Random Info

Clearly I have one major thing on my mind. Been that way since October 26.

Expected Delay in Lithium Efficacy

In treatment of bipolar disorder lithium takes 5 days to create any improvement, and several weeks for maximum effect. For neurodegenerative disease it may take a month for an effect (Chuang and Manji, 2007). Thus it is expected that there will be a month of continued deterioration at the previous rate, followed by a reduced rate of decline.

Side effects experienced by PALS on lithium

As long as lithium levels are carefully monitored and adequate fluid and sodium intake is maintained, lithium should not cause serious problems for most PALS taking the dosage recommended for ALS, which is lower than the dosage used to treat bipolar disorder. Most side effects should also be transient (several days to weeks), experienced during the period of increasing lithium levels and the adjustment of your body to the lithium.

To date, the following are some of the side effects that have been reported by PALS participating in our lithium study. Many of the side effects have been transient, and many PALS have experienced no side effects.

• Increased fasciculations. Please note that a severe increase in fasciculations may be a sign of lithium toxicity and should be checked by a doctor.
• Dry mouth
• Increased saliva
• Skin irritation
• Itchy or painful feet
• Weight gain (oh, great, just what I wanted!!)
  
• Increased fatigue
• Minor headache
• Loose bowel movements
• Loss of appetite and diarrhea. PALS experiencing these problems had relief after discontinuing supplements and increasing fluid and sodium intake. Note that severe loss of appetite and diarrhea is a sign of lithium toxicity and warrants immediate medical attention!
• A few PALS also reported an increase in breathing difficulties. This is not ordinarily a side effect of lithium.

FOOD INTERACTIONS

Food that may decrease your lithium levels are those which make the urine more alkaline. Some of the foods in this category include citrus fruits and juices, watermelon, vegetable juice, mineral water, dandelion greens, papaya, mango, asparagus, onions, parsley, raw spinach, broccoli, and garlic. Note that the acidity of a food may not correlate with the resulting urine acidity. These foods may be eaten while taking lithium – just be aware that if you eat these foods often you may need to take a larger amount of lithium to achieve your desired lithium blood level.

Food that may increase your lithium levels by making your urine more acidic include cranberries, prunes, artificial sweeteners, beans, peanuts, walnuts, pasta, pastries, bread, beef, pork, shell fish, yogurt, cheese, buttermilk, sour cream, gravy, eggs, wine, beer, and soft drinks. If you consume large amounts of these foods you will want to make sure to start with a relatively low initial lithium dose and see if this is enough to achieve desired blood levels.

Looks like I'll be going on the air and water diet.

Here's the page all this info is from, for more comprehensive reading.

And, totally unrelated, I want to add a picture.

Pretty, isn't it? A happy place...