Lithium--it's not just a Nirvana song

[heathers]

Well, I made it. I made it through May mostly unscathed. A small week-long depressive episode is the only real negative thing to come out of it, apart from the anxiety that seemed to last for weeks leading up to the episode. I do probably owe that to dropping my Seroquel 50mg quite suddenly in the hopes of decreasing my dose (doctor-supervised, of

Comments

[stargazer1960]

Glad to hear the update. I discuss lithium in my 9th grade science class and they usually know the Nirvana song. It is a good point of reference to work from.

[heathers]

Indeed!

[cantspell]

interesting! all the doctors I have been to say they only prescribe lithium as the 'last line of defense' because of the side effects/need for blood tests (and that seemed to be the same with the psychs I knew when I worked at mental health). this is fine with me, actually, because my doc told me that if I was on lithium, he requires his patients to have blood tests every few weeks and they are not covered by my insurance, so $$$. Thankfully the depakote/paxil combo is working well for me for the time being, because my depakote is only $10 a month and target lets me pay $6 per month cash for generic paxil (it would be $15 with my insurance, go figure).

[heathers]

It is true there is a need for bloodwork which is covered for me by OHIP (love and kisses Canada) but it is not true that you need it every two weeks. When you first start out, yes, you need it a couple times in the first month but if your levels are within the target range the doc only needs them every three months to six months. But I need bloodwork every six months anyways to test my glucose, etc because most atypical anti-psychotics can cause high blood sugar which leaves you open to risk of diabetes. Any way you slice it, bloodwork is inevitable if you're taking these drugs. Keep it in your mind if you drugs stop working. It is the only mood stabilizer that is proven to decrease the risk of suicide. I don't know if that's a problem for you but it has been a huge problem for me.