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Q: Med w/o Weight Gain for Me?
Dr. Jim,
I was diagnosed as manic 7 yrs. ago and currently have been taking Lithium
Carbonate in 300 mg. capsules & am supposed to take 900 mg. daily. I have
been taking only 300 mg. daily for at least 3 yrs. and this seems to work for
me....if I take the prescribed 900 mg. I get tremors & can't even write my name.
My question is this - Since I started Lithim & also quit smoking (6 yrs. ago) my
5' 4" frame has gone from 120lbs. to 160lbs. Isn't there another drug that
doesn't have the "weight gain" side effect. I'm 51 yrs. old & also beginning to
go through menopause.
Thank you,
Jeanne
Dear Jeanne --
If your weight is still going up even at 300
mg only, which would be unusual but not impossible, you should ask your doc'
about switching (by first adding an alternative that doesn't cause weight
gain). Check out
Trileptal
and
lamotrigine;
but understand that these have less "mileage" on them in terms of the
kind of protection you're apparently getting from extremely low doses of lithium
(so careful not to throw away a good thing for an unknown thing -- unless it's
pretty clear that lithium itself is the basis of continued weight gain (and that
would be a little tricky to figure out, wouldn't it?)).
Also ask your doc' what your thyroid status is,
particularly after all this time on lithium, which can lower thyroid
levels. There's some new
information
on thyroid to follow, as well.
Dr. Phelps
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