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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SLS on May 16, 2022, at 23:55:47
My personal experience with lithium has been similar to what is described in the medical literature. Low-dosage lithium is effective for depression. 300 mg/day is my sweet spot. If I go to 450 mg/day or higher, I relapse and experience cognitive blunting and a mixture of amotivation and passivity.
It makes sense to start low and give 300 mg/day no longer than 2 weeks before moving up. Increase by no more than 150 mg/day, or you might miss your sweet spot. At 300 mg/day, lithium is unlikely to affect thyroid and kidney function. If upon starting low-dosage lithium at 300 mg/day, you feel any improvement, and going up to 1200 mg/day is ineffective, just keep taking 300-450 mg/day. If nothing else, it might provide prophylaxis against Alzheimer's Disease. The best argument for keeping lithium on board is that it might be a critical component your future combination drug therapies.
Blood levels are irrelevant using lithium this way. I would be surprised if mine were higher than 0.2.
1. "Low dosage lithium augmentation in venlafaxine resistant depression: an open-label study"
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22796912/
.
Recent studies have discovered a bimodal dosage-response curve for lithium. It has opposite effects on glutamate levels in the hippocampus at low versus high dosages.
2. "Bimodal effect of lithium plasma levels on hippocampal glutamate concentrations in bipolar II depression: a pilot study"
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25522399/
.
These are associations seen in some studies:
Low glutamate is associated with depression
High glutamate is associated with mania.
- Scott
Posted by Hugh on May 18, 2022, at 16:35:41
In reply to My experience with low-dosage lithium (300 mg/day), posted by SLS on May 16, 2022, at 23:55:47
By taking a low dosage of lithium, you might also be helping preserve your kidney function.
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220412/Low-dose-lithium-attenuates-kidney-aging-in-mice.aspx
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 19, 2022, at 7:27:55
In reply to Re: My experience with low-dosage lithium (300 mg/day), posted by Hugh on May 18, 2022, at 16:35:41
I like my low dose Lithium. 225
Posted by SLS on May 19, 2022, at 8:45:32
In reply to Re: My experience with low-dosage lithium (300 mg/day), posted by Lamdage22 on May 19, 2022, at 7:27:55
Hi, Lamdage.
> I like my low dose Lithium. 225
Cool.Can you go into more detail?
Are you still taking lithium? If not, why did you discontinue it?
- Scott
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 19, 2022, at 8:52:06
In reply to Re: My experience with low-dosage lithium (300 mg/day) » Lamdage22, posted by SLS on May 19, 2022, at 8:45:32
> > I like my low dose Lithium. 225
>
>
> Cool.
>
> Can you go into more detail?
>
> Are you still taking lithium? If not, why did you discontinue it?I sure do still take it. 225mg of an extended release version. It has helped me reduce the days spent on suicide watch dramatically ever since I started. I take it for that purpose primarily, and I also think it may protect my neurons.
It is simply put a mineral. I think it is a hybrid of a supplement and a medication at low dose.
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 19, 2022, at 8:57:36
In reply to Re: My experience with low-dosage lithium (300 mg/day), posted by Lamdage22 on May 19, 2022, at 8:52:06
I prefer natural substances. Lithium and Metformin are the natural medications I take. I trust them much more than the other ones.
This is the end of the thread.
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