1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Bipolar Affective Disorder

Awaiting Lithium therapy

Posted , 4 users are following.

stanley_66932
stanley_66932

Hi, I suffer from rapid cycling bi polar disorder, and I'm waiting for blood test results to come back before they'll start me on Lithium. The problem I'm having at the moment is that I'm self medicating nearly every night with alcohol, it's the only thing that seems to keep me stable, I know it's not good for me, but I was wondering if anyone else out there does this, or understands it? 

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • gillianslife
    gillianslife stanley_66932

    Posted

    Hi Stanley - self medication with alcohol is understandable for victims of this horrible illness, and I do it a lot, it's so much part of our culture,and  I don't think you shoudl beat yourself up over drinking. (It is unfortunately true that drinking three  or four evenings in a row will bring my mood down which does seem like retribution). I hope Lithium works for you - in my experience all the medications around are a bit hit and miss: what works for one doesn't for another, according to a person's unique DNA and physiognamy, and after 2 years on Lithium I gave it up as it wasn't really making a difference to me personally. My advice Stanley is practice being as nice as possible to yourself, depression is such a drag, one needis to encourage oneself.  Best of luck Gillian
  • louise79427
    louise79427 stanley_66932

    Posted

    Hi Stanley, I am bi polar and have been taking lithium for 20 years, with no problem. I get a blood test every three months. What other meds you on? Don't beat yourself up about the drink, one thing at a time. When I am ill, I smoke cigarettes to cope and When am Not ill I give up. This is a tough illness to cope with and When you are feeling better again you can sort that out. Hang in there x
  • clare39944
    clare39944 stanley_66932

    Posted

    Dear Stanley, I have been on Lithium for two years now as well as an anti-psychotic.  I have found that this combination is keeping me relatively stable and I also drink most days.  As long as you are not getting totally legless every night i don't think having a drink is a problem.  If you react well to Lithium then I think you will see the benefits after a while.  Be sure that you have regular blood tests while you are on Lithium.  I have them every three months.  Good luck, Clare
    • clare39944
      clare39944 louise79427

      Posted

      Dear Louise, I take 10mg of Olanzapine each night along with 400mg of Lithium.  With my shrink's blessing I am aiming to reduce the Olanzapine to 5mg as the higher dose makes me feel a bit dozy.  
    • louise79427
      louise79427 clare39944

      Posted

      Thanks Claire, I was on rispiridone, but felt like a zombie with bad side effects. How do you find stand-alone?
  • stanley_66932
    stanley_66932

    Posted

    Thank you for replying to my post guys, really appreciate it! Good to know that there's someone out there on the same wavelength, I just feel so damned lonely and scared sometimes. I' not on any meds at the moment, I was on anti depressants, but my psychiatrist took me off them, as he thinks they're not very helpful for bipolar disorder. 
    • louise79427
      louise79427 stanley_66932

      Posted

      Hey Stanley, I need the anti depressant for depression and anxiety, the lithium balances me out. Tell your doctor how you are feeling x
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.