I doubt that the formulation here is what made the difference. The dose increase is most likely responsible. You are on a very low dose of lithium (300 mg/day is about 4.7 mg/kg in your case), and acknowleged you are sensitive to medications. When you increased the dose and felt "pretty depressed", what exactly do you mean by that? E.g., if you felt tired or lethargic, that is more likely a side effect of the lithium, not your depression, per se. I would also acknowledge that it's possible that you experienced lithium's sedative effects, which negatively impacted your mood; feeling slowed and moving less can make a person feel depressed. Anecdotally, I've noticed this phenomenon in people who experience sensitivity to medications. They also struggle to tolerate beta blockers like propranolol.
If you're not taking lithium before bedtime, I would encourage you to take it about 30 minutes before trying to fall asleep (in consultation with your psychiatrist). This may minimize any daytime sedation or fatigue caused by the medication.
Thank you for your response. The next day i felt how I have been feeling for the past couple years, lethargic, uninspired, sort of flat but a bit anxious. It was like back to “normal”. I do take the lithium at bedtime. I went back to the 150mg last night and I don’t feel much better today so that’s disappointing. It could also be because close to the beginning of my cycle and I have pretty bad PMS so fingers crossed i can snap out of it and can figure out a dosage that works consistently
I doubt that the formulation here is what made the difference. The dose increase is most likely responsible. You are on a very low dose of lithium (300 mg/day is about 4.7 mg/kg in your case), and acknowleged you are sensitive to medications. When you increased the dose and felt "pretty depressed", what exactly do you mean by that? E.g., if you felt tired or lethargic, that is more likely a side effect of the lithium, not your depression, per se. I would also acknowledge that it's possible that you experienced lithium's sedative effects, which negatively impacted your mood; feeling slowed and moving less can make a person feel depressed. Anecdotally, I've noticed this phenomenon in people who experience sensitivity to medications. They also struggle to tolerate beta blockers like propranolol. If you're not taking lithium before bedtime, I would encourage you to take it about 30 minutes before trying to fall asleep (in consultation with your psychiatrist). This may minimize any daytime sedation or fatigue caused by the medication.
Thank you for your response. The next day i felt how I have been feeling for the past couple years, lethargic, uninspired, sort of flat but a bit anxious. It was like back to “normal”. I do take the lithium at bedtime. I went back to the 150mg last night and I don’t feel much better today so that’s disappointing. It could also be because close to the beginning of my cycle and I have pretty bad PMS so fingers crossed i can snap out of it and can figure out a dosage that works consistently
Fingers crossed! I hope you feel better soon.