why isnt it working for me? i have been on it for a year and i have heard it is a last resort med. i feel like my mind is racing and i dont think straight. i dont want to go crazy.
Answer:
as you see the pattern..no one thinks very highly of lithium. it is usually the first med they try actually, so i'm surprised you've been on it for a year. i was in the hospital and they put me on that for the first 2-3 weeks and i assume its just to balance out your chemicals or something i dont know. but if it isn't working for you then tell your doctor it isn't working and you want to try something else. there are so many other meds and eventually you will find the ones right for you. mine was effexor. i started that after lithium and i literally can't live without it. you shouldn't be living with those side effects when you don't have to so tell your doctor!!
It might not be working because it is not the correct medication for you. For most people it makes for a happy, mellow state. For other people, it can have no effect, or some completely other effect. It may be the last resort down this path of inquiry... but the problem may not be what they thought it was.
i am surprised that you have been kept on it for a year if you have had no results. go back to your dr and ask them about other options or possibly a referral to a specialist if you aren't already seeing one. good luck. i hope you feel better soon.
My daughter is bipolar and was on lithium, but it made her very nauseated. There are a lot of medications that work besides lithium. Lithium is the oldest and has a narrow therapeutic window, and just above the therapeutic level it can get toxic. Her doctor changed her to Abilify and she's doing great on it. She also takes Effexor for depression. Tell your doctor that your med is not working and ask him to try something else. Good luck to you.
Lithium is mostly used for bi polar disorders, if that is not ur diagnosis, speak with ur doctor about a medicine change. With the ever constant introductions of newer types of medication, perhaps a med change is needed to get u on the right track.
For some psychiatrists, lithium is the FIRST bipolar med they try. There are lots of other bipolar meds, you can try them, and there are combinations of them to try. There is depakote, tegretol, lamictal, seroquel, abilify, and a whole bunch of other ones. If your mind is racing, sounds like there is some mania going on there, and you should tell your doc about it. Also, the pills can only work if you take them every day, sounds obvious, but most people miss taking them at least once in awhile. You may need a higher dose, or you may need to tack on another med. I can't remember, but I thought you were female, so I'll add that the 10 days before your period, when you have PMS, your meds may fail you. That's very common. If you are also taking an antidepressant, that may be destabilizing you, too.
Gotta talk to the doc. Get a psychiatrist if you can, they will know better what to do because they see this stuff all the time.
Good luck!!
Hey, I used about 900mg of Lithium for my bipolar for about 2 years. And it's crap (well for me it is!) Apart from all the constant blood tests, drinking water and peeing all the time, it really felt like it lowered my creativity and my short term memory was greatly affected. After giving birth, I tried Lamictal (also Lamotrigene) and it seems to work quite well. Havent noticed any side effects, although it is more expensive as the stupid govt havent put it on the PBS for people with depression/bipolar -only epilepsy. Hope it helps, im really glad I tried it, even though coming off the Lithium wasnt much fun, it's definetly worth it!! I have to say tho, Im worried that your mind is racing, the Lithium doesnt seem to be doing it's job - go see your psych, and talk to them. All the best.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment