Posted by Ritch on January 22, 2005, at 0:16:19
In reply to Re: Lowest meaningful lithium level » Ritch, posted by tensor on January 21, 2005, at 16:02:37
> Hi,
>
> thanks for you reply. Based on your experience, would it be wise to wait another week or two? Or do you think i would have gained the energy and lift in mood already at this dose? I think the lithium level will stay in the 0.2-0.3 range with 600mg. As i wrote earlier, i do have slightly more energy now, but i'm very unsure wheather i should stay at 600mg or go up to 900mg.
>
> Thanks,
> MattiasI would stick with the same dosage for another couple of weeks before you increase. Give the 600mg range a full month or more. Lithium has slow and subtle effects. It is very helpful for a lot of people. The last thing you want is to bring on undesirable side effects with a dose increase before you experience the full potential benefits of a lower dose that might be sufficient for a longer term. Another thing... get your thyroid (T4, TSH) checked to make sure your thyroid isn't getting suppressed by the lithium. If it is.. thyroxine (T4) and/or T3 supplementation will help with your depression as well.. and you certainly don't want the lithium to *induce* a depression or cancel out its therapeutic effects by depressing your thyroid functioning.
poster:Ritch
thread:445146
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050119/msgs/445566.html