Too Much Lithium??

I have started Lithium 300mg a day, along with other meds, about two and a half months ago and it worked for me well. Since about two weeks I do not feel good, have some side effects. Is it possible that lithium level in my blood is too high? My pdoc said i do not need to have a blood work since the dosage is so small. I am 6 ft and 190lb.
Answer:
300 mg is not a lot, typical dosage would be 900 mg to 1500 mg.

A typical side effect of high lithium is tremors, it would make your handwriting hard to read. Also thirst and excess urination.

I took litihum and it does take some getting used to, it made me nauseus for a while. If that's an issue try splitting the dosage, it's a salt so you can open the capsule and dissolve it in water. It will taste like hell but it may be easier if you take it three times a day that way for a while.

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Make sure you have read all the info about Lithium first. You can do some research on the Internet. Two weeks of feeling crappy might be normal side effects. Another possibility is maybe that drug is not the right drug for you. But you'll have to give the medication some more time to find out if that is the case. Next time you have an appointment with your psychiatrist, tell him/her if you still have symptoms as you describe. I doubt if it is because you took too much Lithium, though--maybe you just don't react well with the drug or didn't give it enough time to work.

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Aaaaack! OK%26gt; check out this webpage. http://www.bipolarbrain.com/lithium.html... Lithium levels should be checked in every patient who is taking it. Second, lithium is an older drug and there are much better drugs out there for bipolar disorder. Third, you don't say what your side effects are, but it's possible that your lithium levels are toxic right now. You should call your pdoc immediately and insist on being tested right away.

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Test Lithium level at day five of starting or increasing a dose.

Then test Lithium level each month for 3 mths and then every three months for next year after that.

Also, Lithium can cause hypothyoid very often in patients so you must have regular tsh levels taken when you have the Lithium tested, other tests are cbc and lytes which should be tested at same time. If Lithium levels are off then you will get your meds adjusted. 300 is low amount to take but not sure how it would affect tsh at that level so I would be asking about that.

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Lithium can be Rx'd up to 2,400 mg. My (key word my) psychiatrist says 300mg is considered a low dosage.That does not mean you should not insist on a blood work up if it puts you more at ease and certainly discuss your symptoms with your doctor. Adjustments to Rx "cocktails" are often advisable and perhaps this is what you require. I'm grateful for having been under the care of a involved and intelligent psychiatrist for 2.5 years. She is conservative with respect to Rx's I take 600-900 mg of lithium 3x daily. My blood serum levels have never above .05 and I have blood work done every 3 months. Therapeutic serum levels are considered to be above .08. Water,water,water drink it up and no caffeine for your well being.

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