Lithium - an anecdotal report of improvement

[James Morris-Lent]

This was in my local paper:
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/low-dose-lithium-conquered-chronic-fatigue/

Q: I read about low-dose lithium a few months ago. The article said that it might help prevent dementia and improve memory.

So, being old, with the usual forgetting where I put things and all that, I started taking 5 mg a day, a very low dose. To my amazement, after just a few days I found myself free of the chronic fatigue that had plagued me for more than a year after I had shingles. I haven’t seen this kind of result mentioned in any of the articles I found. I thought I was going to have to live the rest of my life at 25 percent energy, so it feels like lithium saved my life — or 75 percent of it, anyway.

A: Your story is intriguing. There is a new theory about chronic fatigue syndrome (Clinical & Experimental Immunology, February 2017). Immune cells may become impaired after infection, childbirth or trauma. Calcium channels that normally increase in number drop instead.

While it is not clear how lithium might affect fatigue, basic research shows that it does change how some brain cells handle calcium (Bipolar Disorders, November 2016). Researchers believe this may help explain how lithium works for people with bipolar disorder, but it also might tie in to your experience.

The article you read about dementia might have been a study showing that in Denmark, people are less likely to develop dementia if their drinking water contains more lithium (JAMA Psychiatry, Oct. 1, 2017). We hope that further research will clarify this connection.

Make sure your doctor knows you are taking low-dose lithium. You should ask to have your kidney and thyroid function monitored periodically, since at high doses lithium can harm these organs.

 

[Little Bluestem]

I read somewhere that lithium (as lithium orotate) helps get B12 into the cells. This would probably increase energy.

 

[adambeyoncelowe]

It's also possible he was misdiagnosed and actually had bipolar disorder. My best friend has it, and sometimes our symptoms appear very similar. When he has his depressive phases, he can't do anything and feels incredible fatigue. Then when it passes, he rushes to get everything done like a person with ME might if they hadn't learned about pacing.

Obviously, we can't assume, but there's a problem with assuming that because it worked for one person it'll work for others.

There's lots about lithium on Phoenix Rising. I'm sure it may help some people, but it's also risky if not monitored.

 

[Inara]

I somehow, somewhere got the impression lithium is not absolutely harmless...Does anybody know more?

 

[Webdog]

In the 1990s, it was fashionable to use lithium as an "add on" drug combined with an antidepressant(s) for treatment resistant depression. The theory was that lithium could enhance the antidepressant effect for those that didn't respond to just antidepressants. I don't know if this is still done today.

 

[Squeezy]

Yup. Definitely still done @Webdog. I take it it for mine as an add-on to my anti-depressant. I developed ME a year after starting it, and I'm still not convinced it's not actually to do with my medications, so I caution everyone about messing with these chemicals, even with medical supervision.

I had no other option. And ME is better than my alternative.

 

[Little Bluestem]

The over-the-counter form of lithium is lithium orotate. The prescription form is (obviously) something different - lithium chloride maybe. It is the prescription form that is the more dangerous. It can damage the kidneys for one thing. I assume enough lithium orotate could be dangerous too, but it is fairly safe in reasonable doses.

 

[Invisible Woman]

A word of warning - I know someone with balance issues who was prescribed this to help them come off the booze and they ended up with a life threatening head injury thanks to a couple of falls.

Here is a rather patronizing leaflet (pdf) brought to you by the Royal College of Psychs

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/Lithium ld final.pdf

Edit - note clicking on the link will actually download the pdf

 

[Keebird]

I somehow, somewhere got the impression lithium is not absolutely harmless...Does anybody know more?

The prescribed form has quite a long list of potential side effects, some very serious such as cardiac and renal issues. Personally, it caused me to gain a lot of unneeded weight and become hypothyroid so I had to stop it. At that point it didn’t seem to be having any positive effects physically or mentally anyway. For the record, I was prescribed it for depression, in addition to an SSRI, before we figured out the myriad symptoms were probably from ME/CFS. I personally do not think it’s something that people should self start or manage.