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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by CareBear04 on January 14, 2005, at 17:07:32
hey hey,
has anyone had this with meds?once, when i was on 1800mg of lithium, i drank everything in sight and went to the bathroom more times than ever before. i think i retained water balance, though, because i was drinking enough to make up for what i lost.
when i looked up polyuria and lithium, almost everything talked about diabetes insipidus and long-term lithium treatment. i've only this week restarted lithium at 450mg, so i'm neither on a high-dose or have been on constant lithium for something like 15 years. i can't imagine that i have DI, but i'm worried by how much water i'm losing. i haven't had an increase in thirst to make up for it. even though i'm not drinking much, my urine is really dilute instead of concentrated. and yesterday, i could definitely feel dehydration, mostly in dizziness and especially dizziness getting up from lying down or standing.
is there any explanation for why 2-3 days of lithium at a low dose could cause this problem? i've been kinda volume depleted for awhile to begin with. how long before this problem becomes a serious problem?would really love any feedback. please let me know. thanks!
Posted by ed_uk on January 14, 2005, at 18:28:33
In reply to excessive peeing-- pretty big concern, posted by CareBear04 on January 14, 2005, at 17:07:32
Hello cb,
From Martindale.....
'Polyuria with associated polydipsia(exessive thirst/drinking), due to drug-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, is the most common result of the effects of lithium on the kidney; an early review stated that the incidence ranged from 4 to 50%. In some patients, irreversible kidney damage, associated with renal histological changes that included tubular atrophy, focal interstitial nephropathy and focal fibrosis, and impairment of glomerular filtration rate, was reported. However, although patients on long-term maintenance lithium therapy did appear to be susceptible to the development of progressive impairment of urinary concentrating ability it was most noticeable in patients with a history of acute lithium toxicity. The risk of renal damage and impaired glomerular filtration rate was thought to be extremely small in patients on stable maintenance lithium therapy without prior episodes of acute lithium intoxication.
A similar review considered that, although it was necessarily an oversimplified view, many, and perhaps all, of the renal side-effects of lithium were induced by excessive dosage. Others have also defended lithium with respect to its renal toxicity and stated that long-term therapy, if properly controlled, does not necessarily lead to chronic or irreversible renal damage.'
Ed.
Posted by prodgirl on January 14, 2005, at 18:49:19
In reply to excessive peeing-- pretty big concern, posted by CareBear04 on January 14, 2005, at 17:07:32
CB04-
When I first started Lithium, I couldn't leave my apartment, I peed that often. I am on 1500mg, and it has gotten better, but still more than normal. Bottomline, horrible with the onset. Give it a week and you will be spending more time online and out of the bathroom :)
prodgirl
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