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Re: does LITHIUM cognitive problems go away???

Posted by med_empowered on August 5, 2005, at 2:02:05

In reply to Re: does LITHIUM cognitive problems go away???, posted by Squiggles on August 4, 2005, at 19:19:50

hey! Lithium is a tricky drug. It work absolute miracles for some people, but it definitely has side-effects. First, review your treatment with your doc--make sure that lithium is *the* drug you should be taking. Lots of people (especially "rapid cyclers") do better on the other mood-stabilizers, such as Depakote or Trileptal...some others find the most help with the atypical antipsychotics. Even if lithium is good for you, you may be able to lower your dosage OR lower your dose and add a second mood stabilizer; if done well, this kind of mix would (theoretically) lead to minimized side effects and maximized benefits. Lithium's cognitive side effects do get better in some people; over time, you might adjust. On the other hand...non-compliance rates for Lithium are pretty high b/c some people just can't take the side-effects (cognitive and other side effects). Personally, I found that Trileptal plus an atypical antipsychotic (abilify, in my case) provided *excellent* control of my mixed-episodes and reduced the severity of my depressions (I still got depressed, though). After a while though, I got fed up with the side-effects and ditched both meds. Still...something like that might work for you, and it might allow you to avoid blood tests (the antipsychotics, Trileptal, Keppra, and Lamictal can usually be administered without periodic blood work, although if you opt for Trileptal its a good idea to check your blood sodium now and then). Good luck!


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