lithium and weight gain - Bipolar Disorder Message Board

sammygrl · 06-30-2009, 03:49 PM

Just started on 300mg of lithium and will move to 600mg starting tonight.

I'm freaking out about weight gain, hypothyoridism and ruining my thyroid or ability to lose weight permanently.

can someone alleviate these concerns or are they well warranted?

If I monitor my kidney and thyroid function every 6 months, can I catch these problems before it is too late and just go off the medication?

I already struggle with my weight tremendously and am extremely anxiety ridden about this drug.

Thank you so much for you help in advance!!:

lennylonglegs · 06-30-2009, 06:00 PM

I am on lithium and have not gained any weight at all so maybe you will be fine. The thyroid issue on the other hand has been a problem for me. I have been on Lithium for almost eight months and in that short time I developed an underactive thyroid. I am in the process of switching to another mood stabilizer so I can discontinue taking Lithium. My pdoc does tell me that when I discontinue taking Lithium that my thyroid functioning should return to normal and that this is not a permanent condition in which I will need to seek treatment for. Hope this helps a little. God's blessings to you.

tigger5150 · 06-30-2009, 07:13 PM

I am also on 450mg of lithium and have not had an issue with weight gain.... I have been on it for over a year now and also have not had any thyroid issue either. But, your blood work does need to be monitored closely if you are on lithium.

sammygrl · 07-02-2009, 12:46 PM

Thanks for your rapid responses. I really appreciate it. How long does it take for the weight gain to start showing, if it does??

Llama · 07-02-2009, 02:08 PM

I was only on lithium (900 mg) for maybe a month before stopping it. I too was worried about weight gain. I never gained any weight during that month though. I hope you don't gain any weight either.