I have been going through life events tinged with a great deal of grief and anxiety. I have found that some days it is unbearable. I am also an herbalist with over twenty years of identifying and utilizing natural medicines.
For a long while now, I have been researching Lithium Orotate. It is different from the forms of Lithium that are prescribed for the management of Bipolar and Manic Depressive Disorders. It is a low dose, mineral salt that one can purchase at a natural grocery store, or online.
I consulted my Naturopathic Doctor, and she said that at 5 mg, OTC Lithium Orotate was safe for anxiety and depression. And that one didn't need to measure a blood level of Lithium, as it is a micro dose, and very different chemically, from the prescription versions of Lithium.
I found myself, starting each day happily, but once the weight of what's going on in the lives of my loved ones sunk into me, I found myself tossed around in rolling waves of alternating anxiety and depression. Almost as bad as it was when I was in a hospital bed, bald, and very, very sick, praying to Jesus Christ that I could live to see my daughter grow up.
The depression is crippling, and the anxiety causes nonverbal shut downs. It's bad. Every day it's like this.
So I bought the Lithium Orotate. My thought was that although I do not have bipolar, perhaps it could stabilize the waves of anxiety and depression that is so bad that it's beginning to affect my relationships with others, and my ability to get anything done.
I started on 5 mg. I noticed within 20 minutes of taking it, I would get very sleepy and nap for about 10-20 minutes. Then I would wake up, and feel okay. Like the situations causing the anxiety and depression were there, but I could plan on how to manage these situations. I also noticed there was a decrease in ADHD type symptoms. I was able to get up and do chores, and see them through to the end.
Other physical side effects included less chronic pain in my hips and lower back. My chronic stomach aches went away.
Now I'm getting to the negative effects.
At night, as I was trying to fall asleep, I would start dreaming immediately, as soon as I would close my eyes. Almost as if it was hallucinations. This is not normal for me. Like I'd close my eyes and see brightly colored images, and maybe a storyline would happen. But only just for a moment. Almost as if REM dreaming sleep was starting early. I would open my eyes and although I had been dreaming, only a few moments had passed.
This strange dream state happened every night. So I quit taking Lithium Orotate.
I am thinking of going on magnesium citrate instead. In micro doses it acts as a mild muscle relaxer and antianxiety medicine. But it has no psychological side effects.
I wonder if the reason that the Lithium Orotate did that to me was the fact that it works on Neurotransmitters in the brain. When I had cancer, I was put on a neurotransmitter drug (gabapentin) for nerve pain, and it caused vivid bedtime hallucinations, much stronger than anything Lithium Orotate could ever do. The Gabapentin also caused tremors that lasted long after the drug was discontinued.
So I guess my reaction is that it's a good supplement for deep mental health crises, but it's not for me. Beware if you're sensitive to neurotransmitter drugs, as this works in a similar fashion.
For a long while now, I have been researching Lithium Orotate. It is different from the forms of Lithium that are prescribed for the management of Bipolar and Manic Depressive Disorders. It is a low dose, mineral salt that one can purchase at a natural grocery store, or online.
I consulted my Naturopathic Doctor, and she said that at 5 mg, OTC Lithium Orotate was safe for anxiety and depression. And that one didn't need to measure a blood level of Lithium, as it is a micro dose, and very different chemically, from the prescription versions of Lithium.
I found myself, starting each day happily, but once the weight of what's going on in the lives of my loved ones sunk into me, I found myself tossed around in rolling waves of alternating anxiety and depression. Almost as bad as it was when I was in a hospital bed, bald, and very, very sick, praying to Jesus Christ that I could live to see my daughter grow up.
The depression is crippling, and the anxiety causes nonverbal shut downs. It's bad. Every day it's like this.
So I bought the Lithium Orotate. My thought was that although I do not have bipolar, perhaps it could stabilize the waves of anxiety and depression that is so bad that it's beginning to affect my relationships with others, and my ability to get anything done.
I started on 5 mg. I noticed within 20 minutes of taking it, I would get very sleepy and nap for about 10-20 minutes. Then I would wake up, and feel okay. Like the situations causing the anxiety and depression were there, but I could plan on how to manage these situations. I also noticed there was a decrease in ADHD type symptoms. I was able to get up and do chores, and see them through to the end.
Other physical side effects included less chronic pain in my hips and lower back. My chronic stomach aches went away.
Now I'm getting to the negative effects.
At night, as I was trying to fall asleep, I would start dreaming immediately, as soon as I would close my eyes. Almost as if it was hallucinations. This is not normal for me. Like I'd close my eyes and see brightly colored images, and maybe a storyline would happen. But only just for a moment. Almost as if REM dreaming sleep was starting early. I would open my eyes and although I had been dreaming, only a few moments had passed.
This strange dream state happened every night. So I quit taking Lithium Orotate.
I am thinking of going on magnesium citrate instead. In micro doses it acts as a mild muscle relaxer and antianxiety medicine. But it has no psychological side effects.
I wonder if the reason that the Lithium Orotate did that to me was the fact that it works on Neurotransmitters in the brain. When I had cancer, I was put on a neurotransmitter drug (gabapentin) for nerve pain, and it caused vivid bedtime hallucinations, much stronger than anything Lithium Orotate could ever do. The Gabapentin also caused tremors that lasted long after the drug was discontinued.
So I guess my reaction is that it's a good supplement for deep mental health crises, but it's not for me. Beware if you're sensitive to neurotransmitter drugs, as this works in a similar fashion.
