Lithium

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Just started taking Lithium for anxiety as it's supposed to work in effect with Cymbalta. So far it's been magical except the nausea and stomach pain. My anxiety is like zero and my bad thoughts are pretty much nonexistent. And no, I don't have bipolar, just panic disorder.

Well not to be alarming but if its very bad stomach pain and nausea I'd talk to your doctor about it ASAP, because sometimes that can be a sign of a drug doing much more damage than you are ok with.

Talk to your doctor and see it it's worth trying to wait out the side effects, but don't quit without medical advice. At least call your doctor.

My brother in law took lithium and had the same side effects, he got adviced to drink orangejuice with bits of the fruit still in it. He did, and he feels much better now.

It could also be a problem with the dosage.

Didn't know they still prescribed Lithium these days o_o

Lithium needs to be prescribed MORE. It is still, unequivocably, the gold standard anti-manic agent. Nothing else is better. Lithium or one of the anticonvulsant mood stabilizers (i.e., Depakote) should always be the first choice for treatment in bipolar disorder. The atypical anti-psychotics should only be used during acute psychotic mania in hospitalization and for those who don't respond to the standard mood stabilizers. The atypical anti-psychotics are being overprescribed nowadays, due to the drug companies' greed. Lithium is the best, and we are just finding out how many neurobiological wonders it does.

One other thing, maybe someone here knows...but I thought lithium was a heavy metal, not necessarily a drug. I tried looking up if the drug and the heavy metal were different or the same thing but I couldn't find any useful information. So I have to wonder how many neurobiological wonders it can actually accomplish. I mean if it is what I think it is wouldn't its main effect just be to dull the mind? According to one friend I have that is what it did when he tried it.

But

I think you want to read this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_salts

Yes they are the same. Its a salt, because a bar of metal isn't very digestible. I think, its the only question the article wouldn't answer you.

And its not a heavy metal. Its the lightest metal on the periodic table. Its very reactive. You see "heavy metal" every where .

But, but, but butt butt butt XD

Interesting, anyways I think if it helps someone and they can endure the side effects alright...then they should go for it. But after reading that I certainly would not want to chance that particular medication.

The salt lithium carbonate is the medication compound, and yes, it is the same lithium that is #3 on the Periodic Table. Why is that strange? All medications are made from chemical compounds, and one hypothesized reason that lithium works is because it is a monovalent cation, just like sodium and potassium, the two fundamental aspects of producing electrical impulses in the brain. And it does AMAZING things. Look up recent research. Lithium has been shown to increase gray matter and stop reduction of brain tissue from the stress of bipolar episodes by working to increase expression of BDNF and other neuroprotective genes/products. It also works to inhibit the phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway, which has been found to be overly active in mania.

There is also strong evidence that mania and schizophrenia are caused by reactive stress, and it seems that this is driven by mitochondria acting improperly and with excitotoxic effects. Lithium has been shown to lower the release of intracellular calcium, which slows the mitochondria triggering excitotoxic apoptosis pathways. It also has been long known that lithium greatly lowers the suicide rate in bipolar individuals, again from neuroprotective effects. And a very recent prospect is that lithium may be able to utilize its neuroprotective effects outside of bipolar disorder and help with stroke, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative disorders. That is just the tip of the iceberg of lithium's wonders. Finally, only about 1/4 of bipolar individuals feel that lithium "dulls" their cognitive processes, and these are usually people who don't respond to lithium in the first place and do better on the anticonvulsant mood stabilizers and/or crave the cognitive augmentation of hypomania for creative processes. But studies have shown that most people on lithium feel no different or feel more productive than they do before medication.

Neuroprotective effects? I guess I'd have to look into that as well.........but as I said if it helps someone I won't say they shouldn't use it, unless they themselves decide the side effects are not worth it or that its not effective for them.

I have been on Lithium for 2yrs and love it! It has never bothered my stomach at all.
One thing I like about it is it does not cause weight gain like some other meds and is
real cheap also 90pills for $10

I just wanted to note that mild to moderate weight gain IS a pretty common side effect of lithium. You are lucky that you don't gain weight from it, though. That's great! Lithium doesn't tend to cause EXTREME weight gain like that seen with the atypical anti-psychotics, but some weight gain is quite possible. Intense thirst when the medication is first started is also fairly common, due to lithium carbonate being a salt.

You seem very knowledgeable. Thanks.

Lithium is my go to drug when the anxiety and mania come roaring back. Sucks the meanness right out of you.

I never had the nausea (which eating some crackers might help), but I do have some swelling in my hands.

Dirt cheap. Helps me sleep. No really gross side affects like the antipsychotics and Depakote.

One of the few psych drugs that never caused me to gain weight, unlike Depabloat.

I was on Lithium a while for mood swings & it never helped with my anxiety; the main effect I noticed from it was feeling tired. I had blood-work done every month or so & they always said the level in my blood was slightly low. Get your blood checked if you haven't recently because the level might could be too high