lithium?

[Jena]

good morning to everyone,

i wanted to throw this out there and see if anyone has had a positive experience with-lithium...i took time last night stayed up late and did some research into ppl with bi polar disorder, or mood disorders, anxiety etc. that i could read up on that would give me some thoughts.

so i watched several videos of celebrities struggling with-it. jane pauley was one that i watched. i used to watch her every mornign as a young kid and then it followed thru when i got older.

long story short, alot of ppl seem to be on lithium which seems to be working for them. now granted their adults. i just wanted to hear them explain what it is they struggle with hear them explain first hand the disorder how it affects their life what it feels like etc.

so lithium was one of our options since it seems at this point we are either trying to rule out BiPolar (BP), or it's her working diagnosis i'm sure as the days go on i'l gain more info and insight. yet wanted to throw that out there.

as with-most drugs on children the internet research varied. some said great responses others warned of the dangers of children on lithium.

thanks
hope everyone has an uneventful day

 

[gcvmom]

No experience with it. Just have read that it requires careful monitoring because it can build to toxic levels in the body. The medical community believes it actually has neuroprotective properties and can actually help the brain heal itself. It has been regarded as the gold standard for BiPolar (BP) for years. I think that because of the monitoring required and some of the side effects (weight gain, tremor, potential for kidney damage), doctors tend to look at the newer medications available that are more tolerable. But I don't know how much of that is driven by the pharmaceutical companies, Know what I mean??

 

[totoro]

I have yet to try Lithium for myself or K. Lithium is our next medication for K. I think if you have a VERY good indication that a person has BiPolar (BP) then Lithium or one of the other first line Mood Stabilizer's are a smart way to start.
Lithium, Depakote, Tegratol. In that order, would be the way a lot of psychiatrist's go. We did it backwards...
Actually K tried Trileptal instead of Tegratol.
We are waiting to start Lithium due to the heat here and because it puts a lot of pressure on K and us to stay extra hydrated, something we are working on.
Also from what I have read some doctor's like to wait until the child is a little older... 12 or so. But I think most medications would say that. Lithium is the longest used for mental illness. It is proven safe if you watch and monitor. Just like any medication...

 

[Bugsy]

I do not have much time to write, off to pick son up, but wanted to say that lithium has been the only medication that really helped my son. He has been on it for over a year now and he does not rage and his mood is managable. We have his blood pulled every month. Once we did get into the beginning toxic levels and we could tell with his change in behavior (totally out of it, also wetting himself). We just needed to reduce the medication and do another blood pull.

I am vigilant on watching that he does not over heat, he drinks alot when hot, has normal or extra salt intake and so on. It is worth it for us because he has been functioning so much better.

I can share more info if you would like when Ihave more time this evening.

Bugsy's mom

 

[klmno]

Hey, Jen! my son is on lithobid (the extended or time release version). He's been on it a little over a year. He had a blood draw before he was put on it, then every few weeks for a while, now he only gets blood draws if something changes, or he'd probably get one about every 6 mos. He's lucky in that respect, but he is growing so fast the psychiatrist doesn't worry too much about his levels. You daughter is much younger, and no doubt smaller without growth spurts like my son has, LOL! Of course, it isn't just weight or size that determines the amount in the blood- and there's an effect from not enough salt in your system.

As others have noted, lithium is considered the most "tried and true" mood stabilizer, however, it doesn't mean that it's the right medication for all who have mood cycling. It does take care of my son's more extreme symptoms, most of the time. He's also on depakote er regularly and risperdal prn. This is a fairly traditional medication mix (not the exact medications, but using a first line MS, then adding valproate, then maybe an AP.

Good luck! i hope you find something that helps, but this has been a long process for us- lithium wasn't the first MS my son tried, and then getting the dosages and mix right is not easy either. I wish he hadn't needed them, but they did make a difference.