Posted by doxogenic boy on September 7, 2009, at 14:37:21
In reply to Re: My medication history 1994 to 2009, posted by SLS on September 4, 2009, at 16:40:03
> > How does it feel, if low-dose lithium works, as augmenter of antidepressants? Does it work against anxiety, anhedonia, worrying and does it make you feel calm and/or more motivated?
>
> If it works, you should find that most of your symptoms improve, including anhedonia and motivation. It should also reduce your worrying and anxiety, as long as those things are part of your depression, and not a separate set of disorders. One caveat: You might not see improvements in anhedonia and interest right away. Energy and the ability to initiate activities seem to improve first.
----------------Hi.
Today, I have talked to my psychiatrist and discussed the alternatives you mentioned for me. I have now started low-dose lithium. Pramipexole (Sifrol, Mirapex) is discontinued, but the rest of the cocktail is the same.
What is the soonest I can expect any differences in energy and initiative, and what is the longest it can take for anhedonia and motivation to improve?
So, a technical problem concerning different ways to state the dose, which make it difficult to compare the doses:I suppose you use lithium carbonate (Eskalith 300 or 450 mg or Lithobid 300 mg).
In my country, the doses of the lithium tablets, are stated as "Li+" and "mmol". I use one lithium sulphate (Lithionit) 42 mg Li+ (6 mmol) tablet. (There also exist 83 mg Li+ (12 mmol) tablets, which are the biggest).
In a prescribing information about Litarex (lithium citrate) from 1995/96 (no longer marketed in my country), it says that 564 mg
lithium citrate is equal to 42 mg Li+.
I therefore guess, that Lithionit (lithium sulphate 42 mg Li+ is equal to 564 lithium sulphate, (just as the lithium citrate mentioned above) but I don't know if this is the case.If I am right, my lithium dose is a bit higher than yours (564 vs 450 mg ?) The smallest (42 Li+) tablets shall not be divided, so I can unfortunately not try any lower dose than that.
Do you know how this is, with lithium carbonate, citrate and sulphate? On the pharmacy, they said that "Li+" is pure lithium.
A comparison of side effects from lithium carbonate and lithium sulphate
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120061426/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0Li+
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090904220709AAP61Sudoxogenic
poster:doxogenic boy
thread:914853
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090902/msgs/916008.html