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Re: Lithium is up there with Pennicilin and Aspiri » Squiggles

Posted by barbaracat on July 13, 2005, at 16:26:54

In reply to Re: Lithium is up there with Pennicilin and Aspiri » barbaracat, posted by Squiggles on July 13, 2005, at 15:22:51

I'm convinced that Li is acting in a different way than most, if not all, other compounds affect us. If you watched that webcast by Dr. Manji, I though he gave a great overview on lithium's unique properties. I was especially interested in the second messenger action and NBDF activity and how lithium allows a greater electro-potential for chemical transmitters to do their jobs.

Honestly, the more I learn about Lithium the more I truly respect it's benefits and am SO VERY GRATEFUL that I am one of the lucky ones who respond to it. The 'upline' activity of how it acts to normalize neurons and regenerate damaged ones explains why it can be both an anti-manic and an anti-depressant and an augmentor to all.

I have to reiterate my belief that, unless one is in a severe manic crisis, much less lithium should be given ongoing than typically is. It's certainly worth a try. Those windows keep coming down all the time.

I ask myself how I feel with more vs. less, if the physical dullness and tremors of more offsets the always in the background anxiety of less. It's a fine line. I think I'd rather offset the anxiety by lifestyle things - exercise if I can get my butt in gear (very difficult lately).

I wonder about developing any apparatus that montitors those things for us - what are they looking for exactly? No one seems to know how lithium even works and I doubt if anyone's come up with a marker. How much do they measure? Most people's therapeutic windows are far too high for me. Plus, more research would just raise a perfectly cheap med into the brand name stratospheres.

We need guidelines as to how much usually does what, but in the end, we're the only ones who can be our best judge based on how we feel and how others respond to us.

But jeez, we're in the dark ages when it comes to diagnosing and prescribing. What we need is an affordable SPECT scan, a little bonnet, a coil, something that picks up blood flow. A pendulum, Oiuja board, dowser - something besides the dart board/guinea pig approach.

Oh well, I'm ranting. I haven't been able to get out of bed with fatigue lately and I start to wax prophetic. All I wanna do is feel better. But one thing I doubt very much is that more lithium will do it for me. What will do it is time, not allowing myself to implode and spiral down, let it run it's course and soon I'll start feeling interested in things again and feel like joining life. But right now? Nah. I'm depressed, I'm trying to enjoy it (enjoyable depression = oxymoron) but even in this very mild phase of it where I'm lounging about on my bed and life ain't too awful -- I battle worry. It's a constant vigilance against worry geting the upperhand and it is tiring. Hmmm, now I'm REALLY wondering what a pinch more of lithium might do... I'll let you know! Barbara


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URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050713/msgs/527194.html