New member !

Hello everyone,

After searching for other peoples experience on medication for bipolar (lithium in particular) I stumbled across this forum.

Diagnosed Bipolar, as well as with OCD, Panic Disorder, and Generalized/Social Anxiety.

Im looking forward to gaining more insight from members and their experiences.

So far I'm extremely disliking this lithium treatment and its side effects, but of course prior to medication I didn't always enjoy the "side effects" of Bipolar either so hoping eventually I can find an even ground if such exists?!

Thanks for reading

Hi hwcb13,

I have bipolar, OCD, and GAD. I was on lithium a couple months ago, and I could not take the side effects - mainly gastrointestinal issues, and for three days it had me down as if I had a stomach flu. It was working though, which was the sad issue with experiencing such bad side effects. From my pdoc, I tried varying the dose, varying the time of day I took it, etc, but I still could not tolerate the SEs. If you see some of my other recent posts though, I am very sensitive to meds, so I am not the standard to go by. I have been through a host of different meds over the years, and I have had to stop all of them because they were either ineffective or the SEs were too much to take.

A couple weeks ago, I was put on Latuda, and so far, it has been a welcome relief for me - has helped me out of my bipolar depression, and I have side effects that are tolerable so far. From my personal experience, unfortunately, it really is a trial and error process in finding the right med. There is no way to know how you will react to something until you start taking it. And it may be a combination of meds that work.

I hope you are able to get past the Lithium SEs, and it will be helpful for you. If not, there are alternatives. Definitely tell your doc about your SEs though, as the only way to work things out is to keep your doctor informed.

Best. - Taygeta