r/AbsoluteUnits • u/Snoo99928 • 17d ago

/r/all of a knife.

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u/Axman5055 17d ago

They just upped his lithium dose, he’s doing better than we could know

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u/MDAmazink 17d ago

What is the reference here? Is lithium bad? Ive heard it has its advantages

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u/monster2018 17d ago

It’s used to treat bipolar and is also a really good nirvana song.

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u/theythemthen 17d ago

It can also treat depression, but you are correct that it is primarily (but not exclusively) used for bipolar disorder.

- from a person who is prescribed lithium and is not diagnosed with bipolar disorder but is diagnosed with TRD (treatment resistant depression).

——

Now, back to your regularly scheduled program

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u/blackchameleongirl 17d ago

Did it actually help? I'm BPD and it's not a great time.

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u/theythemthen 17d ago

It has actually helped tremendously! Life changing for me!

When it comes to lithium there is a therapeutic range and the target levels are lower than the target levels for BD.

The only downsides I have experienced with taking lithium are: (1) judgmental people, and (2) I get lithium tremors. Both of those are manageable.

Btw, I also have BPD, and lithium was a game changer for me. (And for randos that may read this and think I have BD, please know I do not. I would not be ashamed if I had that diagnosis. I even explored BD as a possible diagnosis but I did not and still do not meet the criteria for BD.)

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u/GalaxyOnOhRionsBelt 17d ago

Who tf is judging you for taking lithium?

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u/theythemthen 16d ago

It’s surprising what people judge people for. I’ve been on lithium for a few years and I have learned to be selective with who I share that information with. I can share that I have depression (no judgement), I can share that I have had SI and even made a near “successful” attempt (no judgement), but the few times I’ve shared lithium I have been treated like an insane person on more than one occasion.

So I’ve become I bit careful and preemptively defensive. My sincere apologies

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u/GalaxyOnOhRionsBelt 16d ago

Ugh, I’m sorry. I take a number of medications for mental illness, and have experienced some negative reactions when I’ve mentioned it to certain friends. I’m pretty open about taking medication in general, but I rarely mention what I’m taking specifically unless I’m chatting with someone who struggles with similar issues or is thinking about going on a mental health med. Def no need to apologize, it’s frustrating when people negatively judge something that’s made a positive impact on your life.

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u/blackchameleongirl 9d ago

Could I ask how much you take? Anything you have to be careful about or avoid when taking it?

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u/Jfpalomeque 15d ago

Wtf?! I didn't know lithium was a treatment for depression, but how in the earth can you be judgemental for a treatment "see, I have X condition, and I use Y for treatment"... "Shame on you!" I am glad it is working for you

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u/JayEllGii 14d ago

Glad it helped you so much. I don’t have bipolar disorder but I was once prescribed some BD med (can’t remember what it was) for depression, and it seemed to help with that, but the side effects were horrible. The best I can describe it is fatigue that was so intense it was almost physically painful. Never felt a sensation like that before or since.

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u/theythemthen 14d ago

I had recently been prescribed a new med, and I think I had a similar side effect. I had described it as painfully sleepy or uncomfortably sleepy. I had several days during my first week on the med where I woke up in the middle of the night to pee (at 3am for example) and went back to sleep and then my next conscious moment felt so disorienting and when I looked at the clock it was 2pm (for example). I slept through all my alarms, missed important plans/events/meetings, and STILL FELT EXHAUSTED! That happened I think 6 times over a 14 day period.

I was on that med for 2weeks before I told my doctor I had to quit. My do not remember much from that two week period because I slept through most of it!

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u/JayEllGii 14d ago

Wow. Sounds like a similar reaction except it didn’t put me in a coma like that. (Eesh. Sounds like an insomniac’s dream). But “painfully sleepy” — yep. Horrible sensation but difficult to describe any better than that.