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Lithium
What is this miraculous substance? It is a simple, naturally occurring mineral salt - that just happens to effectively treat bipolar disorder. Unlike many bipolar medications, it is very cheap. This is because it isn't patented and can be bought as a generic. I get mine at Wal-Mart for just over $4 a month.
Refusing to even tryDespite all the evidence, nature's wonder drug is still subject to a lot of stigma and stereotyping.Many people whose lives could easily be transformed from bipolar hell resist this cheap and effective treatment, often due to nothing but myths and half-truths. Instead, they prolong their own and their loved ones misery, and spend inordinate time, money and energy searching for alternative treatments – including the half-baked scams that permeate the Internet. One thing for sure - medication is not a "one size fits all" science - no one drug is for everyone and many people do as well if not better on alternative medications such as Depakote or Lamictal. The combination of lithium/Lamictal is very worth exploring and is emerging as something of a new gold standard. However, please at do some homework! So much of the information about side effects, for example, is out of date and comes from the early days when much higher doses tended to be used. This is an incredibly important point! In the words of international bipolar expert, Jim Phelps MD: "Lithium is like two different medications: low doses are pretty easy to manage and produce few side effects. High doses are tricky to manage, require close monitoring to stay safe, and can cause side effects which make people want to consider alternative treatments." This is something I learned the hard way. The day I was diagosed as bipolar my psychiatrist lent me a copy of Kay Redfield Jamison's autobiography An Unquiet Mind. It is a wonderful book and reading it answered a lot of questions for me. But it completely freaked me out about taking the "miracle" salt because Dr Jamison describes having terrible side effect problems with reading and concentration. Then I did something really dumb - went on a amateur website about psychotropic medication and read that takng it makes you fat, bald and stupid. I never did any proper research, and I missed a really important passage in Dr Jamison's book about what happened WHEN SHE SWAPPED TO A LOWER DOSE! So I tried Depakote, Geodan, Neurontin, and a whole lot of other things - and guess what - they made me fat, bald and stupid. More to the point, they did NOT stabilize me. Finally, at the point of last resort I tried it. WOW! Now I am stable, happy and healthy. And I have finally read the part in An Unquiet Mind where Dr Jamison describes the benefits of being on a low dose. Duh! The ONE side effect that has bothered me has been weight gain. I took care of this with my
Bipolar Diet.
Everything you always wanted to know . . .First, the important stuff - using it as a medication.Next, you may want to brush up on some history with some surprising twists and turns: who discovered lithium? Next, some science: Li on the periodic table and how is it mined? Especially interesting are the facts about the element lithium. And a bit of TMI on some of the lesser and the more serious side effects: frequent urination and toxicity symptoms. Fact versus fictionWould it surprise you to discover that as well as controlling mania and depression, your medication may actually be protecting your neurons, preventing brain atrophy, and increasing your gray matter?Read the good news here from the world authority on the subject, Dr Manji. It seems this amzing mineral salt helps us grow fresh grey matter in our brains, and protects us from aging, from the damage caused by bipolar episodes, and even protects against brain diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Next, check out the links below to sort out fact from fiction. For example, it DOES NOT cause liver cancer. Also check out patient education. Research proves that up to date, accurate and complete lithium patient education significantly enhances patient outcomes. The Bipolar Blog also has some entries about the positive benefits, such as research in late 2007 showing extended life spans. Light at the end of the tunnel
I've been scattered I've been shattered I've been knocked out of the race But I'll get better I feel your light upon my face SourcesOur motto here at bipolar-lives.com is Fact NOT Fiction. the following authoritative texts were used to compile this page:- Frederick K. Goodwin & Kay Redfield Jamison Manic-Depressive Illness: Bipolar Disorders and Recurrent Depression, Oxford University Press, 2007. - James W. Jefferson & John H. Greist Lithium and Bipolar Disorder: A Guide, Lithium Information Center, Madison Institute of Medicine, 2004. - Ronald R. Fieve M.D. Moodswing, Bantam Books, 1997.
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