Bipolar Type II Support Group

Hi, I was diagnosed bipolar II twelve years ago. I've been on EVERYTHING and have found that Lamictal helps with the lows, but nothing has helped with the moodswings in general. The swings have gotten much worse since I developed postpartum depression after delivering my son 8 months ago, although Zyprexa pulled me out of crisis.

My pdoc wants me to try Lithium in conjunction with the Lamictal (been on Lithium years ago but was drinking at the time so I couldn't tell what it did), she says she's researched and found some interesting studies on the combination of Lamictal and Lithium for bipolar II. I'll find out more when I see her later this week.

The issue is that I HAVE to be "on" all the time because I'm a stay-at-home mom the majority of the week and I can't take a sick day or take a nap. I HAVE to take care of someone else before myself, so I wanted to get some feedback on peoples' experiences with Lithium before I consider trying this out and find myself sick without warning. Thanks for your help.

For me, LIthium has been a good stabilizer overall. i may have some highs or lows but it has kept me from going over the edge for years. i only recently started having issues and needing to increase my dosage to gain control. i beleive with this disorder it can be expected to need to increase from time to time. i dont kow. that is my experience. my body has tolerated it well. in the beginning i had some loose bowels but it evened out after about a week. no problems since.

i dont know how it works in conjunction with another med. Good luck!

I absolutely loooove Lithium. I started it several months ago in conjunction with Depakote ER which is another mood stabilizer like Lamictal and I am finally stable now after so many years of trying to get there. I had no side effects at all. I am very sensitive to most meds which is why it took me so long to find the right med I had side effects with everything I was trying. Lithium has changed my life. I am the happiest I have even been and it also works very fast too, it doesnt take weeks like some of these other meds it only takes a matter of days before you notice a difference and be sure to drink plenty of water its made up of alot of salt. Good luck and keep up posted on your progress. Stacey

I don't take lithium, but I can relate to the need to be "on" all of the time, (4 lazy kids/lazy husband), that I have to keep up with all day. After my last baby, at about the 8 month mark I suffered one heck of a crash and ended up on Effexor which I guess did it's thing. I'm on Depakote ER and it's working pretty well, but every time I get my meds changed I worry that I'm going to get turned into more of a complacent zombie and not be able to get my duties completed. They are the only purpose I have right now as I'm not working due to this illness. I hope the lithium works for you!

I am with you there, I took alot of meds that zombified me like Abilify, Geodon and Invega and I could barely get out of bed to help my kids get off to school. Some days I just couldnt at all and my husband had to do it. I could barely get out of bed all day it was so horrendous. Lithium has thankfully never made me feel like that. I get up for my kids now and stay up which is a big difference, I used to send them off to school then go back to bed for a few hours. Its just not healthy to be like that. My husband used to say I will never get out of my depression if I didnt leave my cave lol...he was right.

Thanks for your comments so far, everyone. They're very helpful. Sounds like there are lots of good experiences with Lithium. When I was on it before, I got hypothyroid, but I was also on Verapamil for migraines, and I hear the mixture can cause that, so I'm hoping it won't happen again.

I appreciate the understanding about having to be "on" with kids. I quit a multimedia/web development career to stay at home with my son and this is SO much harder than my midnight deadlines! I think it's funny when people think being a stay at home mom is "not a job."

Thanks again...we'll see how this goes.

I know what you mean I am also a stay at home mom and I think back to how being at work was my quiet time, I dont have that anymore. I also had a very demanding job but being a mom is much more demanding.

Welcome! Not on lithium but I've heard good things about it here - Jeni

I take a lithuim and lamictal combo. I hsve been on lithuim for about a year re depression when i started it and it helped lift me up. it. it has seemed to work quite well. I was in a severe depression and hospitalized when i started it. it worked quick and as since kept me from cycling. i also have mhad zero side efffects.

I take the same combo. So far it's been the only combo that works somewhat. The rest have not worked period. I don't hear voices and I don't feel suicidal (knock on wood!). I wish it would do more. I get paranoid, depressed, anxious and let's add scatterbrained to the list.

My pdoc says that Lithium can cause you to be forgetful. But she thinks you have to sometimes make sacrafices to be stable. I'm like: yeah, what about my job?! I can't afford to be like this. She is not too keen on ADD medication since this is the best she's seen me. She said it could possibly be thyroid related. Gotta do the blood test.

Post edited by: SpazyJess, at: 10/01/2009 05:07 PM