Lithium and Nausea: What Users Say

• Lif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 11, 2020

For Depression "First of all, I don’t know my exact diagnosis. I’ve seen many psychiatrists over the past 8 years. I do know that I did have recurrent suicidal thoughts (daily). I attempted suicide for the first time when I was 16. I have been on many medications from antipsychotics to benzos and of course tons of antidepressants. At the age of 26 I finally got prescribed Wellbutrin with what I consider the miracle drug LITHIUM. I’ve just been so productive, generally happy all within a single week! Slight nausea the first few days but that went away. My family is amazed at my progress with lithium."

• Eur...
• July 16, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Lithium - well, I didn't think I could be helped, but lithium has done that. I have slight dry lips and feel a little sick if I take it on an empty stomach without having eaten all day. I thought I'd be dead one day, but now I feel relaxed and happy, like I can live in the moment. Since being on lithium, I have stopped drinking alcohol (used to drink a bottle of wine a day), stopped smoking cigarettes, and stopped taking 2 antidepressants: sertraline and mirtazapine. I have lost 6 kg and walk 10 km a day. You may need to change some of your friends, like I did, when you realize they're all alcoholics and coke addicts. I feel calm and relaxed, and lithium will change my life."

• Aim...
• December 16, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on lithium for about a month now. I was put on it by the doctor in the hospital after a major manic episode. This is the first time in my life that I have no thoughts of harming myself. My mood is stable, life is easier, and I am not suffering. I had some side effects of nausea and vomiting, but with a reduction in my level and always taking it with food, these side effects have subsided. I am still getting used to being stable after over three decades of illness, but this is getting better every day. I recommend giving lithium a try if nothing else has worked."

• Cea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2013

For Bipolar Disorder "I have found lithium works awesome for my depression/bipolar, however, the side effects are causing a problem. After a couple of weeks, the nausea has not gone away. I am losing my instant memory and found myself confused when doing or talking about a topic, I can't remember what I just said or heard."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 2, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I was first prescribed lithium years ago and stopped taking it within the first few months because of stomach pains, nausea, and thirst. I chose to go unmedicated for years (not the best choice for me or my family). Years later, I decided to give lithium another try after finding that I couldn’t take Lamictal due to side effects, and the other drug options seemed to have too many side effects. I’m so glad I went back on lithium. I gave it some time and, after a few weeks, the stomach pains and nausea disappeared, as did the thirst. It works very well to even out my moods and prevent future episodes. Additionally, I get blood tests every 3 months to ensure my body is not being harmed by the drug. Also, if you’re concerned about cost, this drug is very reasonably priced since it cannot be patented."

• A R...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 20, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I’m on lithium for my manic bipolar with psychosis, and I don’t have episodes anymore. This is the only good part about being on lithium, but now I cannot stomach much food without getting sick. If I don’t take it regularly, I get awful headaches, and not to mention it has taken my memories of childhood. I do try my best to grasp my memory of here and now, but I honestly cannot tell you what I did even yesterday. But the worst part is the muscle spasms, and your body is in constant pain. But I’ve gotten used to it, I’ve been on it for two years now."

• Aus...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 29, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "I was dubious about lithium and didn't want it. The time came that it was a choice left. At first, I had nausea and thirst. My doctor put me on an XR brand, and it was better. I can honestly say today, I don't know if it's working or not. It is such a medicine that just does what it needs to do. But a warning is-watch your salts either on your plate or in the sun. I was told by the chemist, and then I became aware when one day, I was out in the heat and walking around. I felt faint after a while. The next day, I felt washed out. And this has happened a few times. Lithium is based on salts, and this can play a little chaos, especially in the heat."

• sue...
• October 8, 2013

For Depression "Have suffered with clinical depression for fifteen years and have been on numerous antidepressants. Have now been taking lithium for 9 months and have had a lot of problems including hands shaking, legs feeling as though they are going to give way a lot of the time, whole body feeling heavy, nausea, parts of my body suddenly jerking, sweating, but worst of all, I feel as though I have had a personality transplant and do not recognize the agitated person I have become, the nightmares. My partner is very concerned. I am reducing the dose to come off it. I have just noticed on this site that it has a high interaction risk if taken with venlafaxine, which I have been prescribed with it at the same time."

• Ste...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 6, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I started to take this medication when my primary care physician got uncomfortable with my extensive use of benzos for my extreme social anxiety, so I was sent to a specialist who started me on lithium. The results are mixed for me. On one hand, every time I would take a dose, I would get sick to my stomach, I have no desire to eat, and my hand trembling is noticeable. However, I can now leave my house, go into stores, not depressed and much less dependent on the benzos, but I still get panic attacks. Overall, the pros have outweighed the cons."

• Khi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been taking lithium (300 mg) for about 2-3 weeks now, and it has taken away my mania and leveled me out. I can see that it is working and helping me with my insomnia as well. A few downsides: it makes me nauseous when taken without food and enough water, and my sex drive is non-existent now. Kind of frustrating. I am also taking Lamictal (200 mg) and have been for about a year, so I know it's not the Lamictal that is causing these side effects."

• Alt...
• September 17, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I was placed on lithium Sep/17 during a powerful manic episode. I had zero insight into my bizarre behavior. Unfortunately, the lithium was not enough to bring me down alone. With valproate and olanzapine, I was mostly over the mania by early November. I did have nausea, extreme thirst, coarse tremors, and an overall ill feeling for the first few months, so I completely understand the temptation to quit. On the bright side, since the cycle ended, I think the lithium has made me much calmer and more stable. I have not had a single day where I exhibited hypomanic behavior, which is a huge improvement over the prior decade. Other than thirst and fine hand tremor, the side effects are gone. I never would have thought nine months ago that 2018 would turn out to be one of the best, most stable years of my life."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 20, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I have bipolar disorder, PTSD, anxiety, OCD. I started taking 300 mg once at night, gradually went up to 1200 mg before my psychiatrist took me off of it. I've taken other mood stabilizers as well as antidepressants and antipsychotics, with none really having a noticeable effect. It helped to mellow me out some, but during and after stressful life changes and traumatic events that occurred, my anxiety, mania, paranoia, anger, irritability, brain fog, etc., was full-blown. My depression and brain fog always lingered throughout the whole time I took it as well. I did not want to risk upping my dosage due to the possible toxicity. I was starting to feel extremely nauseous after taking it, even though I always took it with plenty of food and drank plenty of water."

• Moo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 26, 2020

For Depression "Used lithium liquid form for 1 month and then 700 mg capsule daily for 8 months. Experienced: brain on fire, confusion, unable to: speak, think, and slow mental physical reaction. Woke up shaking. Urinated very frequently. Drank lots of water to reduce the side effects and symptoms. Smoked a lot more cigarettes. Felt like so sick. Drooled and moved very slow. Felt like a zombie. Had muscle weakness. Paranoid thinking. Made me very confessional. Been off this chemical for 3 months and can now write, think, and move faster again. I had reconnected with God. The only positive was finding God and praying for life again. I was just a spirit in a body that would barely function."

• Lis...
• December 30, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar disorder about a year ago. After many failed medications, my psychiatrist prescribed me lithium 600 mg. The side effects were brutal for the first month but have faded away to only occasional mild nausea. Overall, pleased with the way it has stabilized my moods, and I am able to live a more steady lifestyle."

• Koa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 20, 2017

For Depression "Have been on lithium for years. Have to be careful of the heat, hot baths, or working up a sweat, as the heat affects lithium in your body. I’m on lithium SR, it’s kinder than Lithicarb. I had no side effects on the extended release. On the lithium, I drank liters of water, felt sick to my stomach for days, but on the extended release, there were almost no side effects. It's lithium but sustained release, not so hard."

• Bip...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 18, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "After being diagnosed with bipolar 2 in 2003, I have taken Lamotrigine, Divalproex Sodium, Clonazepam, Risperidone, Olanzapine, Abilify, and more recently Seroquel. I wish you the same luck with finding the best treatment plan, and even though Lithium didn't work for me, it may work very well for you. I recently tried Lithium, and by the end of the first week, I felt nauseated and had developed diarrhea at 150 mg. Increasing the dose to 300 mg worsened these side effects, and I felt like I had a bad case of the flu that caused me to go back to bed several days after awakening, and depression set in. Increasing to 450 mg caused the most severe depression. After speaking with my doctor, we discussed decreasing to 300 mg and then trying to maintain that, but unfortunately, the depressive thoughts didn't end, even after reducing to 150 mg for the final week for a total of a six-week trial. It wasn't until about three weeks after I stopped Lithium that I broke out of the depression and feel better."

• cob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 12, 2017

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Lithium has finally pulled me out of a constant rapid cycling mixed state, which consisted of depression, paranoia, psychosis, agitation, and extreme anxiety. I occasionally feel poorly in hot environments, nausea, and dizziness. I think I get some fluid retention in the heat I didn't get prior to lithium. I was very unwell before starting this drug, and it has made me feel a lot better mentally, more stable, and calmed down."

• Flu...
• October 11, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed at 23 with bipolar 1 disorder with psychotic features and placed on lithium almost immediately. I felt improvement and my mania subsided. It works great for mania and mixed episodes, however, in my case, not so much for depression. Lithium has saved my life. It takes away the issues of suicidal thoughts and suicidal ideation in between episodes for me and racing thoughts as well. It's about as stable as stable is for me considering having bipolar disorder. I am now 26. I had to stop it due to it having damaged my thyroid. Even so, I have decided after almost 6 months off it and having tried every medication available that I would rather have whatever time stable with this medication and risk that than the destructive episodes. The side effects I initially experienced are: light hand tremors, nausea, diarrhea. These go away. The long-term side effects I have are: emotional blunting, lethargy, increased thirst, more frequent urination, and cravings for salt."

• Inv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 19, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "Probably the worst medication I've ever been on. Made me feel completely disconnected from reality and dissociate all the time, made me nauseous, did not help with my suicidal thoughts or impulses at all (in fact, I was MORE suicidal on it). I didn't care about anything, couldn't get any work done, could not concentrate, slept all the time, and gained weight on it. Did not help my depressive symptoms at all."

• Anonymous
• September 25, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 3 years ago during a hospitalization. Was put on 600 mg Seroquel and 200 mg Lamictal. Switched doctors, and they decided to replace my medicines with lithium. I don't know why, but it made my condition 10 times worse, and I got very sick. Fever, vomiting, nausea, drowsiness, fatigue, excessive thirst, and urination. Plus, it makes my mood swings much worse and shortened my patience and turned my depression to rage. Gave uncontrollable twitches and body movements and shaky hands. Though I have been off it for a year. My case is probably an anomaly, as it seems to work wonders for everyone else."

• Pan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 9, 2019

For Depression "Serious cognitive problems surfacing after three weeks, trouble recalling a word, name, or phrase. This has never happened to me... talking to my doctor today. It’s like fast onset Alzheimer’s. Terrifying. Only other side effect is nausea, which means I can’t eat during the day."

• Der...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 15, 2023

For Bipolar Disorder "Lithium was the last choice due to having been on every medication other than it. By day three, it was starting to have a positive effect on a deep depressive cycle. By day five, I was in the ER feeling like I was going to die. I kept having severe panic and anxiety symptoms, elevated heart rate, and the worst of it all was stomach pain and nausea. In the ER, they were concerned about lithium toxicity. My levels came back extremely low, meaning that lithium just did not agree with my body. The following 10 days were the worst 10 days of my life. I could barely eat due to stomach pain and nausea. I lost over 20 pounds, even drinking water hurt my stomach. This medication forever changed my view on medication. It’s been almost 2 weeks, and I am still having anxiety symptoms, stomach discomfort, nausea, and extreme sweating at night."

• Ano...
• July 26, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "My only two complaints about lithium are the potentially detrimental effects on the kidneys and the nausea. I first started taking lithium in college but stopped because of excessive nausea and vomiting. Five years later, I'm trying it again because the other mood stabilizers I have tried were not too helpful (Abilify 'numbed' me, Zyprexa turned me into an angry bear, Seroquel made me sleep all the time, Depakote gave me bad tremors, etc.). I do have to adjust my lifestyle habits, though, while on lithium... more water, less sodium or acidity in foods, take it nightly... but vomiting/intense nausea and renal problems down the road..."

• Anonymous
• May 30, 2011

Lithium for Bipolar Disorder "I have been bipolar my whole life, and nothing has worked better than Lithium. The side effects were quite minimal, feel queasy and difficulty reading because eyes jerk. All went away after approximately 2 to 3 weeks."

• ZIB...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 3, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I just started 900 mg per day a week ago, and I hate it! I noticed so far a slight difference in mood for the better. The side effects are horrible......especially having headaches all the time. Other problems are stomach ache and ready to barf any second, extreme thirst, morning dry mouth, big raised welts on upper chest and face, painful rash now starting, night sweats--wake up completely soaked, so not sleeping through the night. Ugh, it goes on...sharp shooting pain on right side about where the liver is, heart beats really hard, having a hard time breathing-my lungs hurt. This all scares me so much. It's not worth it to take a medication that does all this to me on an everyday basis. I wish there was another stabilizer, something else to take without all this...."