Bipolar vegans on lithium?

vegan witch Ⓥ April 3, 2014 at 4:08pm

SIDE EFFECTS OF TAKING LITHIUM

Lithium Side Effects

About 75% of people who take lithium for bipolar disorder have some side effects, although they may be minor. They may become less troublesome after a few weeks as your body adjusts to the drug. Sometimes, side effects of lithium can be relieved by tweaking the dose. However, never change your dose or drug schedule on your own. Do not change the brand of lithium without checking with your doctor or pharmacist first. If you are having any problems, talk to your doctor about your options.

Common side effects of lithium include:

Hand tremors

Increased thirst

Increased urination

Diarrhea

Vomiting

Weight gain

Impaired memory

Poor concentration

Drowsiness

Muscle weakness

Hair loss

Acne

Decreased thyroid function (which can be treated with thyroid hormone)

seems to me you desperately need your high carb raw vegan lifestyle and get off the poisonous lithium - those side effects tell you, your body doesnt want metal poisoning by lithium - leave it to batteries !

40andFitOnFruit - Jessica September 26, 2012 at 4:02am

Hi Coma! I don't suffer from bipolar but my mother does so this subject interests me a lot. Here is a link to Tonya Kay, an actres who manage her bipolar on a raw diet without medications.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCcD_dM9TiE&feature=player_embedded

Hope this can be uplifting :)

Rosemary September 26, 2012 at 3:54am

Hello. I was diagnosed with Hypomania and had a new doctor confirm an old diagnosis of BPD yesterday, and my doc pretty much said Lithium or Geodon is the only fix. Scared the hell out of me because I DO NOT want to take meds and do not want to lose the mania (just the crashes that follow). I came back here to see what others think about it. I know the answer I will get, and I think I agree, but I'm still afraid NOT to take it as well. I have not been eating all raw lately and I know that must be part of the problem. Really though, I'm not sure I know the difference between the 24/7 blissful feeling I get eating fruitarian and my hypomanic episodes. Trying to get back to fruit. Anyone do both?

HappySun July 5, 2012 at 5:27am

stay hydrated! so important in depression! my opinion is that depression even depressive feelings is 90% because of dehydration!(if there hadnt been any serious event, but even then hydration is important!)

my advice would be drink enough, really enough! and when you have to eat salt even more. make sure first thing you do in the morning is drink a liter or two of water. best would be one that has less minerals in it. and then have some more liters during the day. dont wait until you are thirsty.

imagine this is like washing your body out. if you do that consistently you will definitely benefit from it in terms of depression.
eventuelly you could even balance manic and depressive episodes out.

make sure you stay as mono as possible that you dont have so much chaos in your digestion, this is connected with your mood.

and eat ENOUGH. so important in depressive mood.

carb yourself up with high sugary food, i would recommend some bananas, they help with serotonin levels, which are also responsible for happy feelings. but thats up to you.

sunlight is also very very helping with depression! even moving.

when your down, best would be drink some water, sit on bike and cycle some k in the nature. breath.

so make it as easy as possible in the beginning.

drink enough

sugar enough

and get sleep enough!

just my own experience!

Coma White > HappySun July 5, 2012 at 9:02am

Thank you for your advice!

Lithium makes me thirsty, but I don't think I drink enough water anyway. I will definitely drink more water and try to be more active. I enjoy bananas, so I will eat more of those too! :)

Helen July 5, 2012 at 5:04am

+1 Strongly agree i also do a weekly 5000mcg B12 patch that has helped boost my energy, although this has been in the past year. If you are some of the truly lithium defiecent bipolar (some are not) this isnt going to help, i think getting your natural levels high from diet and if needed medication is so important. It can save lives.

Coma White > Helen July 5, 2012 at 8:58am

I do take B12 supplements and last time a had a bloodtest I didn't have a deficiency.

Helen July 5, 2012 at 4:29am

This is a subject that is very close to my heart. My grandfather killed him self when my mother was a teenage girl, and both my mother and my uncle spend many years in and out of mental health facilites. I myself spend all of my teenage years in depressive and manic bouts. My mother takes lithium and has for years, it is a very serious drug requiring close monitoring of you blood levels. My mothers thyroid was completely killed by too high a level unchecked by her doctor. I was on a path of needing medication, and was almost institutionalized by my family not long after graduating high school. I then changed my diet and lifestyle completely, i upped my intake of fruits and vegtables which are naturally high in lithium and cut out all proccessed junk. my mood began to stabilze, but i was not able to get out of my depression until i began running. Its never easy to pull your self out of a depression but there are some mental tricks that have helped me, i began to list all the things i was grateful for everyday before i got out of bed. i got a journal and began to write down what i wanted in life. Having clear goals and working toward them everyday and living in a state of gratitude is vital for me. i now am completely stable and have no signs or symptoms of the disease that took the life of my grandfather and caused so much pain to my mother and uncle. I personaly feel that our basic nutrition is the root to this, and that is why it is important to get some tools together so that when you are depressed you can pull out of it. That is when you need to eat the most, and for me being grateful for having so much when so many have so little is what gets me out of bed. You cant feel sorry for your self when your in a state of gratitude. You are the only advocate you have for your self, get a mantra and repeat it often, reprogram the negative talk to positive talk in your head. I also feel that Bi-polar people are very creative and powerful, all that pain means you also have the abiltiy to feel love and happiness at just as high of a level. I am grateful that i have the abiltiy to feel so much and through this life style i feel like nothing can stop me! Were actually lucky! i wish you the best of luck, be kind to your body and love your self at the highest level possible!

Coma White > Helen July 5, 2012 at 8:55am

Thanks for responding!

I'm really sorry about your grandfather. I have tried to kill myself two times and I know how devastating it has been for my loved ones. It has hurt them deeply.

It's great that you don't need medication and that you feel better! I have tried antipsychotics and I gained a lot of weight, so I'm not that fond of taking pills, but I want to stay alive.

Thank you for all your helpful advice, I will keep that in mind!

Mera/Feather Story July 5, 2012 at 3:09am

Hello there... I never went on lithium, though I was prescribed. I am bipolar and was diagnosed in 2004, I think. I actually used vegetarian and then vegan eating to heal me of my bipolar issues which were also deeply engrained with an eating disorder very similar to what you described above...which is awesome to me because I've never known anyone else to have that same connection between bipolar and food.

Anyway, I do get mildly depressed and mildly delusional or disoriented if I don't tend to the principles of health as listed in 80/10/10...I never get suicidal...its been a very long time since I've had suicidal feelings. I think if you have issues like that try to have a really good support system around you.

These are the things I do when I feel a sense of depression or delusion coming on:

take cold showers ;)

do yoga

do exercise of any sort

get my favorite fruit to bliss out on

or get any fruit at all

drink water

get creative

get social with someone very supportive and understanding

go to sleep

meditate

play music, dance, party by myself

write, get messy, clean

go outside, go on a mild adventure, like a nature walk/picnic

bake in the sun, naked if possible

shop for fruit or learn/study

...or eat something mild like rice, potatoes, homemade soups/steamed veggies

I don't find eating cooked food really effects my bipolar as long as I don't eat too much, which doesn't happen when I don't add stimulating flavors to it...sometimes if I put spices and salt on my cooked food and I really end up somewhat addicted for awhile which may spiral me into depression or mild mania. I stay away from bread and if I do have bread I only have gluten-free bread. I try to keep cooked food as simple as possible.

Basically what I'm saying is that it takes a healthy lifestyle to stay balanced and since this is a healthy lifestyle if you stick with it the lifestyle itself will keep you from becoming majorly depressed and suicidal. A nourished by will nourished a clearer brain which will enable you to recognize, do and adjust the things you need to care for most in your lifestyle and recognize and overturn any major bipolar symptoms...that is if you stick with it...when you go off things make spring back into place and you just want to have a support system in place to help you recognize that, be honest with yourself, know your triggers, know your definining warnings and behaviors and create associations to help you latch onto something positive to get you back on track.

Now, I am sorry if I am being a bit negligent or unclear, but I was trying to get off and felt I had to respond to this. I am exhausted but really hope I was clear and if not, feel free to question me...Good luck to you.

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Bipolar vegans on lithium?

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