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Bipolar, lithium and art

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Jeyradan
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03 Aug 2013, 4:17 pm

A good friend of mine has bipolar II disorder and was looking into medications and their effects. It looks like lithium is the go-to treatment and generally very effective, but one of the side effects he discovered was that it apparently makes one's hands shake. It's absolutely impossible for him to take a medication that does that, because he's a professional illustrator and needs steady hands to do his work. So...

... if you have bipolar disorder, especially bipolar II, have you tried lithium? Did it help?
... if you have tried lithium, did it make your hands shake? Did it affect your ability to draw, write or do fine motor work?

Thank you so much!



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03 Aug 2013, 6:43 pm

I'll try and find a link to a psychiatrist from Emory saying:

1) there is considerable overlap between bipolar and schizophrenia, and

2) there are a number of medications which work for both.

And, what I've read from other sources, it's trial and error in a respectful sense. just that everyone's biochem is a little different

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp4788004.html

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/expert.q ... index.html



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04 Aug 2013, 10:15 am

I've been on lithium for Bipolar I for the past 10 months and so far I haven't had any tremor in my hands. I'm not a pen and paper artist, but it hasn't affected my ability to doodle or write.

Every person is different when it comes to side effects though.


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22 Nov 2013, 8:30 pm

Im on sodium valproate and that makes my hands shake, I like to draw so I was put on another small dose of a medication that targets the shaking but it didn't eliminate the shakes just cut it down, sorry I cant remember what its called at the moment.



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23 Nov 2013, 10:36 pm

He could try Sodium Valproate (the hand shaking varies depending on the individual I believe). I tried lithium first and had the hand tremors plus it wasn't very effective, then Sodium Valproate which was effective and I didn't get hand tremors. They are the 2 most commonly prescribed mood stabilizers for bipolar.


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26 Nov 2013, 4:01 pm

Ludicrous wrote:
I'm bipolar. The lithium didn't work they had to take me off of it and then they told me never ever to reduce my salt intake. That didn't stop the symptoms; however, I can tell when I'm low on salt because of my behavior.


Wait, do you have to keep your salt intake up because of the lithium, or because of being bipolar? I'm 90% sure I'm bipolar and am in the middle of a pretty bad manic episode (mostly paranoia, anxiety, unable to sleep, racing thoughts, nightmares, can't stop moving, rather than the "fun" euphoria I sometimes get) but I've never gotten an official diagnosis or taken medication (though I'm seriously considering it this time around). I also started cutting WAY back on salt about 6 months ago because I read some studies about it being bad for things like allergies and eczema (both of which I have quite badly) and causing various other health problems. I eat very little salt. Some days I manage to have none at all. Is it possible this is causing some of my problems? I've never heard of that before... But if that's the case, I'll start eating more salt immediately!



Sarah81
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26 Nov 2013, 8:25 pm

Regarding salt and lithium:
A previous psychiatrist once told me to reduce my salt intake, because "sodium pushes out lithium". (his words). I don't know how reliable that is.



MelissaCho
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27 Nov 2013, 11:35 am

Jeyradan wrote:
A good friend of mine has bipolar II disorder and was looking into medications and their effects. It looks like lithium is the go-to treatment and generally very effective, but one of the side effects he discovered was that it apparently makes one's hands shake. It's absolutely impossible for him to take a medication that does that, because he's a professional illustrator and needs steady hands to do his work. So...

... if you have bipolar disorder, especially bipolar II, have you tried lithium? Did it help?
... if you have tried lithium, did it make your hands shake? Did it affect your ability to draw, write or do fine motor work?

Thank you so much!


I'm not Bipolar II, but I take Lithium on a daily basis. There is a risk of fine hand tremors, but that does NOT happen with everybody. It's a case by case basis. Also, you would have to do blood work to make sure the "lithium level." is in check. FYI, I've on this since I was sixteen and I'm twenty-one now.



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27 Nov 2013, 11:45 pm

Ludicrous wrote:
Jeyradan wrote:
A good friend of mine has bipolar II disorder and was looking into medications and their effects. It looks like lithium is the go-to treatment and generally very effective, but one of the side effects he discovered was that it apparently makes one's hands shake. It's absolutely impossible for him to take a medication that does that, because he's a professional illustrator and needs steady hands to do his work. So...

... if you have bipolar disorder, especially bipolar II, have you tried lithium? Did it help?
... if you have tried lithium, did it make your hands shake? Did it affect your ability to draw, write or do fine motor work?

Thank you so much!


I'm bipolar. The lithium didn't work they had to take me off of it and then they told me never ever to reduce my salt intake. That didn't stop the symptoms; however, I can tell when I'm low on salt because of my behavior.

Then they tried some more antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds. That never has worked. "But there's a new one!! !" Not! They give you suicidal thoughts. What person in their right mind would give someone depressed a pill that causes suicidal thoughts?

Fish oil and vitamin B complex has actually done wonders for me and anybody can tell immediately when I haven't taken it for a couple of days. Why that works, I have no idea. I discovered that a doctor online was treating people with severe depression, bipolar disorder and some forms of schizophrenia with mega doses of the two combined.

I take 3,000 mg. of fish oil and vitamin B complex once a day. This doctor though had people on higher doses as warranted. Some were on higher doses than others.

I wish I still had the link to that Dr.'s studies and papers that she wrote on it because she literally saved my sanity.

My husband is a very talented artist and he's on meds that make him shake. The shake is probably permanent he's been on it so long. Pity.


I take about 4000mg of fish oil daily but I don't take vitamin B complex. Is that what's it's called? If I asked my chemist/pharmacist for it they'd know what it was? The fish oil give me more focus but can bring out agitated and hypomania so I need something that can balance it out. It's great for depression though.


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29 Nov 2013, 4:39 am

Ludicrous wrote:
Jeyradan wrote:
A good friend of mine has bipolar II disorder and was looking into medications and their effects. It looks like lithium is the go-to treatment and generally very effective, but one of the side effects he discovered was that it apparently makes one's hands shake. It's absolutely impossible for him to take a medication that does that, because he's a professional illustrator and needs steady hands to do his work. So...

... if you have bipolar disorder, especially bipolar II, have you tried lithium? Did it help?
... if you have tried lithium, did it make your hands shake? Did it affect your ability to draw, write or do fine motor work?

Thank you so much!


I'm bipolar. The lithium didn't work they had to take me off of it and then they told me never ever to reduce my salt intake. That didn't stop the symptoms; however, I can tell when I'm low on salt because of my behavior.

Then they tried some more antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds. That never has worked. "But there's a new one!! !" Not! They give you suicidal thoughts. What person in their right mind would give someone depressed a pill that causes suicidal thoughts?

Fish oil and vitamin B complex has actually done wonders for me and anybody can tell immediately when I haven't taken it for a couple of days. Why that works, I have no idea. I discovered that a doctor online was treating people with severe depression, bipolar disorder and some forms of schizophrenia with mega doses of the two combined.

I take 3,000 mg. of fish oil and vitamin B complex once a day. This doctor though had people on higher doses as warranted. Some were on higher doses than others.

I wish I still had the link to that Dr.'s studies and papers that she wrote on it because she literally saved my sanity.

My husband is a very talented artist and he's on meds that make him shake. The shake is probably permanent he's been on it so long. Pity.


When the risk of killing yourself off medication is higher than the risk that you will have the suicidal thoughts side effect by taking this medication?

You make it sound as though its something that always happens when you take antidepressants. It isn't.



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01 Dec 2013, 7:22 pm

I was misdiagnosed as Bipolar for many years and took lithium for a few years and depakote for a few years. Depakote make me gain weight. I liked lithium better. Both made me feel "numb" and I hated it. ...but, I also don't think I was ever truly bipolar.

My hands never shook.


On depression medication and suicidal thoughts, I fell into that category but never assumed it was a side effect of the drugs. It seemed to me that I would get my hopes up about a new medication that will "fix everything"...and then it didn't. ...and then I felt even more depressed and helpless.