XPost: sci.med.psychobiology, sci.med.pharmacy, alt.support.kidney-disease   
   From: nomail@thnx.com   
      
   On Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:41:09 -0330, David Dalton    
   wrote:   
      
   >I met with my new psychiatrist Dr. Gordon Noseworthy   
   >this afternoon.   
   >   
   >My EKG was normal, my uric acid is slightly above normal, and   
   >my hemoglobin is slightly below normal.   My kidney tests   
   >were about where they have been for the last few months:   
   >creatinine 167  eGFR 38  compared to last time's   
   >creatinine 172 eGFR 37, so the abstaining from alcohol   
   >for a few weeks had little or no effect (but I plan   
   >to stick to my limit of two pints twice a week).   
   >   
   >Last time he said he was leaning towards Abilify so I was   
   >prepared to argue for Epival.   But he said he had   
   >talked with his pharmacologist and that person had   
   >recommended Epival, with a backup of asenapine (another   
   >atypical antipsychotic), not Abilify.   
   >   
   >So he is switching me from lithium to Epival but   
   >leaving me on olanzapine.   However he is leaving   
   >me on lithium until I reach a desired blood level   
   >of valproic acid.  He put me on a relatively small   
   >dose of 500 mg Epival/day to start, and after at   
   >least ten days on that I will get blood tests, and   
   >then Iwill see him again on March 13, when depending   
   >on the valproic acid blood test he may tell me   
   >to start gradually coming off the lithium, or   
   >he may have to increase the Epival a bit first.   
      
   Well that's good news then and it is certainly progress. Don't be   
   tempted to go back to the safety of the devil you know as you know for   
   sure it will destroy you. It wont be easy but it will certainly be   
   possible for you to change if you give it what it deserves.   
      
   Two pints a week of *normal* beer is probably OK so I wouldn't sweat   
   it. The damage occurs over years not days. As with most bad things,   
   which is probably why we often fail to appreciate the connection.   
      
   I have no idea what those drugs are and you should thoroughly research   
   them in the context of your own condition so that you are aware of   
   potential problems.   
      
   Good Luck.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)