Lithium Questions

[Frankdee20]

Exactly how extensive must ones Lithium intake be to severely offset thyroid ? Let’s assume thyroid gland works average, and can’t one take it sparingly ? If so, are the anti thyroid effects reversible ? I’ve only taken it two days, and haven’t exceeded 10 mg a day. Also, can’t this be used simply until proposed suspected deficiencies are corrected ?

 

[Captain_Coconut]

From what I have gathered reading various papers, (sorry I wasn't keeping notes on my sources) low dose lithium only drives hypothyroidism for a small minority of people, and also if you supplement with small doses of iodine it should be enough to prevent this. I have been taking 5mg nightly now for a few weeks and have noticed my body temperatures are as stable as before. I tried 10mg one day and the next morning felt a bit hazy and also saw a small effect in lowered body temperature that stabilized after some coffee. My understanding is lithium does not get stored in the body, it has a half life around 24 hours, so it is basically something you want to take daily or every other day if your diet / water supply is low in lithium, I'm convinced it is an essential trace metal. Decent amounts of lithium can be obtained from rock salts.

 

[Frankdee20]

From what I have gathered reading various papers, (sorry I wasn't keeping notes on my sources) low dose lithium only drives hypothyroidism for a small minority of people, and also if you supplement with small doses of iodine it should be enough to prevent this. I have been taking 5mg nightly now for a few weeks and have noticed my body temperatures are as stable as before. I tried 10mg one day and the next morning felt a bit hazy and also saw a small effect in lowered body temperature that stabilized after some coffee. My understanding is lithium does not get stored in the body, it has a half life around 24 hours, so it is basically something you want to take daily or every other day if your diet / water supply is low in lithium, I'm convinced it is an essential trace metal. Decent amounts of lithium can be obtained from rock salts.

I agree, thanks. It helps me stay somewhat alive

 

[ddjd]

Exactly how extensive must ones Lithium intake be to severely offset thyroid ? Let’s assume thyroid gland works average, and can’t one take it sparingly ? If so, are the anti thyroid effects reversible ? I’ve only taken it two days, and haven’t exceeded 10 mg a day. Also, can’t this be used simply until proposed suspected deficiencies are corrected ?

From what I have gathered reading various papers, (sorry I wasn't keeping notes on my sources) low dose lithium only drives hypothyroidism for a small minority of people, and also if you supplement with small doses of iodine it should be enough to prevent this. I have been taking 5mg nightly now for a few weeks and have noticed my body temperatures are as stable as before. I tried 10mg one day and the next morning felt a bit hazy and also saw a small effect in lowered body temperature that stabilized after some coffee. My understanding is lithium does not get stored in the body, it has a half life around 24 hours, so it is basically something you want to take daily or every other day if your diet / water supply is low in lithium, I'm convinced it is an essential trace metal. Decent amounts of lithium can be obtained from rock salts.

Is it true lithium is needed for good gut health? and also that it can deplete inositol?

i took lithium orotate 5mg once and had quite a bad panic attack.

 

[Frankdee20]

Th

Is it true lithium is needed for good gut health? and also that it can deplete inositol?

i took lithium orotate 5mg once and had quite a bad panic attack.

Inositol depletion is one purported mechanism.

 

[Frankdee20]

It has been helping me get out of funk induced by situational circumstances. I know there’s nothing better to lower suicide rate in Psychiatric applications. It has definitely on occasion stopped ruminating bad thoughts.

 

[Captain_Coconut]

It has been helping me get out of funk induced by situational circumstances. I know there’s nothing better to lower suicide rate in Psychiatric applications. It has definitely on occasion stopped ruminating bad thoughts.

Indeed. Combine it with a nice walk outside on a sunny day and things start to look up! I have been going through some PTSD, I will wake up occasionally with a feeling of rage or intense worry or dissapointment, and I will listen to this endless loop of discontentment - it's like my subconscious script was creating a physical stress response and waking me up; before the lithium this could keep me up for hours - I would try and talk myself in to all the reasons why things are okay and try to focus on something else, but it was very hard to break away from the script... now with lithium the unpleasant thoughts are still surfacing at times, but my ability to actually disregard them and switch focus is significantly improved. It's the most liberating effect I have experienced from a small dose of anything. My worry level has decreased by 70% in just a few weeks, I'd say my internal focus has actually switched over to align with the reality that things really aren't all that bad. Before I kept logically weighing the good and bad and concluded 'things really aren't that bad' but it wasn't enough to actually get me to focus more frequently on the good.

For many years I used to meditate several times a week for 30 or so minutes. It was the healthiest period of my life. Then slowly I lost the discipline, and my mind turned back in to a ruminating mess. I would try to meditate again and simply couldn't. Low dose lithium has restored my meditation ability, it's like a miracle to me.

Last edit. Another incredible thing I noticed from the 5mg lithium is that I can actually fall asleep on my back, something I lost the ability to do, it calms the nerves without a doubt.

 

[Frankdee20]

Indeed. Combine it with a nice walk outside on a sunny day and things start to look up! I have been going through some PTSD, I will wake up occasionally with a feeling of rage or intense worry or dissapointment, and I will listen to this endless loop of discontentment - it's like my subconscious script was creating a physical stress response and waking me up; before the lithium this could keep me up for hours - I would try and talk myself in to all the reasons why things are okay and try to focus on something else, but it was very hard to break away from the script... now with lithium the unpleasant thoughts are still surfacing at times, but my ability to actually disregard them and switch focus is significantly improved. It's the most liberating effect I have experienced from a small dose of anything. My worry level has decreased by 70% in just a few weeks, I'd say my internal focus has actually switched over to align with the reality that things really aren't all that bad. Before I kept logically weighing the good and bad and concluded 'things really aren't that bad' but it wasn't enough to actually get me to focus more frequently on the good.

For many years I used to meditate several times a week for 30 or so minutes. It was the healthiest period of my life. Then slowly I lost the discipline, and my mind turned back in to a ruminating mess. I would try to meditate again and simply couldn't. Low dose lithium has restored my meditation ability, it's like a miracle to me.

Last edit. Another incredible thing I noticed from the 5mg lithium is that I can actually fall asleep on my back, something I lost the ability to do, it calms the nerves without a doubt.

Everything you said is exactly true, it’s as if Lithium helps me to disregard the negative thoughts, something I couldn’t do with an army of support.

 

[Frankdee20]

I’m also increasing the Pregnenalone to 40 mg, and it helps incredibly. I may go higher as the anti depression effects generally are in the 30-50 mg range.

 

[Frankdee20]

If I can get the depression addressed it will be easier to stop drinking. Averaging about 10 units a night now. Interestingly, Lithium has alleviated some of the minor withdrawal aspects of alcohol. Seems to regulate Glutaminergic firing, and effects the NMDA receptor as well.

 

[Mossy]

Th


Inositol depletion is one purported mechanism.

This is interesting, that lithium would lower anxiety for some and also deplete inositol. I don't say this with any knowledge beyond my personal experience with supplementing inositol a few years ago and that it helped reduce anxiety. I also have lithium orotate that I was going to use a a possible topical hairloss treatment, but before having started that, I've read that it could be used for anxiety, which you and others are relaying works.

It's so bizarre how everyone is effected so differently. If I happen to try lithium, I'll have to report back, but since @Joeyd mentioned he got anxiety from it, I'll be going to other supplements first.

 

[Captain_Coconut]

@Mossy
I was taking large doses of inositol last year to try and reduce anxiety but never noticed any effects from it at all, so after 4 or 5 months I stopped. I'm not sure of the mechanism that lithium works or how that ties in with inositol; personally lithium has helped me greatly and inositol was a waste of my time and money.

 

[Mossy]

@Mossy
I was taking large doses of inositol last year to try and reduce anxiety but never noticed any effects from it at all, so after 4 or 5 months I stopped. I'm not sure of the mechanism that lithium works or how that ties in with inositol; personally lithium has helped me greatly and inositol was a waste of my time and money.

Interesting--thanks for sharing. I do like the idea of being able to take small doses and that it doesn't stay in body, as you say.

BTW, funny how supplements work different for each of us--the last time I took inositol, it helped; but, I remember reading on this forum something about it that made it non-Peat.

 

[Captain_Coconut]

I'm not sure, but I read on wikipedia that the body produces inositol from glucose... so perhaps there are better nutritional mechanisms for getting it restored compared to supplementing with it...

 

[Frankdee20]

Inositol is used for anxiety reduction, yes. One study also found it helpful for OCD. It actually gave me anxiety though, roughly 2 grams a day. It is linked to Serotonin receptors

 

[Mossy]

It is linked to Serotonin receptors

Is that to say it promotes serotonin?

 

[Frankdee20]

Is that to say it promotes serotonin?

From what I understand, it reverses desensitized 5ht2a receptors.

 

[Frankdee20]

Yeah, Lithium is another supplement I won’t be continuing. Perhaps I’ve corrected any deficiencies. I have taken it twice this week, 5 mg at a time. I get pretty blah, lethargic, and drugged. I think it blocks DA transmission

 

[Frankdee20]

I’ve definitely lowered my alcohol consumption though lol

 

[Captain_Coconut]

Yeah, Lithium is another supplement I won’t be continuing. Perhaps I’ve corrected any deficiencies. I have taken it twice this week, 5 mg at a time. I get pretty blah, lethargic, and drugged. I think it blocks DA transmission

I’m still a fan, but I also had a similar experience of lethargy on daily dosing and now have backed off to just 2 or 3 days a week of 5mg lithium aspartate. It works amazingly when I’m having trouble sleeping because of a racing mind. So I pretty much take it as needed now, although I do feel small amounts should be considered as essential nutrition.

As the half life is around 24 hours. If you are taking it daily for a long stretch I could definitely see it building up over a few weeks to where your sweet-spot dose becomes over-saturated. I think I hit that point so I took a week off, and resumed with a less frequent dose schedule that feels better so far.