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Bipolar Disorder/reduction of lithium
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Question
I have a family member who is on lithium he has a diagnosis of bipolar but this is now being questioned. he takes 250mg BD and has been well for several years. He is 34 and weighs around 85kg.Recently he dropped the dose by 125mg daily. It was a period of high stress for him and he noticed he was feeling more anxious. Would the reduction in lithium cause this?
Hi, Julie . . .
Lithium does little to reduce primary anxiety. But, lithium does control mania and sometimes the first indication that mania is slipping out from being under good control is an increase in anxiety. Your family member should be encouraged to immediately get in touch with his doctor and report what is going on.
Best regards . . .
Ivan
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Answers by Expert:
Ivan Goldberg, M.D.
Expertise
I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.
Experience
I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.
A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine
I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html
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