Lithium and clomipramine

[stringbean]

Hi all,
after being on clomipramine for 9 months and then having various things added to help my mood and being taken off them due to reactions my PDoc is now trying me on a low dose (200mg) of lithium. He assures me that i ONLY have ocd and depression(easy for him to say) and seems a little cross with me for not getting better.

Anyway i am on day four of the lithium and i must say i feel worse than when i started it, its supposed to help even out my mood and help my depression but can any one advise - is it normal on this drug to feel worse before you feel better as i have had this from antidepressants but was told it would not happen with this??

 

[Daniel E.]

I don't know about lithium, but are you seeing a therapist?

 

[stringbean]

yes a cbt therapist. I was told that this would help with the depression and also augment my anti depressant but didnt want to feel worse.

 

[Daniel E.]

What helps you boost your mood? I mean, even of the medication is affecting your mood to some degree, can you still go for a walk, etc?

 

[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Maybe you can have a physician or your therapist do a blood test...?

On the other hand a lot of medications can make you feel crummier before you start feeling better. I don't know if Lithium is one of those, but didn't the pharmacist or doctor or therapist go over it with you? If not call one of those folks up and ask...

 

[stringbean]

Thank you for your replies. I spoke to my PDr and he wasnt much help just said i shouldnt feel worse on it but my anxiety is through the roof and I am finding it hard to function.
I am still working but not sure how long i can keep it up! I am due a blood test tomorrow, but need to find a way to feel better and get through the day.

 

[Always Changing]

You might have to take this medicine for several weeks before you begin to feel better. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions.

from the article below.

Lithium (Oral Route): Proper use - MayoClinic.com

 

[stringbean]

Thank you so much for replying, i actually had a couple of better days, then a couple of crap days but hoping the drug is getting into my system and working a bit.

 

[stringbean]

I think i have had the worse time ever today. Not been able to concentrate and felt on the verge of a panic attack all day long. I have now been on lithium 200mg for ten days and had two positive days after four days but since been feeling hopeless.
Anyone offer me any words of encouragement and anyone on lithium that recognise this pattern, I would be eternally grateful

 

[Retired]

Here are some reliable resource links you may like to explore to help understand lithium:

Lithium (Oral Route) - MayoClinic.com

Lithium: MedlinePlus Drug Information

 

[Daniel E.]

I think i have had the worse time ever today. Not been able to concentrate and felt on the verge of a panic attack all day long. I have now been on lithium 200mg for ten days and had two positive days after four days but since been feeling hopeless.
Anyone offer me any words of encouragement and anyone on lithium that recognise this pattern, I would be eternally grateful

Just for your own reference:

I have now been on 5mg of olanzapine for two weeks and feeling a lot better but then for the past two days i have felt at times, jittery and unable to focus and the old feeling of panic that i am going to go mad and lose control.
the question is this standard with this medicine or has it stopped working, I am worried that although i felt so much better to start now back to the way i felt before i started taking it. Not sure i can fight anymore

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/prescrip...-drugs/26932-why-olanzapine-2.html#post190973

I am still alot better than before but i seem to be slightly worried all the time and then i will get a wave(bit like panic/ adrenalin) where i think I cannot cope then it subsides and this goes on and off for the day.
I am happy to up the dose and persevere, I cannot believe its only been five weeks and seven in total as i have felt better than i have ever felt before but worried to rely on something that is not going to continue working????

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/prescrip...c-drugs/26104-anafranil-query.html#post185414

at times to day felt 'I am going to be ok and will get through this' then randomly a feeling of anxiety comes over me and the 'i am losing control and i am never going to get better' It doesnt feel as intense as a panic attack and not sure if its the ocd as that is normally thought that triggers the panic but this seems visa versa.

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/general-support-and-advice/23697-does-anyone-feel-like-this.html

So it seems that the pattern of anxiety and problems concentrating has more to do with your pre-existing symptoms, such as from OCD/anxiety, than with lithium.

---------- Post added at 01:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 AM ----------

Are Mondays more stressful for you? I am sure they are more stressful than Sunday, assuming you have that day off. I mention it since you started this thread on a Monday.

As you probably know, since OCD is an anxiety disorder, additional stress tends to elicit a greater degree of symptoms.

 

[stringbean]

Thank you so much for replying and pointing out that i feel like this regardless of the drug. I have since been back to the Dr and my level is .2 so they have upped the dose to 400mg. Does anyone know if this is still a low dose in comparrison to the dosage for bipolar as i have been told this is to augment my antidepressant.

Many Thanks

 

[David Baxter PhD]

The specific dosage of lithium varies from one individual to another. What matters are your blood levels, rather than how much of the medication you're taking (similar to Synthroid for thyroid disorders).

 

[stringbean]

Thank you Dr Baxter. I am trying to keep going, I have been on 400mg now for 8 days and to be honest i feel terrible, the ocd is bad and the depression (i think thats what it is, havent felt like this since post natal) Could you advise when i will feel better. I have left a message for my pdoc but he seems to be losing patience with me as he feels i am on the correct meds for my condition but I cannot help feeling that they are not working.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Lithium is not like other medications, stringbean. It can take up to 6 months before you start to feel better, depending on how quickly your blood levels get into the "therapeutic range". After that, if it is working for you, the benefits can continue to increase for up to a year.

But lithium is not going to do anything for OCD, really. You may need to add in an anti-obsessional, though your doctor probably wants to see how you adapt and respond to the lithium first.

 

[stringbean]

god I cannot wait that long. I have been given it to augment the clompramine which I have been assured is the best for obsessional thinking, therefore in theory this should help the ocd also to help with my depression and low mood that has resulted from this awful disorder! Does that sound feasable

 

[Daniel E.]

BTW:

'awfulizing' means tending to describe something as 'awful', 'horrible', or 'the end of the world'. This only makes it seem more frightening.

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/obsessiv...5-key-cognitive-errors-in-ocd.html#post175547

 

[stringbean]

not sure what that means

 

[Daniel E.]

Awfuling is one of a number of things that people with OCD do that keeps their anxiety going, including trying to cope with anxiety in OCD ways like ruminating, seeking reassurance, or other avoidance behaviors/rituals.

As has been mentioned before, the book Brain Lock is very good:

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/obsessiv...our-steps-dr-jeffrey-schwartz-brain-lock.html

 

[stringbean]

thanks Daniel for this. I must say that generally I am a glass half full not half empty sort of girl. But as i have pure o i do ruminate a lot and I am trying very hard just to let the obsession sit and not engage in it. I have read brain lock sometime in the last 20 years (thats how long i have had it) and have tried CBT before and now on a further course but i think its the depression that is causing me such awful symptoms, at least i can recognise the ocd but feeling so low is not me.