LITHIUM CARBONATE Reviews (LITHIUM CARBONATE)Average Rating: 3.3 (326 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare LITHIUM CARBONATE with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Date added. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on LITHIUM CARBONATE: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR LITHIUM CARBONA | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 4 | Bipolar | Nauseated, Bloated, Increased Thirst, Increased Urination, Hand Tremors, Decreased Dexterity/Coordination, Headaches | I am 22year old female, recently diagnosed Bipolar. I hate that I feel fat around the midsection and generally bloated! I do love that I have control over my mood swings and emotions. I see a bit clearer now too. I used to have extreme rage, and now it is more like anger. I still have mood swings, they are just less severe. I am going to continue taking my Lithium (1200mg a day) because it has made my life improve. My relationships are smoother, easier to get along with others. I hope that I can keep my weight under control. I also take seroquel 100mg to sleep at night, which works awesome. I do experience somewhat of a restless leg syndrome on the seroquel, but at least I sleep. | F | 22 | 1 months | 6/17/2009 | 5 | Bipolar 1 | 900 mg: Feeling nauseated in the morning, mild hand tremors, some diarrhea at the beginning, feeling nauseous while hungry, increased appetite, some swelling of the hands | I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 15. And I didn't start taking lithium until almost just a month ago! I avoided the drug and refused to take it for all these years because I was scared of the side effects, but this drug has given me no terrible side effects so far! (When I consider that Risperdal made me gain 20 pounds, Abilify gave me ocular spasms, and many others made my face look "puffy". I only stuck by the fear that i would gain 60 pounds like my cousin did on Lithium.) I also take Lamictal and Seroquel. I encourage everyone with bipolar disorder, rapid cycling or not to take this medicine. But....if I have to complain..I hate the fact that I have to have a blood test once a month. That is all. Feel free to email me and compare notes. | F | 19 | 1 months | 5/30/2009 | 5 | Bipolar I and PTSD | In the beginning: diarrhea, hand tremor, a bit of spacey-ness, lowering of libido, frequent urination and thirst. After 2 months: nothing. I have no residual side effects from lithium. | This drug is well worth the crap-tastic first two months. And they are crappy, I won't lie. But your body adjusts to them, and then they go away, at least for me. It's worse on a generic tabulation because the stabilizing ingredients aren't as solid, but that's what I am on and it still went away. My bipolar disorder is completely under control, including sometimes-hallucinations. No weight gain like Depakote. Gold standard for a reason. | F | 31 | 10 months | 5/10/2009 | 1 | depression | frequent urination, fatigue, flat affect, light headed upon standing and very low blood pressure. HYPOTHYROIDISM and permanent thyroid problems. | I took lithium for supposed bipolar depression. Now, it's not certain whether I'm even bipolar. It did nothing but make me zombie-like and take away any remote feelings of motivation or energy I may have had. It took 2 months to ween myself from 600mg a day and the weening was h*ll (my last dose on 4/27/09). Worst drug I ever experienced having to come off of and I've tried them all. I would never take this again and now I have permanent thyroid problems (thx doc). Lithium did nothing for me at all. | F | 35 | 1.5 years | 4/28/2009 | 3 | bipolar and ptsd | Dry mouth, constant headache, blurry vision, huge weight gain - 20 pounds - in just 2 months, unable to focus, unmotivated, constant exhaustion, feel mostly numb, acne, dry skin | I started lithium 3 months ago but I am thinking of switching to lamictal due to all the sideffects from Li. I have lost my zest for life and ability to focus and be productive. On the other hand, have not been manic but I was mostly hypomanic before except that the PTSD caused more acute episodes. I am confused and would really appreciate any feedback or suggestions. Also I am concerned about longterm side effect like the thyroid problem. | F | 29 | 3 months | 4/22/2009 | 2 | bipolar | take 900 mg 450 mg twice a day fatigue tiredness just a flat kinda depressing mood caused thyroid function problems anyone w any suggestions maybe asking doc to lower the dose | M | 8 months | 4/21/2009 | 4 | "bipolar" | Tremor, memory loss (short-term), ZERO libido, dry mouth, frequent thirst, dry skin, flat affect, increased sweating(not sure if this is 100% due to the Li), difficulty concentrating | Overall very helpful. My affect has been pretty even (no mania, although depressed occasionally, but not major). I also take Wellbutrin (100mg twice a day). But, after 9 years of being on Li at 450mg twice a day, the side affects are really bothersome and also interfering w/ my relationship. I would like to avoid thyroid problems caused by longterm exposure to Li if it isn't too late already. So, I think I will try one of those mood-stabilizer/anti-depressant in one pills......I would appreciate feedback from anyone who has tried this type of Rx. | F | 26 | 9 years | 4/13/2009 | 5 | Bipolar II | I have no side effects from lithium at 600mg/day except left hand tremor and frequent need to urinate. | Efficient against mania, good for depression, lithium is a gold standard for bipolar disorder. I recommend it. | M | 30 | 1 years | 4/2/2009 | 4 | Bipolar Disorder | Severe weight gain, Frequent urination, slight jerking legs first week, constant headaches, | Lithium worked really well for controlling my mood. I would drink about two gasses of water a day and still have to get up anywhere from 4 to 9 times a night to go to the bathroom. The doctor changed me from 2 at night to two in the morning and it caused me to develop a slow reaction speed and I got in a severe car crash. Constant headaches. Had to go off of it because I couldn't get any sleep at night. | F | 23 | 5 months | 3/24/2009 | 3 | Bipolar type 2 | Exhaustion and trouble breathing. | I don't understand. I took Lithium for years when I was younger with no problems and then when I started taking it again, I had to stop because I couldn't breathe. | F | 23 | | 3/23/2009 | 1 | "bi-polar" | severe muscle weakness, tremor, muscle control loss, Emergency 911 TWICE because of toxicity, blurred vision, vertigo, WORST DRUG EVER. | Now under a pain specialist with narcotics to keep the pain and tremors and muscle control loss UNDER control. This specialist, wonderful person, said you have to get rid of the lithium before it further damages your body. So for now, narcotics help the pain in the legs and joints. Previous shrink admitted all this has been documented before. | M | 37 | 3 years | 3/10/2009 | 4 | Bipolar 1 | Shaking hands, restless legs, knees tremble / shake horribly walking down stairs, scary and might be getting worse. | A life saver for me. I have been pretty stable with what seems like 'normal' mood swings. | M | 46 | 12 days | 2/27/2009 | 3 | Bipolar depression | Dry mouth, fuzzy headed, poor concentration, poor short-term memory, loss of drive and motivation | This drug has eliminated my depression. Was on lamictal previously, which induced symptoms of diabetes insipidus and also was a culprit in memory loss. Lithium better for me, but the cognitive and motivational side-effects are worrisome given the demands of my job. Still for the first time in my life I have been essentially depression-free, and for me that is amazing. I feel almost normal. | F | 55 | 4 months | 2/24/2009 | 5 | Bipolar 1 | diarrhea everyday. Hair loss. Frequent urination. 15lb weight gain. acne. | started at 300mg in the morning and 600mg at night. Also on 20 mg celexa. That was enough because when they raised me to 600 both morning and night the side effects were a lot worse. Since the start i had diarrhea every time i went to the bathroom to urinate, they said that would go away but the whole 9 months i was on it, the diarrhea didn't. I noticed the weight gain within the first month and it just kept on going, i started off at 135lbs and went up to 145-47.lbs. I got unnecessary stretchmarks on my thighs and nobody wants that. Anyways after about 3-6 months i got bad acne on my back which i never had before and my after a shower my hair would just flow out.. so much of it i cant even express, it just kept coming. My purple hair was absolutely everywhere. anyways, i decided this was too much, i could not even lose the weight no matter how much i tried to, so i got off of the lithium and stayed on the celexa. Never do that if you are bipolar, stay on an antidepressant without a | F | 19 | 2 years | 2/11/2009 | 4 | Depression | Weight gain (1-2 pounds/week for a year and a half), lethargic, tired all the time, caused thyroid problems | Taking lithium made everything feel better. What a relief after 20 years of depression. But I didn't realize that the weight gain and the fatigue were being caused by those pills. I had never had thyroid problems, but apparently it is common for lithium to cause thyroid failure. I don't know whether it was worth it or not. | F | 39 | 1.5 years | 2/8/2009 | 5 | bipolar disorder 1 | dry mouth , mild thirst , polyuria , metalic taste | I am medical doctor from saudia arabia .. been diagnosed badly with bipolar disorder 4 years ago after divorce , lithium was not available here until recently .. i think that lithium is Lord mercy to the bipolar populations ... I tried every thing else , nothing like its magic .. never hesitate | M | 34 | 7 days | 1/15/2009 | 4 | Bipolar II | Weight gain (50 lbs in less than 2 months. very difficult to lose) which lowered my blood levels causing me to have mixed episodes until i switched from 900 to 1200 mg, headaches, diarrhea, itchy swollen hands (maybe once a month), increased appetite (headaches when I dont eat), insomnia(even with ambien), trouble getting up in the morning, decreased concentration and attention span, hard time remembering things | I spent a month in a psychiatric hospital going on and off all sorts of meds. Lithium is what got things working. I've had plenty of negative side effects, but not enough to want to stop taking it. It really changed my moods around when nothing else would. I take it in a combination with Effexor xr 300mg, Syntrhoid .05mg, yaz, ambien 10 mg. | F | 20 | 2 years | 1/10/2009 | 5 | Bipolar 1 | Hand tremors, slowed mental processing, short term memory loss, extreme thirst, frequent urination (think "Betsy Wetsy" doll), lithium "flatness" (range of emotions is shortened). No weight change. | Despite the side effects, this is THE drug. I was on for 5 years until I got tired of the flatness. My pdoc put me on Lamictal (which turned out to be the best drug ever for me). 2 months ago, he took me off my anti dep because of extreme anxiety (probably brought on by early menopausal changes). I crashed BIG TIME!!! He just re-prescribed lithium after a 3-year hiatus and I'm grateful for it. Yes, the side effects suck big time, especially when you're adjusting to it, but it works almost immediately - from nearly suicidal to functioning almost normally in 3 days. You get to know when you're getting toxic and learn to manage it. I also take Lamictal 200, Vyvanse 50 (for narcolepsy) and Ativan 3. Say what you want about lithium but it beats the hell out of dead. | F | 44 | 5 years | 12/19/2008 | 1 | misdiagnosed as bipolar | loss of appetite, weight gain, nausea, panicking, freaking out, suicidal tendencies, feelings of madness | Within 2 visits a psychiatrist was convinced I was bipolar (based on a misunderstanding). He took me from lamictal to lithium to 'help' me be not psychotic.. Lithium made me psychotic and fat. I went crazier on it and and that was 4 years ago. I want my life back. I have been unemployed for almost all that time and I'm not able to keep a job. Sometimes I still have psychotic episodes and I hurt myself. None of this started until the medications that ruined my life. | F | 25 | 2 weeks | 11/16/2008 | 4 | Bipolar, rapid cycling, mixed state | Extreme shaking of hands and feet that finally taped off completely over a year later. | Lithium is the corner stone of the multiple medications I take, I couldn't have what little stability I have without it. | F | 47 | 15 years | 10/31/2008 |