly coming from a biochem background i've always been shocked lithium is safe to use in living organisms at all.
You'd think it'd fuck with almost everything in the body.

Yes, I've done the same, and i've been coming up low for years too.
Still, I managed to increase my T in the last few months.
That's why I'm convinced many guys would have their T increase if they could manage to find something in their life worth going for.

Do you go to college, or what kind of job do you have?
Do you have any hobbies or anything you truly enjoy doing?

It's just a mineral.
I view it in the same category as iron, zinc, iodine, etc.
Necessary and essential in certain amounts.
But like other minerals, too much or too little can have devestating consequences.

Replace lithium with sodium, potassium or magnesium, and your post would still make perfect sense.
Minerals are used all over the body for a number of different functions.

it can
these are some we are made to memorize

leukocytosis
diabetes insipidus
ebsteins anomaly
hypothyroidism

overdose: tremors and I think some specific cardiac effects

well my life isn't even bad at all. I'm an RN, own my own house, and live with my >gf. I've got hobbies I like but have been experiencing increased anhedonia over the last bit which I can only attribute to the effexor, which is why I'm getting off of it as well as some other side effects.

I've noticed many people who are depressed say their "life isn't bad at all".
I'm not asking how someone else would rate your life.
I'm asking if there's anything in your life you can really go for, anything you truly enjoy doing, anything you're truly interested and passionate about?

ITT /pol/tards thinking biochem is like politics where everyone is an expert

Likewise brotha.

Op, listen to your doctor. If you don't trust him, go to a new doctor. Don't listen to Veeky Forums though

The biggest mistake a person with bipolar disorder can make is to believe they don't need to take their medication.

thats weird, our ECT outpatient room is 100% booked every day of the week. its a 20min procedure that is a revolving door

It is absolutely not necessary or essential tho.

This

Pretty much everything but lithium and thorazine are a-ok. Do not take lithium user. You're never going to be the same person after this and that's not necessarily a good thing.

Private-only clinic or is insurance paying for it?
Do you know how much it is out of pocket?
Asking since i'm considering it myself.

Short term it will help you not kill yourself, long term it will kill your liver.