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Aleeza (Mannheim, Germany) on 10/04/2012:
Warning
Hi Stacy, you must google the side effects of Lithium. My brother who has bipolar used Lithium for a long time. In the begining it helped my brother but then it made his bipolar symptoms more worse and also made him bald and hypothyroid. It can harm your liver and kidneys too. Instead of Lithium you can try Magnesium for your sleep problem. This is my personal observation that Lithium has ruined my brother's life.
Hi, I've been helped with several problems on this website, and I just wanted to give back. I started using a Lithium Asparate supplement a few weeks ago, 5mg twice a day. In that time, I have noticed a few positive changes.
I have had chronic fatigue issues since I was in my late teen. I am now in my thirties, and virtually all aspects of my life revolve around being exhausted. I have problems sleeping, which contributes to the problem. When I was younger, I went to a doctor for this, but I was just put on a antidepressant, which was on no help--it just made me not care.
Since I have started the lithium, I have had more sustained energy and my mood has improved. I've taken a lot of stimulants to survive day to day over the years, and it's not like that. Rather, when I get off of work, I can actually clean or prepare food for my self instead of waiting to drag myself to bed (some days as early as 7:00pm). I've basically gone from forcing myself to go through the motions of life to being able to do daily activities normal people do.
I just wanted to share this because it has given me some hope for my future. As oppose to seeing my life as years if maintaining the facade of energy to those around me a crashing the minute I am alone, I might actually be able to do the things normal people do, like clean, prepare food, or spend an evening with friends without feeling that I am sacrificing "rest" time.
I think that the lithium dietary supplements are worth a try.