Psychiatrist: Maybe, Just Maybe, Everyone Should Take Lithium

[think]

Psychiatrist: Maybe, Just Maybe, Everyone Should Take Lithium

By: Kevin Loria / Dec 2 2014

~Snip~

Carrie Mathison, Claire Danes's character on "Homeland," doesn't like taking the lithium she's prescribed because she thinks it dulls her perceptive abilities. The Nirvana song "Lithium" compares the medication to religion-as-coping-mechanism, something troubled people rely on to get by. In the movie "Silver Linings Playbook," Bradley Cooper's character says he stopped taking his lithium (and other meds) because they make him feel foggy.

These representations aren't fully accurate — lithium can be a lifesaver — but some patients do complain that the medication dulls mental clarity, and the NIH has a long list of lithium's potential side effects, some rather serious.

Still, all of this ignores one fascinating fact: many people unintentionally ingest a very low dose of lithium every day, and some research suggests those people may be better off because of that.

According to that research, people who regularly naturally consume trace amounts of lithium are less likely to commit suicide and less likely to suffer from dementia....

~Snip~

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/is-lithium-good-for-you-2014-12#ixzz3Klgcvh2T

[olddots]

1. we may always question "what is the mind ?"

[pscot]

2. Support your local dope dealer

[unrepentant progress]

3. Lithia springs used to be a big thing.

Of course, so were the sulphur springs in the next town over. Pee-ew!

But this village of 650 people stakes a claim that is the envy of its neighbors. For well over a century, local lore has held that the water in Cherry Valley somehow lightens life's burdens, lifts the spirits and even, it is said, adds a little snap to the physical passions.

''We are an unusually happy town, so you really can't help but believe there's something to it,'' said Nancy Erway, who owns a coffee shop in the heart of the village.

A walk around this sometime artists' colony, chatting with strangers who do seem to smile a lot, does nothing to dispute her claim. A history of the area, published in 1965, was called ''The Happy Valley.''

''I call our water liquid Viagra,'' Chris Campbell, a real estate agent, said with a laugh. ''I think Bob Dole should come over here and have a sip himself.''

The strangest thing about such boasts is that they may contain a glimmer of truth. The local springs contain lithium, an element that is the standard treatment for manic-depressive illness, also known as bipolar disorder, and is used in combination with other drugs to treat depression. The legend of Cherry Valley's water long predates the scientific discovery, in the 1940's, of lithium's psychiatric uses, and the advent of its widespread use in the late 1960's.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/02/nyregion/spring-s-prospects-have-town-smiling-cherry-valley-water-source-has-story.html

[NaturalHigh]

4. There are worse ideas.

Unfortunately there is also such a thing as lithium toxicity. As far as I know, it usually only affects people who tend to take their medication erratically. That's what happened to a friend of mine, anyway.

[GeorgeGist]

5. Takes the 'ouch' out of grouch ...

[Bill USA]

6. if you are taking other meds, CAUTION is the word. Lithium can interact with a variety of

pharmaceuticals, for example thiazide diuretics (used for high blood pressure) in a way that can increase the chances of lithium toxicity.

Some have found it helps with PTSD... less angry outbursts and better 'impulse control' (reduces bouts of 'going ballistic').

OF course, nobody should be trying Lithium without working with your doctor. Even then, using a much lower dose than even your doctor might recommend is not a bad idea for starters. For some people, it can take a couple of weeks at a given dose to see the effects. So don't go increasing your dose too quickly.

check out Drugs.com for interactions. .. or just Google "Lithium interactions".