The Lithium Thirst: or, Why is My Glass Already Empty?

I’ve just finished my iced green tea from Panera. That’s 20 ounces of liquid, and I still want more. Not because it tastes so good (and believe me it does) but because I’m still thirsty. Welcome to the life of a Lithium taker. If there’s one side effect (besides the weight gain) that I can’t stand the most since I’ve been taking medications for Bipolar type I, it’s the Lithium thirst. The tremor I can handle even though it is embarrassing to eat soup sometimes when it’s especially bad. But the thirst. I am almost always thirsty.

The thing about being thirsty (and you don’t realize this until after you’ve gained five pounds) is that if you drink sugary drinks to quench this thirst, not only will you have a major sugar high, but you will gain weight. Plus, sugary drinks tend to make you more thirsty if anything else. So it’s true what all of the doctors and nutritionists say: Drink Water.

Ah, water. Water will become your best friend after you start taking Lithium. You will get to the point where carrying a bottle of water with you is almost as important as carrying your phone. You will become anxious if you go somewhere and the water glasses are too small. I’ve become the person who asks for a bigger water glass because I don’t want to have to ask the server to refill my glass every 5 minutes. I haven’t gotten to the point where I’ll ask for the pitcher to just be left at the table. However, when there is a pitcher of water on the table? I’m in heaven.

Originally published on Medium

The Side Effects

Every illness comes with side effects. You have to change your diet, eating habits, sleep habits, and sometimes it keeps you from being able to do certain things you were able to do easily before and makes it that much harder.

This post is not me complaining about all the side effects from medications I have to take or the fact that I can't do certain things because my Bipolar Disorder. I'm just sharing the truth of how my life has changed in order to keep myself healthy both mentally and physically.

I take several medications but the main ones are Depakote, Lithium, and Abilify. The first two are mood stabilizers and mainly keep the mania at bay, while the third one treats my bipolar and depression.

The most notable of side effects of all of these is: weight gain. I used to be pretty thin but once I started taking these medications I gained weight eventually your body gets used to it and you're able to keep yourself from always feeling hungry. Abilify is the one that really makes me feel hungry. When I first started taking it I felt like I needed to eat all the time. Not fun. Thankfully I'm back to feeling normal hunger haha. However, I have gained some weight and it's the type of weight that is not easy to get off.

Having bipolar disorder you have to have some routine in your life. Sleep can make or break you sometimes. If you aren't getting enough sleep you might become manic or at the very least I become very crabby which I'm sure pretty normal for most people. In other words, staying up till 2 am with your friends is not always the best idea. Having said that, a lot of caffeine is not your friend. I will admit that I have a cup of tea every morning because another lovely side effect is feeling tired pretty much all the time.

Lithium can harm your thyroid so now that I've been on it for at least two years now I have a hypothyroid which makes me tired. I take thyroid medicine but I'll admit that I'm not good at taking it consistently. However the other medications tend to make you tired too. Either that or I'm just a tired person!

Exercise helps wake you up oddly enough so sometimes taking a short walk around the neighborhood will boost my energy levels not to mention make me feel happier. Exercise is something I should do more often and now that the weather is nice I intend to.

Speaking of the weather, Lithium also makes you more sensitive to heat and the sun and makes you incredibly thirsty. Drinking enough water a day can really make me feel better. Besides, water is good for you! Sometimes I'm tempted to drink a whole bunch of juice when I'm thirsty, but that is more calories and it doesn't really quench your thirst. Sticking to water is usually a better choice.

I hope this post is somewhat useful and everyone is having a beautiful Sunday!