side effects?

Hi Refail,

I'm sorry I don't have much insight for you at this stage. But I will soon be taking Lithium to help with my Bipolar and I am feeling slightly hesitant. I am unsure of what some side effects can be as I guess they would vary from person to person. It just makes me nervous after being on the Anti-Depressants for over 2 years now and not having such a great impact on my life. Hopefully we can chat very soon as I will soon be in the same situation. I hope things get better for you.

I guess you could always talk to your Doctor next time you visit or even speak with a nurse from the Clinic they may be able to help.

Take care, talk soon

Feel free to chat. msg me if you want.

I was on another drug before lithium and i do not like it one bit. my emotions were numb and since i got little support from my doctor i decided to take myself off it little by little. big mistake. luckily my regular doc was on holidays so i got another one and she put me on lithium. i didn't mind it because it's a salt, and a bit healthier than other drugs out there (i think anyways).

however...i've been really pissed off ever since i've been on it. i don't know if it's because my brain changed when i switched drugs or from the lithium. that is why i was asking. i'm also paranoid a bit and it started at the same time. i didn't think it was too much of a big deal and i didn't want to mess with an other drugs because me and drugs don't mix very well. i take sleeping pills and they don't make me sleep sometimes but instead i just get really tired but very afraid to fall asleep.

this has been very difficult for me and my family and now it' time to leave. i decided this afternoon that i'm going to seperate from my wife because i now see how it's killing her. i love her with all my heart but we fight and it's so toxic now it's unbelievable. she came to the hospital everyday to see me and it wasn't so bad when i first got in but i need to start fixing myself so i'm going to find my own place, see a real counselor, put the metaphysically stuff away, and really truely try and get better. i'm hoping that my wife will at least consider me moving back one day but i doubt it. i'm actually not upset, i just want her to be happy again.

anyways...

monitor yourself. find a doctor that will listen to you and not immediately put you on more meds. the last time i was there i talked to the nurse and my next appointment with the doctor they said i was depressed and gave me more meds. i seriously think that guy is evil. seriously.

but my wife is scared as hell if i don't take my medicine so i don't want to disappoint her. it's very messed up.

get a daily journal and write in it.

my memory isn't that good anymore either. when i told my nurse she said it was because i was getting older. when my eyesight started getting blurry my doctor told me it was because i needed to get my eyes checked...and one of the side effect of lamotrigine is blurred vision.

i'm going to start seeing a counselor and i've been told she is very spiritual and doesn't believe in medicine so i'm going to see if she'll work with me to find another solution...even if it is switching meds...because so far i've been told this is life long and it only gets worse. i believe we naturally heal ourselves and i've been told that psych medicine actually keeps the person half way between "normal" and "manic". if we just let it runs its course and people will try that then i'm sure we'd get better...

but everyone is scared when i'm manic...even the cops.

don't switch meds yourself. don't stop taking meds. don't take my advice as the gospel, research, research, research.

Greg

Thankyou so much for your support Greg, and I am sorry to hear the sad news about how things have worked out for you. I do hope though that you find peace within your self and everything gets back on track for you. Such a big and couragous move, I hope you get all the support you deserve and can one day look back on this as just being a patch in your life where things went a little wrong.

Thanku again hopefully we can keep eachother updated on our progress. I plan to take this seriously with my GP and with the support of my Psychologist who I have indeed trusted over the past 18 motnhs of seeing her. Once again all the best hope to chat again soon...

I will indeed do my research as I need to make the best I can out of it. Until then he still has been on Vallium on a daily basis which is my next goal to stop taking this particular drug.

Talk soon :)

Jai

You're most welcome. Anytime, seriously. If you want to vent, or need an ear feel free to msg me.

I am starting on lamotrigine tonight. I am kind of nervous about this one but at the same time very hopeful

I have been in your position more than once. I have been bipolar since I was 16. I went without help for a very long time. Parents being in denial, lousy doctors, the stigmatism of it all hindered me getting better. I have been through the trying of different drugs and drug combinations. It can been hard to get there, but it can be so worth it to be able to live again. If you are unsure of the feelings and side affects, talk to doctor immediately. I am on Lamictal as well and it works great for me, but not for every one. Also remember most people will experience side effects to a certain degree, that is why you should tell your doctor, because they might be the standard side effects (which is what it sounds like) or not. you do not need to panic, you just need to find out. Let us know what happens.

So far things are going ok. I am getting a littlemore sleep at a time. Still not enough and still bad and weird dreams

my friend changed personality after approx. 20 days on Lamotrigine, he's had suicidal thoughts, he's anxious, combative, and dizzy, emotionally upset, irrational, angry and disoriented. he says it can't be the meds. with the clarity of the anti-seizure drugs, but he's really changed. i really hope its a side effect, as he can stop the drugs. its really hard to deal with though.

I am not bipolar but I think part of why my psychatrist is trying this for my depression is that with the number of times I have passed out or been totally incoherant they have suspected I might be having small sesures even though the tests they did didn't show anything.

from what i've learned Lamotrigine isn't for the seizure activity but for the emotional instabilities that go with the seizure activities - seems counter intuitive that side effects are worse? how are you feeling Greg? hope you're doing OK