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JOURNEY THROUGH LITHIUM
By Nikki and Anne Heart ♥ April 11, 2025
(Originally published: March 21 2024)
*Although we wrote this post together, we have chosen to present the following through Nikki’s eyes.
Nikki's Story: Journey through Lithium
The story begins in the spring of 2010, four months into my prescription drug regimen. My healthcare provider prescribed Lithium as the second medication in my treatment plan.
The initial drug, Lamictal, proved ineffective in alleviating my symptoms of depression. During those four months on Lamictal alone, my condition worsened, accompanied by heightened negative thoughts and mood swings.
Instead of recognizing the worsening symptoms as side effects of Lamictal, my healthcare provider recommended adding Lithium to the treatment plan. Her justification was that, at my age, mood disorders tend to intensify. Trusting her expertise, I followed her advice and began taking Lithium while continuing Lamictal.
Over time, Lithium became a cornerstone of my treatment, consistently referred to by my healthcare providers as my base medication.
Deep inside I questioned remaining on Lithium, since I truly never felt Lithium was helping me.
In fact, the whole time I was on Lithium, my mental and physical wellness continued to deteriorate. However, I was convinced otherwise and remained on Lithium throughout my entire drug prescription treatment years.
Within the seven-year drug treatment period, my Lithium dosage changed from 300mg to 900 mg daily and varied from Controlled Release to Extended-Release tablets. I was informed my therapeutic dosage was 900 mg daily, but I never was able to tolerate 900 mg.
Unfortunately, blood tests checking my Lithium levels were rarely prescribed and information pertaining to how my levels should be monitored was never discussed by my prescriber.
During times when I was on Lithium, I felt as though I would lose my mind. Each and every time I went up to 900 mg, it caused complete mental insanity. But the go to treatment plan by each and every healthcare prescriber was to increase my dosage to get to the so-called therapeutic dose.
After seven years, I had enough, and I choose to take charge.
On May 6, 2017, I took my last prescription drug pill — Lithium.
Withdrawal from Lithium
Being on Lithium the longest, I decided to make it my last prescription drug to withdraw from.
At first, I thought the withdrawal seemed to be easier compared to the other drugs.
Following the withdrawal protocol as I did with the other drugs, I slowly decreased my dose. On the day after taking my last pill and the first day I consider myself drug free, I felt great.
However, with each passing day, the pain became worse. Eventually, the pain became so severe, limiting my physical activity, and confining me to my bed.
The physical pain jumped from one area of my body to the next.
Causing at times, severe pain in my back while other times the withdrawal caused excruciating pain just to take a breathe.
Withdrawal from Lithium lasted for months causing extreme pain both physically and mentally. During this time, my mom slept on an air mattress at the foot of the bed to keep me safe. Safe from the pain and the hallucinations I experienced. Along with the fear that I wouldn’t survive.
In total, withdrawing from the three prescription drugs I had been on during the final phase of my treatment program stretched over a year, with lingering side effects that persist to this day.
Lithium Experience for Me
Overall, my experience with prescription drugs was nothing short of horrific.
Being prescribed multiple medications simultaneously made it nearly impossible to differentiate their individual effects. Many of the side effects seemed to overlap, further blurring the lines between them.
What I do know is that from the moment I started taking Lithium—and throughout the seven years I was on it—I never felt well. In fact, at times, I’m certain it intensified my negative symptoms.
With that said, there was a brief time I was solely on Lithium at the end of my drug treatment program. Even at that time, my head continued to buzz until the day after I took my last Lithium pill. Only then did the buzzing finally stop.
Important to Know about Lithium
- Lithium levels must be carefully monitored by blood testing.
- Lithium toxity is associated with serum lithium concerntrations and can manifest even when administered at doses close to therapeutic levels.
- Carefully refer to the medication leaflet.
- Check online sites for additional information, such as medlineplus.gov. MedlinePlus is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world’s largest medical library, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- When in doubt, call the pharmaceutical company directly.
Knowledge is key to wellness!
The goal is to live a happy and healthier lifestyle!
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– Albert Einstein –
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Note: All information in “Nikki’s Story and Mom’s Story” are based on detail journals covering seven years of Nikki’s life on prescription drugs.
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