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 |
| 2 | bipolar | nausea, excessive thirst, tremor, fatigue, bad teeth, gastrointestinal problems, constipation | Didn't do anything for me - I still had manias and depressions even while I was taking it?! Also I was put on a higher dose afer having mania which got toxic in my body and I was miserable. I tried to get off and the doctor refused to let me. It was a nightmare. | F | 30 | 2 years 2X day | 8/16/2010 | 1 | bipolar | delusions, hallucinations, falling down, inability to speak, voices, crawling feelings under my skin | This drug was a nightmare for me. I had severe delusions that scared the heck out of my wife. Visual hallucinations every day (mostly evenings). I was unable to walk 2 feet without my knees collapsing and falling down. I couldn't speak because of tartive dyskenesia. When coming off of the drug, when I lay down at night "creatures" would crawl up and down my body on the inside, biting me. There was a rolling feeling on my back like someone was rolling a paint roller up and down, they "bit" my toes, make loud noices in my ears and yelled at me, mocking me with my own words. I felt like I was being attacked. It was awful! | M | 54 | 7 days 900mg 1X day | 8/9/2010 | 1 | supposed "bipolar" | weight gain, depression, anxiety, suicide attempt | i suppose this works for some people, but i was put on such a big dose for really no reason. i gained 45lbs during my 12 months on lithium and it ruined my life and self-esteem. my clothes didn't fit anymore and i didn't want to leave the house because i was so depressed about my appearance. finally i had enough with being alone and tried to kill myself. i was diagnosed with "bipolar" by a sketchy psychiatrist when in fact i just suffer from dysthymia. it has been 7 months since i took lithium and still cannot shed the weight. i have tried dieting and exercise. my BMI went from being underweight to obese in less than a year. | F | 28 | 1 years 600mg 1X day | 7/22/2010 | 4 | Treatment Resistant Depression | Water Retention (swollen legs), Never ending thirst, which of course leads to frequent toilet trips, thyroid damage (now have an underactive thyroid after 6 years so need to take thyroxine daily), weight gain | This drug is serious. Don't underestimate it! But if you are experiencing a psychiatric disorder which is preventing you from functioning or if you experience recurring suicidal ideation this drug can be your saviour. Yes it has side effects... always make sure you keep an eye on your levels by getting your blood tests, take it consistently and treat your body well. I could sit an type about how annoying the side effects are for this drug but, hey, I'm here and I doubt I would be without lithium. Any attempt to stupidly take myself off this drug has landed me in hospital with suicidal ideation. I'm slowly accepting the fact that it does keep me alive.... even if I have to go everywhere with a 2L bottle of water!! | F | 32 | 8 years 1000mg 1X day | 7/17/2010 | 2 | Bi-Polar II | extreme fatigue; anorexia; difficulty concentrating and reasoning; short term memory loss | After being prescribed Lexapro & Alazopram for depression/anxiety, the undiagnosed mania, that had plagued me for decades, became the overriding characteristic of my personality. I began taking Lithium. The initial weeks were terrible: with headaches, tremors and leg weakness. Those side effects have subsided and I am definitely calmer however, I am less sharp mentally, very tired and have 0 drive. Last year this time, I was a long distance cyclist... today, I am too tired and too unmotivated to get on the road. My doctor recently added Lexapro to my treatment, but to date, there's been no change. I'm disappointed that my life is joyless but afraid to stop taking the med. | F | 54 | 3 months 300 mg 2X day | 7/17/2010 | 3 | bipolar II | primary side effects - thirst, dry mouth, frequent urination and loose stool; secondary effects - nausea, lack of balance and headache | for several years was diagnosed with severe depression (296.33) and was prescribed anti-depressants (including Wellbutrin 300mg and Lexapro 40mg daily); these medications worsened my conditions until bipolar II diagnosis was reached. psych prescribed lithium in place of anti-depressants; started with 300mg and increased to 1200mg. conditions improving, but still struggling. taking buspar (40mg) and lamotrigine (150mg) in addition to lithium. | M | 40 | 21 days 600 2X day | 6/25/2010 | 5 | Thirst during exertion or heat. Occasional diarrhea due imbalance of fluids during hot weather. Long term symptoms of vertigo or ringing and buzzing of ears possibly | I have been on Lithium Carbonate or it's derivatives since 1978. Being Bipolar was just a progression of being treated for ADHD or Hyperactivity in the late 1960's to late 1970's. Being on Lithium has helped me to focus and concentrate on the task better. My doctors have tried other drugs to treat my Bipolar symptoms but have come to the conclusion that it seems to work best | M | 50 | 32 years 300 4X day | 5/18/2010 | 5 | Bipolar - Rapid Cyling | Short term memory loss, Not as sharp as i used to be mentally. Sometimes i trip over my words a little. More difficult to grasp abstract ideas | This is a God-send, truly. With my manic episodes, i have been trapped inside a living hell for 15 years. The emotional pain was so severe you could have chopped my hand off and i wouldn't have noticed. After experiencing crushing emotional pain, Feeling a little emotionally flat is the most euphoric feeling i've ever experienced! i'm free. i'm finally free to live and enjoy my life. i can't believe i didn't try this sooner. i'm devastated that i've suffered so many years from severe mania (i.e. waking up on subway trains, in fields, etc. with no idea how i got there .. exploring central america by myself ... MANIA. when the depression came, i would be out of work for a week. it was so intense my entire body was sick. Lithium has truly delivered me. any mental slowing is well worth having a nice quiet peaceful brain and feeling peace in my soul. | F | 31 | 50 days 300 2X day | 5/17/2010 | 5 | Bipolar II | Increased thirst in the beginning. | Miraculous. A switch has been turned off inside me. I'm peaceful, calm and rational. I'm not angry or seething inside. I also don't need to sleep all of the time. I'm on Wellbutrin and Prozac as well - dr. will try to be weaning me off of those in the coming months. I'm 42 and don't think I've felt this good since I was 16. I really believe that is when my problems started. | F | 42 | 4 months 300 MG 3X day | 5/17/2010 | 5 | Bipolar 1 | Increased thirst, slight buzzed feeling. | Feel more calm every little thing doesn't set me off. Optimistic that lithium is working so well, I get off antipsychotic and just take lithium for mood control. I feel back to my old self before manic bipolar episode. | M | 31 | 2 months 1500mg 2X day | 5/14/2010 | 5 | Bipolar Disorder Type 1 | lowered body temperature, hypothyroidism, some tremors | I am extremely glad I am taking this medicine. It has helped my mood swings tremendously. Granted, it is not the only drug I take to help with my disorder, but it certainly does it's job. The side effects are definitely bearable. It has helped with irritability especially. I love it. | F | 20 | 1 years 1200 1X day | 5/11/2010 | 3 | Bipolar II, rapid cycling | Very thirsty, shaky hands after exercise. | Took alongside Lamotrigine eventually - the two in combination worked really well. Lithium by itself helped a bit, but didn't lead to anything near normal functioning. Found it very difficult to come off when trying to conceive - lots of EPA (fish oils) helped | F | 32 | 7 years 600mg 1X day | 5/3/2010 | 2 | in addition to zoloft, for depressi | nausea, vomiting, diahhrea, very fatigued, flat feeling | I don't really care for this medication. I don't think it is a "fit" for me. The only reason I started taking it was because of the fact that my zoloft quit working and my counselor wanted me to try this. I am weaning myself off of it, and will see what to do next. | F | 56 | 7 months 750mg 1X day | 4/21/2010 | 5 | Bipolar/PTSD/anxiety disorders | weight gain, drowsiness, dry mouth, unquenchable thirst, irritable at first, however, nothing i couldn't manage. :) | It has made a huge difference in my life. I know who I am and can now move forward with my life. I have taken this medication for 3 years now and it has stabilized my moods and I can now function normally on a day to day basis. | F | 16 | 3 years 300 MG 3X day | 4/19/2010 | 5 | Bipolar Mixed | I'm not sure if this is related at all to the lithium but I have had intense burning pain in my stomach on occasion. | To my knowledge if you're having hand tremors and the like you might have overdosed on lithium. I'd immediately call the doctor and tell them and if it's to bad and no doctor is available go to the hospital. And I don't mean to sound condescending however it is to my knowledge that an SSRI like prozac, celexa, lexapro, or zoloft could actually worsen bipolar episodes and trigger your cycling. With lithium there's a chance to overdose and there's a chance it will be ineffective because you don't have enough I would recommend talking with your doctor/psychiatrist as much as possible so that you don't fall into either of these categories because neither are good or healthy. Plus you don't want to waste your money on lithium and not get any return. | M | 18 | 2 months 1250 1X day | 4/11/2010 | 4 | Chronic Depression | Initially I had a 'Spaced Out' feeling and a jittery tremor. Some days it would be in my whole body, now it is mainly my hands. I was extremely thirsty and have very Dark coloured Urine. Because I also take the Lithium with Seroquel (Quetiapine), I can now sleep well, but find it hard to wake up in the morning. I assume it is the Seroquel that is making me tired though as it works on the Anti-histamine pathways.... | The thirst has gone and I only get the occassional day where I feel spaced out, but I do have a continuous Tremor in my hands which can be an inconvenience with my job as a nurse! So far I have gone from being so low that I wanted to suicide to now seeing the funny things in life and feel so much lighter!!! For me, it has been a great drug and I will have to monitor my Thyroid Function and make sure it is ok. Your hair falling out and/or dizzy spells is a sure sign your Thyroid needs testing, but also have your iron levels checked... | F | 42 | 2 months 675 1X day | 4/11/2010 | 4 | M | 64 | 30 mg 2X day | 4/2/2010 | 5 | Bipolar II depression | At first it made me tired all the time, but that seems to have worn off. Also made me more thirsty than usual, but drinking water helps. | I was nervous about taking this medication, but I had tried so many other things...this was almost a last resort. Within DAYS of taking it I noticed a difference. I was able to go out and interact with people...even STRANGERS. I was in a better mood. Every little thing wasn't upsetting me. As the days turned into weeks I've noticed that I still feel really great. To be honest, I have not felt this good with anything else or in quite a long time. I don't have any horrible side effects either, which is wonderful. SO FAR no weight gain, but I'm prepared to deal with that if it comes along. | F | 20 | 22 days 300mg 1X day | 3/31/2010 | 2 | "Bi - Polar II | My doc diagnosed me with Bi-Polar II - I don't think that was the problem. I have severe anxiety with Panic Disorder. I have been on Lithium for 5 years, as it did help with racing thoughts I have had EXTREME hair loss, exsessive drying of my skin, weight gain of 10 lbs (and I have never had a problem in the past) and extreme abdominal bloating. I talked with my doc recently and long term use can cause Thyroid and permanent Kidney damage. I am weening off this medication before having have any pernament problems. | This drug might be good for some, but I really had more side effects than benefit. People this medication as I know it helps many people can do permanent damage to the body with long term use. I am opting out. | F | 45 | 5 years 900 mg 1X day | 3/29/2010 | 5 | Bipolar I mania | STARVING all the time but I've learned to eat more food that has less calories so I haven't gained much weight. I definately find myself eating more but I'm a pretty active person so it balances out. Sometimes I get tired during the day but that wears off as my body adjusts to it. And there's always the fear of extreme dehydration I worked at a summer camp and forgot to drink enough water and ended up in the ER with an accidental lithium poisoning caused by dehydration. | Fantastic. I'm no longer ordering tickets to europe when I don't have a passport or trying to train for a sports team in a sport I've never played before. Relationships, sanity and stability are all restored. Yay. The side effects suck at first, but they wear off as your body gets used to the medication over time. Discomfort is pretty minimal I just have to make sure I drink enough fluids. | F | 23 | 1 years 900mg 1X day | 3/25/2010 |