The Side Effects of Lithium: My Love Affair with Water
I never go anywhere without a drink in my hand. My nosey neighbor had the nerve to ask me if I was an alcoholic.
I’m not an alcoholic. I just love ice water, huge, plastic glasses of ice water.
The lithium did that to me. Lithium carbonate, which used to be a medication of choice for bipolar individuals, is a salt. It makes you ridiculously thirsty. For over 15 years, I ingested a lot of it daily. The result was a constant, unquenchable thirst.
I don’t physically need water anymore, but I’m kind of addicted to it psychologically.
Funny, I don’t want juice or coffee or pop. I want water.
This drinking activity will be with me for the rest of my life, I’m sure.
I’m constantly on the lookout for extra-large, plastic glasses. I prefer plastic to glass. It’s safer. I find a lot of my drinking glasses at thrift stores. Huge containers meant for iced tea, they’re perfect for my water fix.
And guess what? I’m constantly going to the bathroom. If I added up how much time I spent relieving myself, I’d rack many days a year.
We can’t predict what kind of side effects will materialize from taking these psychotropic drugs for our mental health issues.
My craving for water was a benign side effect of lithium.
What lithium side effects were worse?
Horrible acne. For years, I endured life with enormous pimples on my face. I had acne that no acne medication could cure. I tried everything from garden variety Clearasil to oral antibiotics to expensive prescription creams...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Laura Yeager Tags: Antidepressant Bipolar Creativity Depression Habits Medications Personal Adverse Side Effects Bipolar Disorder Lithium Medication Side Effects Mood Stabilizer Sex Drive Sexual Dysfunction Weight Gain Source Type: blogs
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