Posted by brynb on September 13, 2012, at 8:24:02
In reply to Re: Eric: thoughts? » brynb, posted by phidippus on September 12, 2012, at 17:42:03
> 300 mg is not a therapeutic dose of Lithium. If you want the most benefit to your mood I'd recommend 900 to 1200 mg.
>
> >I've always had anxiety, agitation/irritability >and moodiness
>
> All of which are features of Bipolar 2. A lot of this will come under control if you take more Lithium.
>
> >And I'm always lethargic
>
> If it is a feature of your depression, increasing your Lithium will help with this. The higher you go up on Lithium, the stronger its antidepressant effects are.
>
> Your Lexapro will also get a boost.
>
> Bipolar 2 is characterized by a lot of depression interspersed with hypomanic episodes. Mania often presents with a lot of anxiety and depression ranges from mild to severe. Often, bipolar 2 presents in mixed states where depression coincides with mania at the same time.
>
> Maybe antidepressants aren't working for you precisely because you are bipolar. They tend to make symptoms worse if you're not on a mood stabilizer.
>
> Try Lithium at the higher ranges and see how you feel.
>
> Eric
>
>Thanks, Eric. My doctor and I spoke about bumping my lithium dose up to 600 (I've already had benefits at 300, but I'm fearful of side effects if I go higher). He initially wanted me on 600mg. The irritability is always persistent. I've been doing great on my current med combo, but starting a few weeks ago have been experiencing depressive days again, and even more so over the last few days. It makes me nervous. I don't feel like tweaking meds/doses yet as I've done so well for a while now.
Thanks again.
-b
poster:brynb
thread:1025287
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120912/msgs/1025555.html