Why Does Lithium Help Bipolar Disorder?
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- Опубликовано: 7 окт 2024
- There’s no doubt that lithium has a diverse list of uses. But the way that it interacts with our bodies to help treat bipolar disorder is aiding us in better understanding the disorder and potentially developing new drugs to combat it.
Hosted by: Brit Garner
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Fun fact: Lithium carbonate is naturally occurring in the water supply of El Paso, Texas, one of the safest cities (over 500k people) in the US. The attack on August of 2019 was by an outsider. It’s a city with a very low violent crime statistic, and many have said that the people here are particularly nice.
Wonder how much Li is in the water in Detroit?
Thats like saying you can taste urine in a swimming pool when someone pees in it
@@Jacqui_Jenny_Gunnarsdóttir
If you’ve ever taken a prescription pill, you would know that small traces of something can be surprisingly effective. So these trace amounts of lithium could actually impact the mood of El Paso residents.
I know it is a stretch but heck with it I am moving to El Paso!
@@colubrinedeucecreative I'm from there! I got surprised seeing it pop up. I wanna go back one day
1 minute in and I'm wondering what drove doctors to even try it in the first place back in the 1800s?
Well, they propably looked at all the people sipping quicksilver and getting strokes and wondered: You know what, what if we try some other metal that doesent seem to make you go mad?
I remember one of my psychology teachers saying that there were hot springs in ancient Rome or Greece (don't quote me on location) where people would send individuals who were acting out (i.e. "crazy") to level them out. Then it was later discovered that these hot baths had a high content of lithium, which was probably what helped stabilize their moods. Take all this with a grain of salt, I'm only repeating what I remember from a psych class many years ago
@@soggyprog Danm thats pretty cool.
@@tatuvarvemaa5314 indeed
finally, after decades of usage of this drug we understand now how it works... that does not strengh my fait in School-Medicin at all, thank you.
I've seen Lithium carbonate via injection transform a screaming, scary woman into a lady that could work all day in a kindergarden. Amazing stuff, for some people who struggle with periodic mental illness.
But it is toxic 😢
@@CarolKoay You dont know that you have lithium in your body already smh. Public school system - 1😪
Sodium out here being like “Na”
You mean Natrium?
@@valibaimoukhametov6795 Na
Lolol! 👍
Lol nice one
Na, you salty!
batteries.. 'bipolar'.. I dunno... kinda makes sense.
(batteries have a positive and negative "pole", hence "bipolar")
@@ViviPestilenz it is le joke
i f y o u k n e w a n y t h i n g a b o u t m e d i c i n e
@@ViviPestilenz Well, if you know anything about human behaviour and how they speak/write, you would have understood the og comment is a joke. Imagine being so dense to not get this insanely obvious joke.
Oh honey, we still don't know most of the universe. I think it does make sense and I'm all about figuring out new ways to test a hypothesis like this one (my bff Computational Neuroscience is on the rise, people)
Thanks for the comment! :)
Can confirm, lithium is the only thing keeping half my family sane
It is the shocking truth and generates more power for them. if you get watt I mean because I could not resist saying this as they have the capacity to amp it up and stay positive in negative places at ohm or out on the circuit at night or have enough energy to go faraday down to Wheatstone bridge they will still be in their element and incandescent with excitement.
@@VaughanMcCue That was puntastic, but had zero to do with the OP. Idk if I should like your comment or not.
@@kindlin I am happy if you supply something that flows in alternate directions and pulsates with a transforming output.
@@VaughanMcCue Epic XD
@@kindlin it has everything to do with insanity.
Don't have bipolar, Psychiatrist had me take it as a hail mary to help with my PTSD and depression.
I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have this. Its helped me so much.
Thank you for mentioning the variations in different types of bipolar disorders! :)
There are only 2 types so it is not much of a variant. Bipolar I and Bipolar II.
@@claudekingstan4084 It is more of s spectrum, actually, with those as the cut offs for guiding treatment.
@@KnightsWithoutATable I don't think he was arguing that it was discrete.
Yes! My sister has bipolar, and she gets what's called mixed episodes where you have the energy of a mania and the low mood of depression. Luckily she's found a medication regiment that works and is stable.
The mindfulness book "30 Days to Reduce Depression" by Harper Daniels is a good resource.
During my first manic episode, one of my beliefs was that we were all robots. And while at the mental clinic, it made sense taking lithium, especially if it's found in batteries. After taking it my depression and paranoia gradually left.
Thank God and science for medication.
You take in day or night and what dosage?
but we are robots.
Every time I’ve had my episodes I thought I was Jesus Christ each and every time it wouldn’t help that even months before I’d have my episode recently I had a very holy dream of the Holy Spirit covering me and then I had an episode. I’m trying to be closer to God but I feel like I hate these episodes making me believe I’m something like that. Especially each and every time it makes me even more depressed cause I have multiple visions of the end of the world and fighting demons in a reality that forms in my head 2023 my episode was telling me this year Jesus comes back and I’m here tripping thinking I’m him. I hate it so much and makes me come back to question reality and all the weird things that’s happened I’m not manic now but reality is a mess and I hate a lot of what I saw but it was all so interesting. I’m just trying to turn to God for answers now I’m terrified I’m not actually worthy or have no way to go about this journey.
@rafaelvargas8608
Join us on Meetup... either my group Denver Bipolar group or any other Bipolar group.
You are not alone... I too thought I was the messiah.
We are here for you.
Do you have a good support group or anyone family or friends to talk to?
If not, I'm glad to talk with you.
god has fu ck all to do with it
I'm diagnosed bipolar since many years and have been on lithium treatment for many years. Yesterday I picked up Magnesium citrate (first 250mg, then another 250 an hour later) to see if it could help RLS (something I've had for as long as I could remember). It did. However the calming effects on my mind and rest of my body was unexpected. It blew bensodiazepines, seroquel etc etc out of the water. I can't remember feeling this at peace and such a pleasant time trying to fall asleep since before I was a teenager possibly.
I'm not sure if I was/am just magnesium deficient in the first place (never checked to my knowledge) and that's what fixed it OR if it's the synergy between magnesium and Lithium that did it. But it is without a doubt the cleanest and most powerful calm I've ever felt. I almost teared up from joy over feeling so calm, relaxed and focused without any fucked up drawbacks like the standard medications always bring with them.
let me guess, this was short lived? similar thing happened to me
Lmfao, yes it was!@@tiptapkey
As someone diagnosed with it I really appreciate you spreading awareness
As someone diagnosed in 2007, information like this is highly appreciated. Thank you 😊
Magnesium is also such an underrated compound (other than xenon gas lol) and it makes a crap ton of sense if lithium helps "carry it around" more
Magnesium is a life saver
@@WolfgangDoW it helped with my akathisia, TD, and RLS from benzo withdrawal. But it is super important to pick the right kind to avoid shitting bricks the next day.
@@XenoTraviswhat kind do you suggest?
Magnesium chelate. That form prevents indigestion problems. I.e. from Solgar. I use it for many years now.
@@13Leptir carbonate works for me. You can get better, but not cheaper. Same as with Li.
I've been on lithium and many other medications for ten years since my last, and hopefully final, hospitalization, and I've never felt better.
Glad you’re feeling better! I hope you’re still doing well today
Thank you for this awesome vid.
I've been seeing someone with bipolar for a few years now, and she is on lithium. I've researched it myself, but you guys do a way better job of doing it in a way that my brain will actually remember!
I hope she's keeping on top of tracking her kidney health. Lithium totally wrecked my brother's kidneys, so he's going to need a kidney transplant within the next few years, due to severity.
I hope you don't plan to have kids with her
@@lajya01 are you saying that people with bipolar shouldn't have kids?
@@drewlop I don't think lithium and pregnancy mix well.
@@limalicious I'm on lithium, they now get you to get blood work done monthly in Canada if you take it just to monitor mainly liver and thyroid functionality.
This video came out the exact day I got my diagnosis.
As someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I truly appreciate your efforts in the video :)
I’ve had this question since i was 14 years old...I’m 24 now
Imagine having the internet and a search engine. Crazy, right?
@@baronvonbeandip Imagine imagining me having an imagination…
@@necromancer___3054 you totally annihilated him
It's nice to see that there are continuing developments on understanding _why_ this works; I figure that's a major component to eventually being able to figure out who it (or any medicine, especially psych meds) will and won't help... Which, when some meds cause things like akathisia, well... it's nice to know there's more discovery happening. Thanks for sharing, Brit!
Oof - akathisia. * cough * 😒 Abilify
But yeah, it's really encouraging to see researchers digging deep into how and why things work. I love that there's genetic tests now too, to help understand what meds people can process well. We're getting there. We have a loooong way to go...but we're getting there.
Oh yeah. I had to take amantidine when I was talking vraylar. No ty
@@StonedtotheBones13 I'm not familiar with those substances, but... get the vibe, none the less. Yeah, negative med reactions are.... not fun.
I'm one of those folk where lithium wasn't that effective. After nearly a decade of trying to find the right medicine, I ended up on Quetiapine, which has been relatively great.
I take Quetiapine, too. I like everything about it except for the 50 lbs I gained in 3 months when I first started taking it. I'd rather be fat and happy than skinny and sad, though.
@@chelseaarmstrong5410 I had the exact same experience! I'm much happier and more stable than before but it was annoying having to buy a whole new wardrobe
@@chelseaarmstrong5410 OMG the weight gain! I hear you there :) I had trouble recognising if a medicine was "working" before Quetiapine, and then I went "OMG this is like night and day different!" I sat having breakfast, and no racing thoughts, no irritation or aggravation, just stillness.
What dose of lithium carbonate did you take?
See, im on lithium and it works great. Although my manic episodes are a lot stronger for me so I have to pair it with another psychosis drug/sleep aid. Sadly, no sleep aids have been working but they work great for manic episodes.
I'd really appreciate if you could make a video going over the spectrum of psychotic disorders! (schizophrenia to bipolar - bipolar with psychotic features and schizoaffective disorder in between) I find it so interesting that these disorders fall somewhere on a spectrum in relation to each other and it's not as black and white as they've been portrayed in mainstream media. There's a lot of overlap in medication and treatment because psychotic disorders affect the brain in similar ways even though there are key differences in each disorder. I've looked for videos and hardly any have covered this topic - the ones that have are just as confusing as the subject itself. I think it would be great to shed some light on a subject that seems so foreign and scary to most people! Thank you.
True. All mostly fixable with minerals, vitamins & other nutrients.
Great episode! I'm both bipolar and on lithium, so I very much appreciate it!
I’m so happy
Cause today I found my friends
In my head
I was just thinking of this song
Poor Kurt Cobain. :(
Ive never been on lithium but, looking back, my episodes started to level out more after my psych told me to take magnesium with my other meds. I didn't think much of it but it's cool to know why that's been helping me!
A weeks worth of Lithium Pills is like a Life's Supply... So much of our issues are from a lack of things, or these chemicals and crap foods in our diets, and even viruses, and throne off Gut Microbiomes! Don't let this Cow Pressure you into Drugs so she can make money off RUclips!
This is great information. Thank you for posting.
I did Biochemistry research as an undergrad on this. Ran and managed many experiments. Fascinating biochemistry.
Wow. Thank you so very much this information I will bring up when I take my child to the Dr. Thank you again.
I'm borderline/EUPD but I have manic episodes not often but I've withdrawn to help myself, its why i stay in my home 23/7. Getting in contact with professionals is a 6 month process. Even then its a brick wall graffitied to be judged which exacerbate our symptoms
My partner was first told he had eupd until he got so bad he ended up having psychosis and went to hospital! I had to beg to try a mood stabiliser to save him, 18months later and he is 10x better. Mania is not part of EUPD, doctors don't know everything so if you believe you have bipolar then seek a second opinion. Good luck x
@@creepypisces83 wow im glad he is doing much better, i think you are 50% of his recovery. I need to engage tho, im stable when im in my bat cave lol i will talk to my doctor tho thank you for not judging and understanding. That alone helps
Tons of doctors tried to label us BPD/EUPD, but active trauma and BPD are identical and you need to have trauma stabilising therapy to tell the difference at all.
Can't recommend it enough if you have any traumas. Seriously helped us
Was diagnosed with bipolar 2 a decade ago, but misdiagnosis of autism, trauma, and plurality. All three can mimick BPD and bipolar.
But looking back our "mood swings" were defo switches
@@WolfgangDoW I'm UK and have never been offered that, I'm an alcoholic (alcohol blunts my Compassion) i use cry all the time at silly things. I'm high functioning but my main issue is apathy i dont feel it. My younger brother shows traits of Aspergers and im sure i do too. But trauma is apparent so its a go to.
I stay home 23/7 too.. The 1 hour I'm out is at night to watch the stars.. I've been on lithium for 1 week and today I kept repeating to myself and everyone else "Today I feel good. Today I feel like myself again. Today was a good day."
Lithium saved my life. The only medication that makes me feel completely normal again. The only negative is that I have to pee more often than I did before.
I suffer from bipolar disorder and take lithium and a ant-depressant. And I have always wounderd how lithium is helping and how some doctor some where was like: Yeah! Let's try that stuff batteries are made of.
Lithium is safe and I think people are looking at this from the wrong perspective. Lithium salts which is in medication is still highly used and allowing people to live better lives as you of course know( but you always have the right to discuss your medication to what works better for you.) The compound is different in batteries. Sadly they are always side effects to medication but the world before mood stabilisers was a sad place for people such as yourself. Medicine has always used different compounds to make medications and some get taken off the market for better alternatives but they are regulated..
@@hazelhoggan7190 I know it helps. The meds help me cope with life both mood stabalisers (lithium) and the anti-depressant. And I know the hell bipolar can be if you have no or the wrong medication. (Not that everyone needs medication, some can get by fine without)
And the battery part was mostley made as a joke.
@@Ollidol yeah I worked with patients that have not taken meds when I read it so I automatically get concerned lol. Enjoy your day and battery fuel lol
Awe, are the ants ok now?
Lithium was used as a supplement long before Lithium batteries were invented
I’m 45, live in Georgia and since I was 15 I’ve personally experienced various issues that would fall under mental illness. Stranger still is the high number of relatives, both immediate and extended, who developed various issues of mental illness or diseases of the brain.
Most people wouldn’t hear that and think anything of it....until I list out just how many relatives are included. It becomes even stranger when I explain how it impacts both my mother and father’s sides of my family.
There are only two aspects that are shared across the board for both sides: 1. The high number who either were active duty military or were on bases as civil servants. 2. Everyone either lived in or spent extended periods in one town or rather in about a 30 mile radius of one town.
To me the oddity is how/when people started having symptoms. As I said, mine started when I was 15 +/-, but my grandmothers both experienced their issues in the early part of 1990’s. That just happens to be the same general time frame as I was born in 75.
I honestly think if I had a crystal ball or time travel machine and could go into the future 50-100 years, I would see that people have since discovered some major issue that sparked so many of these illnesses involving the brain/mind. What that common strand is, I haven’t a clue!
I have contacted so many doctors, researchers, biologists, chemists, etc asking if they’re aware of any situation where such a wide spectrum of people would have such varied pathologies of the brain but who lived such different lifestyles. The answer so far as been the same... it doesn’t seem ‘natural’ but they can’t explain it either.
The illnesses do go far and wide... Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Benign brain tumors, GBM (brain cancer), Oligodendroglioma (brain cancer), strokes, aneurysm, bipolar disorder, major depression, substance abuse -alcohol, substance abuse - street drugs, substance abuse - prescription medications, insomnia, hallucinations (audible and visual), seizures, seizures, seizures. Anxiety disorders.
My relatives have taken part in three large trial treatments: The medication Temodar for brain cancer; the medication RU486 for brain tumors (it’s otherwise known as abortion pill), and the GammaKnife trials again for brain tumors.
As for the lithium, the video caught my attention because I will explain to people in a very sarcastic (albeit honest) manner that I think I’ve been on damn near every medication possible for mental illness with the exception of lithium, and I just have a fundamental issue being turned into a living, human version of the Energizer Bunny!! But I’ve had such horrible experiences with the medications I won’t chance Lithium. SSRIs, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, anti anxiety, tranquilizers. It was ridiculous! And the only one that ever had a positive impact was the SSRI Celexa (citalopram) when I was a teenager. They weaned me off, issues came back and when they started it again, it was the beginning of a 20 year nightmare! It’s hard enough to fight the demons that come with mental illness, but when the suffering is increased exponentially because of the “treatment”, it’s a recipe for disaster!
Maybe as they learn more about these drugs it will give them a reverse view onto the root cause of these illnesses and diseases!
Two things. First, a psychiatrist almost killed me by increasing my Li without checking my kidney function. If your doc wants to increase your Li, demand an eGFR (kidney function test) bc Li is REALLY tough on the kidneys. Secondly, hypo/mania and depression are not the only two moods of bipolar disorder. I have it and my moods vary between depression and mixed (symptoms of depression and hypo/mania simultaneously-yes, that is as dangerous as it sounds). For a good, easy to read and annotated primer on bipolar, check out “Lost Marbles” by Natasha Tracy.
They changed it without letting you know, AND they didn't follow up with tests? Wtf. It's not like the fact that it can cause kidney failure is some well guarded secret. What an incompetent idiot. Are you at least ok these days?
When they increase my dose, I have to do tests once a week, until it is stable at the level they want me at, I can't believe how irresponsible they were to you!
Yes! My brother was on lithium for years (he's almost 40) and the doctors didn't keep on top of his kidney health. He has polycystic kidneys now and advanced kidney disease and is going to eventually need a transplant.
@@limalicious To be fair, if I 100% knew I had kidney disease in my future(and who knows, maybe I do), I would still eat lithium, every day. Because without it I would have been dead years ago, I wouldn't even have a future to HAVE kidney failure in. Lithium saved my life, and if it will cause complications further down the line, that's ok. Because I have a further down the line to head towards. That being said, doctors really have to do their job and do all the tests they are required to do. Maybe it's because I'm Swedish and we might have a different way of doing testing. I am tested 4 times a year, and once a year I am tested for everything they can think of, apart from the lithium/kidney/thyroid test I do anyway.
Wow. I hope that psychiatrist is no longing prescribing Lithium! That is such a very basic thing.
@@pmsavenger it’s sad, but nice to hear someone echo my sentiments. I know these psych meds are awful physically, but I’m with you, I would already be dead without them.
This was scary. I didn't know that bipolar tends to shorten lifespans that much. Im diagnosed with it so I might mention this video to my psychiatrist, see what he says.
Make your life count. You could have a great impact to your small circle/community for 70 years than be horrible human being for 95 years.
@@kikinatrone I intend to, along with my other system members (we have OSDD). We want to leave this world a better place than when we came into it. Bipolar is just one of our problems. We also have Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety, Agoraphobia, Panic Disorder, OCD, Adult ADD, Major Depressive Disorder, the specific Bipolar is Bipolar II with melancholic depressive episodes, and then all sorts of stuff related to dissociation like PTSD and DpDr. We have lots of problems, but we just have to stabilise them one step at a time. Lithium looks like a possible step 1.
- Ian
Most of the time it is due to dangerous behavior, substance abuse, and self harm caused by the disorder.
@@reuvenknight1575 ah, thanks. That makes a lot more sense. Still scary, and definitely my psychiatrist should maybe consider lithium because maybe it might help us out.
I do not function without my lithium. But I also have to take a lot of it for it to teach therapeutic levels in my system. But, it keeps me stable and that's all that matters. 😊
I love this video! Thanks
This is an EXCEEDINGLY important event for my family!! Some of the seminal research on the effects of lithium in treating bipolar disorder was done by Dr. Joe P. Tupin at UC Davis, using data from inmates in the California correctional system. The information he gathered and analysed formed the basis for treatment of patients with bipolar disorder which included my brother, who was Dr. Joe Paul's namesake. None of us could have known in 1963, but my brother JP's godfather discovered a treatment which, years later, offered him years of effective treatment and productive life.
The early Romans used lithium to treat madness. The would take people to soak in lithium springs. Lithium is also a protective factor against suicidality. I was on lithium for years and developed something an ultra rare side effect called pseudo tumor cerebri. It increases the pressure in my head. You body acts like you have a tumor but you don't. I was taken off it immediately. I was unstable and in and out of hospitals for years. I decided to go back on it and I got it again but it is very minor and manageable. I was stable for 6ish years, before I had a break through manic episode. Then I was stable and now I am having break through depression that was probably triggered by trauma. People like to use buzz words like constant blood work toxicity but if you research it you will find that it's not as bas as people make it out to be.
Damm brother... I hope things get better for you dealing with side effects of medicine & mental illness will make your life hell believe me I understand
@@ericshepherd7786 Hey! Thanks for taking the time to respond. It can be tough at times and so many people go through it. Yet, so many see it as some kind of character flaw or choice.
C D of course I like to let people who struggle know that they aren’t alone & that they are heard but stg people are so uneducated when it comes to mental health lol I still hear people say that Autism is a mental illness.
@@ericshepherd7786 That's so true. People just can't let go of old stereotypes. If people would just get to know us they would see that there is nothing to be afraid and that we are surprisingly normal. My first manic episode was at ten years old. I am 33. I don't hide it. I don't go around shouting it from the roof tops either. Having to keep it a big secret was EXHAUSTING. It just got to a point where I couldn't do it anymore. I came out to my family and friends and never looked back. I have the opinion of accept me or don't that's your decision and you have to live with it. Funny you mentioned autism. I am also autistic. I wasn't diagnosed until 2 years ago.
Yay this videos is released 2 days after my pharmacology midterm about the same topic🌚😂🌚😂
Thank you.
It works by lowering dopamine and glutamate and it increases GABA and serotonin. it also up regulates Tkrb the Brain-derived neurotrophic factor(Bdnf) receptor commonly called miracle gro for the brain. It also increase the amount of neurons in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. It also reduces oxidative stress commonly thought to be a trigger of mania. It inhibits glycogen synthase kinase Lithium is neuroprotective, it lowers thyroid function, it protects against mitochondrial dysfunction, it decrease lipid peroxidation levels, it enhances cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Is an amazing element for the brain and body I disagree with the doses used in BPD though.
Very interesting, informative and worthwhile video. Many thanks for the links to the references.
I just gor prescribed this a week ago. Thanks for the info!
I have bipolar disorder and lithium has worked really well for me. I do take an anti-depressant along with it because the lithium decreases my manic symptoms, but as far as I can tell it doesn't do much against the depressive symptoms that I would often get. (Some experts believe anyone with bipolar disorder should never ever ever take anti-depressants, but for me it doesn't seem to cause anything bad.) Taking lithium has made my thyroid stop working properly, but to me that's not a big deal because I can and do take levothyroxine pills to make up for that. The mostly deadly side effect of lithium, the one that terrifies me on the rare occasions I think about it, is that lithium can shut down one's kidneys. So if anyone has been newly diagnosed with bipolar, it's really important to talk to your psychiatrist about both the positive and the negative aspects of any potential medication including lithium.
and have him/her check that your kidneys are ok before taking lithium.
@@lulazeta8965 I don't think my psychiatrist did that, but that is a good idea. I get my kidney function tested a couple times a year now but I don't think it was tested before I started lithium (although that was a long time ago so I don't quite remember)
I take Mg, zinc & tryptophan, sometimes copper. I think it all boils down to nutrition (& lifestyle habits) .
E.g. iodine, selenium, B2, B3, aka iodine protocol. Everything has to be in balance.
So informative, hope you guys make a comeback that was so good
Thank you for spreading awareness on bipolar disorder. My mum also has bipolar disorder & has been taking lithium for decades, it's the only thing that works for her. So it's interesting to learn more about & it's effectiveness on the brain.
I loved the drama of announcing lithium's competition with sodium. Amazing video, thank you!
My psychiatrist had me try lithium carbonate for a while to see if it would help stabilize my mood. (I have severe depression and PTSD, not bipolar disorder.) It didn't help, or really do any harm either, but it did give me a huge craving for salt.
As it seems, psych's are incompetent when it comes to nutrition. Lithium is a nutrient. And too much of it is poison and imbalances other nutrients. I find that zinc & tryptophan lift depression, but there are more nutrients that can help or might be necessary.
I was actually thinking about this for a class a couple weeks ago!
I am one of those people who had to have other meds prescribed alone with the Lithium. It takes time finding the right combination so patience is key. Also if your psychiatrist does think you need it make sure you get your Lithium levels checked first so it can be dosed properly. It is also key to have that done 2 to 4 weeks while on it.
I've never heard of people getting their lithium level checked before going on lithium. That probably wouldn't hurt but I wouldn't think it would be extremely helpful either. But then again, I'm no expert, just a patient.
@@PolymorphicPenguin I was on lithium for 10 years. When I didn't get tested once every 8 weeks. I'd be toxic and drastically lose weight. Tbh I'd prefer ECT over Lithium. But that just how it works for me. But the one thing they never mentioned is how it wreaks your teeth. I now have dentures at 35
@@yepok5120 That sucks that lithium caused so much unwanted weight loss and ruined your teeth. I'm kind of surprised that a psychiatrist didn't switch you to another medication when it was so difficult to get you into a safe, therapeutic range, but maybe there were other reasons and you may not necessarily feel comfortable sharing those, so I don't want to pry. I think most psychiatrists would have not wanted to have do deal with your lithium level every weeks, unless you were paying them extra for that.
The one period of time when I was at a toxic lithium level, my hands shook so badly that I simply could not write with a pen. (Thank goodness it didn't happen when I was in high school or college and would be expected to fill out test questions in pen!) I guess I'm lucky in terms of not getting any obvious dental problems from lithium. (I've been taking it for just over ten years, so similar length of time) I do have some gum recession, but I think that was a problem even before I started taking lithium. I didn't even realize tooth decay was a side effect, it shows I don't know as much about lithium as a I think I do. Any way, thank you for sharing your experience Miss Clark.
@@yepok5120 hi, have you heard of lithium orotate?
@@PolymorphicPenguin and you too :)
have you heard of lithium orotate?
I was diagnosed with depression and medication to treat that for many years. Overtime I figured out that I don't have depression but seasonal bipolar disorder. Thank You for the Lithium heads up.
It is interesting to learn how these medications which were discovered by happen stance actually work in the body. Amazing advances are being made in molecular biology to the benefit of all mankind.
It works like a charm!
I haven't been diagnosed with anything, but lithium (orotate) helps my mood swings, anxiety, impulsive behaviors and depression more than ANYTHING.
Also, the most impressive thing is I never feel like I'm on anything, I just feel normal.
Yes, lithium orotate is amazing!
I love lithium orotate. I am bipolar and it's completely changed my life and helped more than anything else. It doesn't feel like I'm on anything and it doesn't make me numb. I have videos on my channel about it as well.
I am trying orotate out for severe anxiety, dissociation, mood swings and ocd (although its not usually recommended for ocd). hope it helps! what dose do you recommend??
I’m on lithium carbonate grant cardone said if lithium goes into the blood stream it slows you down how can I surge in life if lithium slows you down?
I have bipolar 1 and lithium orotate helps as much as lithium carbonate did.
After I was diagnosed bipolar I was prescribed sodium valproate and my life has improved beyond belief.
Amazingly helpful presentation. Thanks much.
" I wish we could create a better society that wasn't inherently soul crushing"
-
"Best I can do is pills that trick your brain into thinking that you don't hate it here"
I get your point but I don't see why it'd be relevant on a video about a mental health issue caused by issues in the brain.
Even living in a perfect utopia wouldn't help manage bipolar disorder.
@@oohdannyboy yes it would. Environmental factors are the single most important factors in symptoms like hypomania and depressive episodes, society's pressures creates an environment I'm which it's impossible to be stable.
A perfect utopian world where there's no pressures wouldn't cure bipolar or any other mental health diseases, but THEN we could treat it without actively triggering it.
I've spent years creating such an environment for me and now, finally, medication seems to have significant effects.
Medication alone in a capitalistic society is barely effective for treating symptoms, nevertheless the underlying issue behind it.
I guarantee walking 3x a week for 30min at a time will have a more significant impact than medication alone.
Add that to a home garden with lavender, lemongrass and other plants to be your children and be cared by you on the daily
And you'd still need a huge change in environmental stresses to have lasting relief from symptoms of mental health.
Our society is the single most likely cause of many symptoms just because of the inherent stressful factors it lays upon citizens.
@@oohdannyboy there's no treatment for drowning if the person is still underwater.
@@Ewr42 let me guess, youre neurotypical? Ill tell you right now, without medication I wouldnt be able to get up to take those walks or do hobbys
Odd... no-one has quoted Ted Kaczynski so far ;)
Thank you so much for sharing this information
Thank you so much
Now I understand the song !
Great episode!!
Thank you for this video!
me, a bipolar 2, possibly at the start of a hypomanic episode on 200mg lamotrigine & 300mg lithium 👁👄👁
If you'll ever meet toxicity problems with lithium, try lithium orotate. Lamictal didn't work for me, then I remembered I saw a video where a guy said he used some supplies to treat BP, so I researched, read Amazon reviews and tried. Completely removed any depression or hypimania
I've been on lithium for almost two years now and just happened to stumble upon this video. I have Bipolar I, and I'll experience depressive, manic, and mixed episodes. My episodes often follow a seasonal pattern, with some variation in-between. Overall, I'd say the lithium is a god-send for my depressive symptoms, but it needed help from my invega for the mania/mixed stuff. I had to start taking thyroid medicine after starting lithium, and I stay thirsty a lot now, but other than that, I can't complain. Lithium literally keeps me alive.
I take lithium & lamictal, which is strangely a seizure medication they found out also helps people with bipolar disorder.
I take those too!
Lamictal changed my life.
I'm not on lithium but lamictal is a godsend 🙏
Slightly disappointed they didn't mention lithium oratate at all, cos it's much more effective than carbonate and can pass the blood brain barrier. It has a much wider range of tolerance/treatment before toxicity too
Yes! High five! :)
But don't worry, I have commented about it to almost every damn person her who said that he had toxicity problems, haha
Lithium, don't wanna lock me up inside
Lithium, don't wanna forget how it feels without
Lithium, I wanna stay in love with my sorrow
Oh, but God I wanna let it go…
Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone
Couldn't hide the emptiness, you let it show
Took me back to my very sad teenage years. 😕
@@kikinatrone i never feel so much related to any songs as much as this one.
Thankfully life is getting so much better since then..
@@arisaardi7576 im glad life is getting better. Your life has purpose and your life is very valuable. 😊
Evanescence reference 🔥
I was diagnosed with bipolar type 2. The first medication they put me on was lithium. It worked for me except I don't eat breakfast. You have to take this medication with food and I couldn't convince myself to eat in the morning while taking it. Therefore it would always make me sick. Now I have found other ways to control my bipolar disorder without having to take medication. But I still know it works for those who don't have the options I have in life. I hope more research will help those who need this medication.
I’ve struggled with bi polar my whole life. I might try this. I’ve been off meds for years due to a cocktail of psych drugs I took as a kid that made my mental health worse. I wish their was a quick fix.
I’m bipolar and have struggled all my adult life with it!
I have self medicated on everything from heroin to pot to every pill you can name!
I recently went back on lithium and dropped everything else.(have been clean from illegal drugs for over 10yrs)
2mths in and I’m starting to feel much better every day fingers crossed it stays that way👍
lithium by nirvana helps me with my disorders
Is that why that nirvana song is called that?
Kind of weird there was no mention of it's NMDA receptor antagonism.
I thought it was generally accepted that was the primary MOA.
I've had this prescribed for dysthymia as well, granted it had no effect despite me being lithium deficient.
I'm currently taking it for dysthymia! Works great for me thankfully, first thing to work in a long time
@@stephlrideout Happy to hear!! For me escitalopram was the only thing to have an effect, currently with the addition of mood stabilizers.
@@lucisangelum truth be told, lithium helps, but rTMS has been the real winner. I'm lucky to have access.
The only thing that helped me with dysthymia was quitting cigarettes, drugs & alcohol. I still feel numbness & as if my life is grey & colorless but things definitely improved.
Lithium caused permanent and very severe damage to my brother's kidneys. Did it treat his mental health conditions? Yup, but with the result being he'll be on dialysis in a few years and need a kidney transplant because he has kidney cysts and severely reduced function.
Thank you for mentioning the horrible "side" effect that your brother has suffered, Limey. As someone who was taken lithium for over ten years, there's a pretty reasonable chance that this will happen to me too if I keep taking lithium. My hope is that doctors (and me myself because I absolutely look at the results too) would notice any kidney problems in my blood tests of BUN and creatinine before it gets to a point of no return, but that's wishful thinking on my part because I don't know how much "lead time" these blood test give. For me personally, I switched over to Abilify for a while precisely because my psychiatrist did not trust lithium. Abilify ended up making me depressed, so I switched back to lithium. For me it's "better the devil you know than the one you don't".
Getting back to psychiatric medications in general, I wish it wasn't this way, but there are very few drugs out there that don't have really dangerous side effects. People with mental illnesses are kind of like Indiana Jones in that one movie where he finds a room with zillions of holy grails but only one is the real one. We just have to hope that we and our doctors are choosing a holy grail that will cure us and not kill us. To make matters worse, the right holy grail for one person is the wrong holy grail for someone else, and for some people, every holy grail is the wrong one. Thank you for spreading awareness that lithium use can have very severe consequences.
@@PolymorphicPenguin Personal idiosyncrasy is a pretty tough thing to work around. I'm allergic to one medication that also made me suicidal, but a friend of mine had seizures from it. My brother ended hospitalized from an alternate medication he tried because he was slurring and falling a lot. A former student at the school where I work ended up with both of his femurs shattering because the medication he was on weakened them so badly. And I'm on several medications right now that combined leave me at a constant high risk of developing serotonin sickness.
Sorry to hear. There is a non toxic version of lithium, which is lithium orotate.
@@ideadriven1953 lithium orotate is amazing. It's not actually non-toxic it's just that the doses required for therapeutic benefit are far lower than the doses of lithium carbonate. Enough lithium orotate would be toxic but it's not needed in such high doses.
@@PolymorphicPenguin very thoughtful comment and well said. Also finding the right medication can take a long time as there are so many of them. it makes you feel hopeless if you tried them all and nothing works. Living with mental illness can be hellish.
I really believe that this can be the modern day lobotomy. Because it backfires on quite a few people. A few people I love who have had bipolar disorder, they were put on this and their brains were completely fried and were never ever the same. Yes, they were struggling prior to medication but not in a psychosis incoherent kind of way. But once put on this med, they were truly off to the stables. I can't believe they consider this one of the best medications to treat bipolar.
Absolutely, I agree. I have Bipolar I disorder and this was the absolute worst drug that I’ve ever put in my body. I was only on it for a few months but I went off of it cold turkey against medical advice because it was destroying my mind and body. My doctor was trying to increase the dosage and he keeps wanting me to go back on it. It made me weak sick, depressed, gave me severe cardiovascular problems and tremors. I sometimes wonder if they are trying to kill everyone with mental health issues. I’ve also observed tremors in otherwise healthy individuals in the hospital that were induced by lithium.
@@user-jq9oo2tx8i can I just say to you, that I'm sorry! I'm so sorry that the powers in charge have completely failed you. Good for you for getting off of it. If you don't mind me asking, how long were you on it? And did you notice a difference when you got off of it? You are so brave!
I was on it for 4 months. September through December of last year. I would hurt and get dehydrated easily. I was weak and vomited often. I was like a zombie during thanksgiving and Christmas. When I went off of it, I was manic for a month straight. I made decisions that were completely out of character for me. I knew inside that I had to do it or I would die though. To this day, I’ve never been the same. My short term memory is toast and my long term memory is not what it used to be either. Fortunately, I am now able to work through my shift without crying for no apparent reason. Today, I was able to laugh more than I have in over a year. I continued to take the Seroquel and Zoloft that I had been taking for over a decade. In my subjective experience, this stuff nearly killed me. I know that it’s different for everyone but I would have to say that based on what I know now, Lithium and Depakote are the most invasive treatments and should only be used as a last resort. Although, they may help some people, the side effects and risks to your health are a hefty price to pay. I’m now reluctant to take anything prescribed or over the counter especially, if it’s recommended by a medical professional. My thinking has never been the same and my typing and handwriting are about the same as they were when I was in the third grade. I used to know the Russian language and how to fix and repair just about anything. Now I pretty much just eat, sleep, and work. I’m just now to the point that I can listen to music again without becoming annoyed and nervous and I finally stopped jumping at every little sound. Thank you for the kind words.
By the way, I also had the first seizure of my life this spring and I’m willing to bet that it was the lingering afterglow effects of the lithium that caused it. Fortunately, I haven’t had another seizure or become dehydrated anymore now.
I’ve been on lithium for over a decade. Lithium doesn’t treat the symptoms of my Bipolar, but it does prevent me from having episodes. I don’t have any side effects from taking them either.
I have bipolar, it took me 10 years to get diagnosed or even have it suggested to me as a possibilty. Sadly, Lithium did not work for me, it ended up giving me this whole rash all over my neck that eventually spread down my chest and it was always so sore and the rash always seemed wet, it was awful. I wish it worked for me as I struggle with bipolar everyday
That rash sounds awful. I hope you can find a medication that works for you.
Can our Biology make sense for just 5 MINUTES!?!?!?!?!?
Nope. Evolution stops at, "Eh, good enough" without fixing major flaws in biology.
Chemistry making sense would be a nice start, but physics is being uncooperative.
@@limalicious sounds like something God said while making me
It does. We just have to stay smart about it. Nature made it all pretty harmonious, but we have created many imbalances. Anyhow, we're here to make mistakes & learn too.
Yey! She's back!!!!!!!
My boyfriend is currently on this medication and he is the most full person I know now! This is the worst thing to give any human being!
Hello . My boyfriend is going to take it . Can i ask about how you're boyfriend is doing and what changes did you see in the relationship? Im concerned
Thank you !!
Yes!
Brit is the best!
My mom's sister was on lithium for 30 years. It's insane how much faster she's aged than my mom or their sister. Their brother died years ago, only a few after their father. Despite the osteoporosis, going off lithium has probably been a losing strategy for my aunt. After six years on OXcarbazepine, I'm feeling something akin to mission exhaustion, but I obviously can't just stop. My dad's brother's son has one of the most extreme instances of autism that one could imagine while both his parents are engineers. I can't see having received my degree in economics like this. The lows might be gone, but this feels like a hole at the bottom of a meadow to die in. I find myself leaning heavily on autistic programming as I negotiate my new chemical social construct.
Awesome, please keep studying!
I wonder how they came up with lithium as a medicine in the first place.
"My son has the habit of licking batteries and now he is behaving much better. I wonder if lithium salts can be used as treatment..."
A bipolar person ate batteries and felt better.
I think they already had lithium rich waters back in the greek culture, and likely way before that. Nothing new under the sun.
Thank you
Yes.. and medication used to treat disorders like this “anti psychotics” can also cause a stroke.. which I didn’t know until I had one and I was explained this can cause it, to being told I was not to take antipsychotic medication again.
Ah makes sense, some days i feel like a fully charged phone left on the charger all night and others that moment when you take it off the charger at 99% and it bugs you for the rest of the day like what if i had that 1%.
Oh oh, make one about Lamotrigine!
I hate being bipolar . . . It's awesome!!!
Great video. Thank you so much.
I have bipolar 2. I take a mood stabiliser called Lamotrigine, but I’m still on a rollercoaster of hypo mania and SEVERE depression (sometimes together, at the same time).
I really want to trial low dose lithium I’m addition to the Lamotrigine to see if it will help.
There are leading physiatrists who advocate this but the medical professionals I have access to scoff at the idea. I think I need to push harder to at least give it a go and see if it helps. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Good luck guys.
My OH has Bipolar 1 and was on Lamotrigine and Olanzapiene for 2 years until his moods started rapid cycling! He had 7 episodes in 2months and finally agreed to Lithium, only a week in so far but we both see a big improvement already. There's a reason it's still the no.1 treatment for bipolar after decades of new drugs coming onto the market, its simply the most reliable! Always worth speaking to your Dr and seeing if this is a good option for you too, wish you all the best
I was on lithium and it gave me a feeling of not being real. Like my body and mind were disconnected. But I would probably try it again, ngl
Yessss my lithium/seroquel cocktail gave me EXACTLY that feeling, although helpful as treatment at the time
i experienced that with ssri's over time. i'm hoping lithium won't affect me in that way
Lithium was horrifying to be on. It was in the "acceptable range" in my blood but made me so incredibly sick, dizzy and lethargic... I was on it for 7 years and nobody believed me until I was able to make my own medical decisions...
Hugely recommend getting a GeneSight test to anyone who has some weird reactions to typical meds. It'll tell you how youe body metabolizes different drugs.
Edit: I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder over 20 years ago as a young child - hence the "allowed to make my own medical decisions" bit
Ruh Roh, bipolar shortens your life expectancy by 5-17 years? How depressing, I had no idea.
I was diagnosed in 2008 and I’ve never had to take lithium. Kind of mind blowing.
How about addressing differences between Western and Eastern psychiatry? We here in the West seem to prescribe, prescribe, prescribe, but our doctors never tell us how to become healthier for ourselves. We aren't taught to either stop unhealthy habits, nor to acquire healthy ones.
Mania doesn't always have to be euphoric.
Just started on this today. Trying to find out more info
Also, Lithium Carbonate is used to treat Cluster Headaches, which are more painful (8-10 on the pain scale) than migraines.
Says someone who was diagnosed with Bipolar at a young age.
You are right. I have chronical cluster headache and I use Lithium Carbonate for 10 years now. It was the only medication that I reacted a little on. Due to Lithium the daily amount of cluster attacks decreased significant. I am grateful to use it.
You know lithium is a godsend when you come off it, even tho your doc says you shouldn't, and you end up back in hospital, way worse than before. Lithium = essential for Type 1s.