I’m curious about this and am tempted to try it. Lithium supposedly can reverse long term impairment from taking AP’s.
When I use the search words “psychosis” and “lithium” on pubmed there are like 1600 hits, so obviously lithium has a application in psychaitry. Severeal studies claim that lithium alone has been able to make people asymptomatic. But it doesen’t work on everyone. For example one study found that 4 out of 15 subjects were able to only use lithium after psychosis. Still that is about 30%.
But what were those study applicants’ diagnoses?? If they had bipolar disorder, that would make sense. Bipolar with psychosis, you only have psychosis when manic. Lithium is a mood stabilizer. So, people with bipolar can take a mood stabilizer, such as Lithium, and have both mood and psychosis under control.
I have schizoaffective bipolar type. That means I have psychosis that can be related to my mood OR unrelated to my mood. I require antipsychotics AND a mood stabilizer, because of this.
I took a class on medical billing & coding. I also spoke to my psychiatrist, in depth, about the difference between bipolar with psychosis and schizoaffective bipolar type.
i was on just lithium from 1982- 1998. It was hit and miss re being at a therapeutic level. I’m not sure how well I’d have done without a supportive partner.
Here is the study I wsa referring to. English is not my frist language so I it’s possible I haven’t interped it right, but I think they are talking about lithium monotherapy.
It’s also funny to note that when searching for standard lithium on pubmed you get 1600+ results. When you search for the non-toxic lithium orotate which is sold over the counter as a supplement you get 13 results. No money for pharma on that.
Whenever this subject comes up i, like @Wave, have to give a warning. Lithium did nothing for my cognition and most of all nothing for my depression. I deadened me to some degree, gave me hypothrodism, just like Wave, and hypothyrodism is not a small thing, it comes with a cost beside you have to take replacement hormons the rest of your life. Lithium gave me shaky/trembling hands.
I think lithium should only be given to bipolar patients and psychotic patients in a catatonic state.
Yes, i took the highest dose. I don’t know about your situation. If you are in a deep depression, i think you should have a good talk with your psychiatrist and perhaps consider it, but don’t take it just to improve your cognition or enhance your wellbeing, it’s not worth it unless you are really, really depressed, manic or catatonic.
I took lithium orotate and it made my cognition worse, felt much slower mentally and physically. Also had nystagmus and gained weight. I was also afraid of it inducing hypothyrodism.
I tried it with ap and felt off. According to drugs.com there is moderate interaction between olanzapine and lithium, so probably not good to take them together. This may be the case with other AP’s as well.
