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Lithium to agument SSRI's in unipolar depressives?

Posted by Girlnterrupted78 on September 25, 2008, at 19:48:33


I am currently doing group therapy and seeing a new psychiatrist. I'm taking Celexa 20mgs (after a horrible year on Nardil) and the 20mgs is doing very little, and if I raise it to 40mgs, it gives me a horrible stiff neck and jaw.

So anyway, I read an article that I found at my clinic where the author, an MD/psychopharmacologist, recommended lithium to augment/potentiate an AD.

I mentioned this to my psychiatrist, and he said that those kinds of reading materials ( offered by the actual clinic!) were not to be taken seriously.

Then I brought this up in group therapy, and even showed them the pamphlet I read, and one of the guys in therapy spoke with a lot confidence and even authority! on the matter, and said absolutely not, lithium is only to treat bipolar disorder, and there's NO WAY I should use it to augment or otherwise.

Then I went online and found this:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10964859?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=4&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed

"Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the use of lithium to augment antidepressant medication in continuation treatment of unipolar major depression."

The conclusion of the study was this:

CONCLUSIONS: Lithium augmentation in the continuation phase of treatment of unipolar major depressive disorder effectively protects patients against a relapse. Patients who respond to lithium augmentation should be maintained on lithium augmentation for a minimum of 6 months or even longer.

So I'm wondering whether that document has enough authority for me to be convinced that both my doctor and the guy in therapy are wrong? Or do I need further proof?

What do you guys at babble know about lithium as an augmenting agent?

I was also upset at the guy in the therapy because he seems to talk with a lot of authority about things he doesn't know much about, so if he happens to be wrong, I will have to address that in the group, as that is what we do in therapy. So I'd like to get good info on this matter.

Thanks in advance for any info or suggestion.


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poster:Girlnterrupted78 thread:854094
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080915/msgs/854094.html