It was crap for me. I was diagnosed as bipolar during a 3 day inpatient stay. I was put on Lithium and an SSRI for the depression.

I went to 2 different sets of doctors after my hospital stay and got differing opinions. One took me off the lithium and put me on Depakote. That helped, yet I felt like a zombie, yet I was no where near the queasiness level of Lithium. I dropped Depakote after the 3rd doctor questioned my diagnosis and told me to go to therapy.

I have been on Paxil ever since and have had only 1 manic episode since. I was able to talk through the episode with my wife. It was triggered by being alone for an extended period of time thinking abut my dog that died 3 months earlier.

Tomorrow I'm going to meet with my doctor and tell him that I'm going to stop taking this drug whether he gives me permission to or not.

Perhaps this is premature, but lithium is CRAP as far as I'm concerned.

I can literally feel its toxicity inside my brain, right behind and above my eyeballs. It's an unpleasant chemical-y feeling and it's draining my will with each passing day.

Even after switching from three to two capsules, a marked improvement, I feel pretty lousy and still have black circles under my eyes. The only good thing I can confidently say about this is that it hasn't yielded any sexual side effects.

Lithium is just too hardcore for me. I don't like it. A couple days ago I woke up in the middle of the night and felt like I was submerged as if on sleeping pills. Couldn't get back to sleep for a long time.

I'm going to have my doctor give me list of alternatives and go from there-- there's must be a better way.

Josh, when I have the time, I will respond to some of the other things you've said, but I agree with you that this shit sucks. (Just as I don't have to go to the arctic to know that it's cold, I don't think I have to take this for three more months before coming to said realization.)

CCRRAAPP

busbus wrote:I have been on Paxil ever since

If I may ask, have you experienced sexual side effects while on this?

Eating Noddemix wrote:

busbus wrote:I have been on Paxil ever since

If I may ask, have you experienced sexual side effects while on this?

Nah, I can still fire a pretty good shot across the bow.

You should ask your mental health care provider about Lamictal.

I'll leave it at that.

Bradley R. Weissenberger wrote:You should ask your mental health care provider about Lamictal.

I'm actually on Lithium still but taking a very small dose of it in conjunction with Depakote.

I will look into this Lamictal, though.

Anyone here who's taken it/taking it have anything to say about it?

Oh and for what it's worth, the dosage I was taking wasn't toxic (according to the bloodtest), it just felt that way.