should I stay on lithium? tsh was 8

My tsh was elevated 8 from the lithium....6 months on it.
I feel that I am more stable on the lithium.
She told me it was my decision to stay on it or get off of it. Taking synthroid is an easy answer.
what do you think?
bizi

Hi bizi. I responded to your post about this in another thread. I just thought I'd share here my last TSH result while on Synthroid (levothyroxine), if of interest. My last result was 1.74 in the normal range of 0.40-4.50. On Synthroid, my TSH has been in the normal range for years and I have not had any symptoms of hypothyroidism.

I have read that Tegretol (carbamazpine), which I also take, "can decrease the effects of levothyroxine". See Synthroid and Tegretol Drug Interactions - Drugs.com This is not a big deal, but it is possible that if I didn't take Tegretol that my levothyroxine dose would need to be lowered. I'm not saying Tegretol affects my thyroid (no), just possibly my dose of levothyroxine. I don't know if it would be the case that if I stopped Tegretol (which I won't) that I could develop hyperthyroidism at my levothyroxine dose of 150 mcg. Possibly? That's a reason why it's always important to let doctors manage medication changes. Not to say you would ever tinker with your meds on your own.

I mention the above only because you mentioned an interest in Tegretol in a different thread.

As an aside, both my maternal grandmother and my sister took/take levothyroxine and to my knowledge, neither ever took Lithium. I think there is a genetic element, in some cases.

It's ultimately up to you, as you know. If it were me in your shoes, I'd probably switch meds and try to find something a little more side effect friendly with the option of going back on lithium if nothing else helps enough. It'd be good to have an in depth conversation with your doc about it.

Thank you both.
I like the idea of trying tegretol.
my tsh came back 5 down from 8.5. my t3 t4 were normal so that is great news! no changes....retest in 6 weeks. Alcohol can effect your thyroid.

thanks again for your replies.
bizi

This is what I wrote my pdoc:

Dr. Orazio,

After much thought, I decided that I don't want to wait until my thyroid is done for or for my kidneys to have damage either.
As you mentioned during our last visit., I would like to try tegretol as my mood stabilizer and discontinue the lithium.
If after giving the tegretol a fair shake and it doesn't work out then we can always go back to the lithium as a last resort.

Thank you for your consideration,
elizabeth

Well thought out decision and a great message to your Doctor

Just remember, bizi, you can't just stop your lithium cold turkey or even quickly--it increases the risk of a big recurrence to about 95% in patients wiht legit bp 1. This has been really well studied. I know this because I d/c'd mine over a 2-week period in 2012. I did fine for awhile, but had a humongous mixed recurrence shortly thereafter.

I hope this change helps you. Sending you support and safe hugs!

i wouldn't stick with it. gradual taper is ideal. there's a discontinuation syndrome with lithium (and...clozapine, too) noted in the literature. -bad times- . have you tried trileptal? its chemically related to tegretol, far less blood work. is it as effective? ha! good question. not fda-approved for the moody amongst us, but quite popular 'off label.' generic.

I need to find out about this taper for lithium. she had me discontinue it over 2 days. I was at 900mg for 6 months.
bizi

I'm sorry. I am not your doctor, but that is totally unacceptable.

I came off Lithium cold turkey due to toxicity. It was unpleasant but doable. If you can taper that would be better.

Hi bizi, I don't have an answer for you, but I just want to toss good vibes your way. I hope it all works out in your favor.

I had 2 weird thoughts that woke me up from half asleep. One was grabbing a snake and the other was some one calling my name distinctly. I have never had an auditory hallucination but that seemed real.
bizi

I get auditory hallucinations a lot that wake me up from (half) sleep, especially when I'm very tired/stressed. If it only happens during sleep, it could be something called "exploding head syndrome": Exploding head syndrome - Wikipedia . Does that sound plausible? I don't know whether it's associated with lithium discontinuation in any way.


The sounds seem very real. The first time I heard a loud bang and thought someone was breaking in. I've also heard my name being called, the doorbell ringing, etc.