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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by becksA on January 16, 2007, at 14:47:57
I have been experiencing side effects from my lithium since my dosage increase. It's at 1200mg but I know that is irrelevent for the most part because everyone is different. But I've been experienceing....G.I. Problems, let's leave it at that. They have been getting better, but I'm still a bit "stopped up" Will this go away slowly? I'm seeing my pdoc this week.
thanks
Posted by Tomatheus on January 17, 2007, at 14:18:28
In reply to Help with Lithium!, posted by becksA on January 16, 2007, at 14:47:57
BecksA,
I think that it's hard to predict to what extent the side effects of lithium might subside. In my experience, the side effects that I noticed while taking lithium generally seemed to either remain the same in their intensity or get worse as time progressed, but it's possible that your experiences with the side effects of lithium may be different.
Considering that gastrointestinal disturbances and muscle weakness and/or aches are signs of possible abnormalities in thyroid functioning, you might want to ask your doctor to check your thyroid levels when you see him/her next, especially if you've developed other signs of either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism since you started taking lithium. As I mentioned in another Psycho-Babble post that I just wrote, there is evidence that lithium-treated patients commonly develop clinical hypothyroidism and even more frequently develop subclinical hypothyroidism during the course of treatment. So, I think it's a good idea to get your thyroid levels (and of course your lithium levels, as well) checked on an ongoing basis while you're taking lithium.
Patrick Oakley, B.Med., FRACP, discussed the the relationship between lithium and thyroid functioning in a 2002 Psychiatric Times article. Here's a link to the article, if you're interested:
http://psychiatrictimes.com/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=175801622
I hope this helps some.
Tomatheus
> I have been experiencing side effects from my lithium since my dosage increase. It's at 1200mg but I know that is irrelevent for the most part because everyone is different. But I've been experienceing....G.I. Problems, let's leave it at that. They have been getting better, but I'm still a bit "stopped up" Will this go away slowly? I'm seeing my pdoc this week.
>
> thanks
This is the end of the thread.
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