LITHOBID Reviews (LITHIUM CARBONATE)Average Rating: 3.2 (41 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare LITHOBID 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 LITHOBID: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR LITHOBID | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 3 | Bipolar | Suffered from most side effects however, it is 'damned if you do and damned if you don't. Stopped mania but suffer very, very severe depression. You would think there could be a sure fire effective drug by this time. | My last manic episode cost me $100K I did not have so even if it kills me which it will I have to take it. | F | 69 | 25 years 900 1X day | 3/21/2017 | 1 | Bipolar | Weight gain and trembling hands | F | 36 | 100 MG 2X day | 5/3/2013 | 5 | BiPolar 2 / Cyclothymic | None to speak of. Lithobid about 7 years now. Prior used Eskalith (900 mg) [1987 Started on lithium capsules, then tried the liquid. Stomach upset was a problem] No libido issues, no weight gain. I do need to make sure I drink a lot of water. | When I was diagnosed 25 odd years ago, I was told I was BiPolar II. I had mostly depressive episodes, always in the winter. I became hypomanic and it was strongly suggested by my Psychiatrist to go on Lithium. Today I feel my cycling was more due to cyclothymic mood disorder, but the Dx may not have existed in the '80's. Lithium was still fairly new to use day-to-day as it was mostly used to quell full-blown manic episodes. Although I have had side-effects of dulled feelings, at this time I do not have the "cotton-wool" feeling, where my emotions are blunted down, but that is because I take what is considered a barely therapeutic dose. My levels are always in the proper range, however. Additionally, I take 150MG of Lamictal and 50MG Trazodone. The Traz pops just the right amount of serotonin. I take at night before bed, and I wake up happy. Much better than with Lith and Lamictal alone. Stabilized for many years. Depressed moods are usually reactionary, and no hypomania. Gee that part was the best! Nothing like a little hypomanic road trip. Crash and burn though… | F | 54 | 25 years 600 MG 1X day | 1/20/2012 | 5 | Major Depressive Disorder | LITHOBID gave me my life back. It virtually eliminated my suicidal tendencies and helped with my self harm. I do however, experience long term persistent diarrhea after every time I eat. | F | 18 | 9 months 100. Total | 12/1/2011 | 2 | Bipolar | Stopped taking as took before and weight gain and bloating was horrible lost 40 lbs when I went off this drug in approximately 2006 | was on abilify for 5 yrs had severe depression issues in 2009 and 2010 only one manic issue in feb mar and april 2009 started mania in march 2011 given depakpote and now lithobid won't take due to above | F | 65 | 8 days 300 mg 3X day | 4/25/2011 | 4 | bipor II | Definitely blurred vision. It took me awhile to realize since I wear glasses, suffer from allergies and have long eyelashes. But yup, blurred vision, but no other discernable side effect. | It works to level me off, to be sure, but since it is blurring my vision I will probably return to my old 'script, a generic lithium | M | 47 | 3 weeks 100 mg 2X day | 3/2/2011 | 1 | Bipolar | anger, weight gain, gas, bloating, diarrhea, throwing up, migraines, insomnia, anxiety, loss of reality, thirsty all the time, blurred vision, excess salivia, acne, loss of balance...Theses are my side effects from only 3 weeks of use | I have only been on this for a short amount of time, but the side effects are not worth staying on it. I did a little better on lithium. I can't say that I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, because people respond to meds differently. For me, I can't wait till this stuff gets out of my system. | F | 37 | 3 weeks 1800 mg 6X day | 2/5/2011 | 1 | posible bipolar | major weight gain, not myself what so ever I gained like 30 or more pounds and for a while I did not think that the weight gain was not the Lithoid but it was and now it is hard to lose the weight. | Do not use if under the age of 18 | F | 17 | 6 years | 6/12/2009 | 4 | Extreme Mood Swings | Dizziness, Trembling hands, excessive urination, stomach pain, Increased thirst | Not too bad, trembling in my hands and body sometimes becomes a bit too much and embarrassing, but tremor only happens after a workout, in a stressful situation, or if I concentrate on holding something tight (water bottle/ can, phone) and the tremor shows up randomly. | F | 19 | 5 months | 5/31/2009 | 1 | ptsd/ depression | agitation, confusion, suicidal thoughts | I am on a combination of celexa and welbutrin for depression and valium to help with night terrors; xanax PRN. I took lithobid for 3 days. The first day i experienced severe agitation and confusion but thought it was anxiety related to my new rx. By the third day i felt like there was something invading my body that I had to physically extract. Suicide was my first solution to my awkward state, so i decided to sleep it off (19hrs straight) and dc use. | F | 21 | 3 days | 3/31/2009 | 4 | Bipolar | Hidratenitus ( really really really bad cystic acne). I was cutting 5 cysts open a day. The acne was painful!!!! When i finally went off lithium, i had over 500 acnes scars on my back, 100 scars in my but and legs, and some on my face. I couldn't even walk the acne was so painful. weight gain ( but i was taking depakote and seraquel too), craving sweets!!!! | Most people don't get hidroatenitus from lithobid, it's usually a great drug, but if acne shows up when you take it, don't doubt the fact that its from lithobid! Great for mania though! | M | 19 | 5 years | 12/3/2008 | 5 | Bi Polar | After taking lithium which did not work for me at all. The change to Lithobid the only side effects was minor weight gain, dry mouth. | With the help of this drug, counseling and myself, have not had a episode in 21 years. The most important thing to know not just one thing helps it takes all three. Continue to take medicines no matter which one helps you. | F | 62 | 21 years | 12/2/2008 | 3 | Recommended | Thirst, anxiety, disorientation, fuzzy feeling, loss of short term memory, anger, frustration, not 'getting it', out of touch. | On lithium to control mania, but anxiety quickly followed along with the side effects. Ambien at 6.25mg (1 at bedtime and 1 after 4 hours) got sleep patterns back after a week, then began reducing the lithium to get back out of the side effects. It worked the last time too. Seems good sleeping habits and exercise helps stay out of the mania pattern. Does anyone else have poor sleeping habits that eventually lead to mania episodes? | F | 45 | 14 days | 1/17/2008 | 1 | possible bi-polar | extreme muscle tremors, dry mouth, thirst, "out of body" feeling | i was on lithium regularly for six months to stabilize my mood. in this time i experienced tremors to the point that i could not write legibly, do my beadwork, or do yoga (because my muscles shook so badly i couldn't hold myself up). i also felt extremely robotized, like i was living in a dream. i almost got in a few potentially serious accidents because i was "out of it" while driving. the doctor reduced the dosage and this helped calm the shaking, but my hands still trembled and all the other side effects remained. in addition, my mood did not improve one bit; i became even more volatile than i had been before. i was finally taken off of it after my fourth stay in a psychiatric hospital in less than four months. | F | 20 | 6 months | 12/5/2007 | 4 | bipolar 2 (rapid cycling) | thirst, salty taste in my mouth, dry skin, reduced libido, possibly some cognitive issues with memory | This medication has been very helpful. It's not perfect, but it has a strong, measurable stabilizing effect on me. I'm willing to take it despite the side effects. Lower doses in combination with other meds (Lamictal, Well-Butrin, Invega, Risperdal) have reduced the side effects. It felt like a bright light came on when I started taking it. I did quit cold-turkey one time and had a severe suicidal rebound it took divine intervention to get me out of. Do NOT quit taking this medicine cold turkey. | F | 37 | 4 years | 7/26/2007 | 2 | Bipolar II & Depression | Weight gain (21 lbs in 4 or 5 months), Extreme tremors (to the point where my hand writing was getting ugly and it was hard to do my makeup), acne, uninary tract problems, sleeping all the time, seemed "out of my own body" at times. | I was taking 900 MG Lithobid and 450 MG Wellbutrin XL, the Lithobid did not make me feel any better, actually worse. I stuck it out to see if i got any better but didnt. My doctor did not wean me off of the Lithobid, he took me off all at once which was a horrible idea. I was really edgy and had no patience for anyone. I was crying more and yelling at everyone. This medicine worked for my father, but the weight gain and tremors were not worth waiting any longer to find out. | F | 18 | 6 months | 6/27/2007 | 3 | bipolar disorder | thirsty, trembing fingers at times, constipation, no energy | Wish there were a way to wean a person off of this to see if they really need it...I'm feeling better now and would like to know if it truly does help me by the weaning off, though I know that sounds illogical. this drug slows a person down, makes them tired, lose energy. You know you have things to do, but you are so tired to do them is difficult. I want my energy back. | F | 50 | 2 days | 4/25/2007 | 5 | bipolar I | tremors, weight gain (about 5 lbs/300 mg), hypothyrodism, increase in thirst, gritty skin | I've tried abilify, depakote, zyprexa, and tegretol. So far this has worked the best for me in terms of side effects and fixing what I wanted it to fix (stablizing my mood). I switched to time release when I started getting frequent nausea, diahrea, and stomachs after taking my pills. Time release has been well worth the extra $$. | F | 29 | 12 years | 4/11/2007 | 4 | Bipolar Disorder - Mostly Manic | Irregular bowels, some nauseaus when I have an empty stomache, dry mouth, acne at first - then it totally subsided, curlier hair, and bloating - these of which were easier to deal with. The eight years I've been taking this medicine, I've gained about 35 lbs. I'm not happy about that. | For me, Lithobid (lithium) works. It has greatly reduced the more severe bipolar symptoms such as anger (I can especially see this when dealing with my children), uncontrolable manic episodes and extreme depression periods in my life. It's not that these things don't happen, like the anger and depression, it is that when they do, they are not as severe and I feel like I am in more controll. Everyone has more happy and more sad days, with lithobid I still feel the different moods but not to the extreme that I might have if I had not been taking anything. It is possible there aren't as many dangerous mood swings either. Other than a few mild side effects, I could hardly tell I was taking anything. It has been my family that has helped me to see that it is working. I will say, however, that the bloating and weight gain has been no fun. The sadness of the weight gain has caused me to stop taking the medicaton a few times, but I quickly realize that I NEED and must take the Lithobid | F | 32 | 8 years | 2/11/2007 | 5 | Bipolar Disorder | lethargy and difficulty concentrating/cognitive difficulties. i had tremors, blurry vision, slurred speech, and extreme sleepiness in the beginning but they went away within a couple of weeks. | The difficulty concentrating and the cognitive problems have been the worst for me because it makes it unbelievably difficult to get through school. But for me it's been a miracle drug. I'd been on dozens of different meds before they put me on lithium when I was 14, and it was the first to ever make a positive difference. The side effects are completely worth it for me, and I feel that it would still be worth it for me even if my side effects were worse. Lithium saved my life. | F | 18 | 4 years | 1/30/2007 |
LITHOBID (LITHIUM CARBONATE): This medication is used to treat manic-depressive disorder (bipolar disorder). It works to stabilize the mood and reduce extremes in behavior by restoring the balance of certain natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain. Some of the benefits of continued use of this medication include decreasing how often manic episodes occur and decreasing the symptoms of manic episodes such as exaggerated feelings of well-being, feelings that others wish to harm you, irritability, anxiousness, rapid/loud speech, and aggressive/hostile behaviors. (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)