Raziel wrote:
By the way: does anyone know how this works with the dosage and so on?
Like all medications, the dosage depends on your individual biochemistry first and foremost- how much YOU need or don't need. In general, though, lithium dosage is judged much more by blood serum levels than most "modern" medications. Typical dosages for mood stabilization are anywhere between 0.4 and 1.2 mEq. 0.8 is usually the most common dose used for maintenance treatment. During acute manic states requiring hospitalization, the dosage is, of course, much higher than is needed for daily mood stabilization. And recent research suggests that maintenance treatment greater than or equal to 0.8 helps keep mania away and dosages may need to be lower than 0.8 to keep depression away. It's really all a balancing act incorporating your individual biochemistry and what mood symptom(s) you are experiencing. Too high of a dose can lead to lithium toxicity; too low of a dose doesn't give effective mood stabilization. Also, for the most part, lithium carbonate capsules are taken more than once a day. Typically, you take a dose 2-3 times throughout the day. A common dose in mg is taking a 300 mg dose 3 times a day for a total of 900 mg.
_________________
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