XPost: sci.med.pharmacy, sci.med, sci.med.psychobiology   
   XPost: bionet.neuroscience   
   From: dalton@nfld.com   
      
   Due to gradually decreasing kidney function I will probably   
   have to switch from lithium to another mood stabilizer   
   in the near future.   I will discuss this with a kidney   
   specialist on Dec. 11 and my family doctor on Jan. 21.   
   But unfortunately my psychiatrist's office is closed   
   for an extended period due to his illness, and wait   
   times are long for other psychiatrists.   
      
   So what are the latest alternatives to lithium?   I   
   know about valproic acid/Depakote and Tegretol and   
   Lamictal.  Also someone on another newsgroup   
   suggested one beginning with t but I have misplaced   
   the piece of paper that I wrote it down on.  I   
   don't have rapid cycling.   Also in addition to   
   the lithium (at a level of 0.7--0.8) I am   
   currently on 10 mg/day of olanzapine.  My brother   
   when he went off lithium just doubled his   
   olanzapine dose but I am unwilling to do that due   
   to weight gain and diabetes issues with olanzapine,   
   plus my mental health history is different from his.   
      
   --   
   David Dalton  dalton@nfld.com   http://www.nfld.com/~dalton (home page)   
   http://www.nfld.com/~dalton/nf.html Newfoundland&Labrador Travel & Music   
   http://www.nfld.com/~dalton/dtales.html Salmon on the Thorns (mystic page)   
      "Here I go again...back into the flame" (Sarah McLachlan)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)