Posted by unhappycarrot on September 10, 2010, at 5:29:36
In reply to Re: can lithium CAUSE hallucinations? » unhappycarrot, posted by SLS on September 7, 2010, at 4:58:46
The only other drug I was taking at the time of all the hallucinations was .5mg of Ativan. I took it to calm down and help with sleep. I have been taking the ativan for a few years to control my anxiety and have taken it as needed while starting the Lithium in April. So I don't think the ativan had anything to do with the visions, as I have never had visions either on or off drugs before.
Since that night I have not had any hallucinations. I haven't taken the lithium since that night either. I have been doing a little research online to find out what other drugs I could take to control the mania, but there's not a lot out there that I feel comfortable taking. I am reluctant to go back on Depakote because I gain lots of weight on it.
I feel better that I am not taking lithium, and I'm not manic or depressed right now. My lithium lvls were always low, meaning not at a theraputic level, so now I am questioning if I even need to take bipolar meds.
Is it possible that the meds could be doing more harm than good? Like excessive weight gain, hallucinations and a ton of other side effects... I have been diagnosed with BP1 and anxiety in 2001. Since then I have been heavily medicated and nobody but myself has ever questioned it. The main reason I question it is because I was misdiagnosed with acute psychotic disorder in the very beginning. Is it possible that I was misdiagnosed twice?
I do not have a great support system, and the doctors I have seen are douche bags. They don't really seem to care about anything but getting paid. So I found this site....
poster:unhappycarrot
thread:671526
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100908/msgs/961890.html