Lithium Testing and Supplements?

[vgorilla]

Hair test shows very low lithium, 0.004, on a range of 0.007-0.020.
Sulfer is slightly elevated.
Anyone here have any recommendations for blood lithium testing and supplements? The blood tests I see seem to be related to lithium medications. This is the cheapest I have found https://www.mymedlab.com/products/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=lithium
As far as supplements, I see different forms of orotate and aspartate.

 

[A.B.]

Lithium reduces thyroid function. I'd advise anyone with chronic fatigue to avoid it.

 

[Little Bluestem]

All forms of lithium?

 

[A.B.]

All forms of lithium?

Yes.

I've tried low dose lithium orotate for the same motivation as yours (very low lithium on hair test) and immediately felt more tired and less able to get stuff done.

It was only later that I discovered the probably cause for this.

 

[vgorilla]

Low lithium can be energizing, but not necessarily in a good way because it can lead to bipolar disorder, which can escalate if not treated.

 

[A.B.]

Low lithium can be energizing, but not necessarily in a good way because it can lead to bipolar disorder, which can escalate if not treated.

I suspect this is something psychiatrists tell bipolar patients to get them to comply with lithium treatment.

The point of lithium in bipolar disorder is to reduce thyroid function so that patient doesn't get manic and starts doing stupid things. There are links between bipolar disorder and thyroid disease, which can manifest as mania.

By the way, low hair lithium doesn't necessarily indicate a deficiency.

 

[vgorilla]

I can report now that after taking 10mg of elemental lithium in the form of lithium orotate for a few weeks, I feel much better. This is about 5-10% of a clinical dose.

 

[sensing progress]

I can report now that after taking 10mg of elemental lithium in the form of lithium orotate for a few weeks, I feel much better. This is about 5-10% of a clinical dose.

much better in what way?

 

[vgorilla]

It seemed to relieve what I think felt like adrenal fatigue. After about 3pm I would not be able to focus and just felt really icky and anxious. The lithium fixed that. I more focused, relaxed, and get more done. Really hard to explain.

 

[tyson oberle]

It seemed to relieve what I think felt like adrenal fatigue. After about 3pm I would not be able to focus and just felt really icky and anxious. The lithium fixed that. I more focused, relaxed, and get more done. Really hard to explain.

Are you still feeling better with the low dose lithium? And what about lithium blood testing or other type of testing if any have you done or have you figured out what tests would be good to do? My instincts tell me that I wouldn't trust a hair test, but I could be wrong. Also what made you decide to take lithium, was it only because of the hair test?

 

[vgorilla]

Within a couple of days of starting on 10mg lithium orortate, I felt much better, but I think that was too much for me after a few weeks I was feeling low energy. I'm going down to 5mg and see how it goes. It has a long half-life and stays in blood for a few days. I considered a blood test, but not sure if it only tests for the rx type of lithium. As these dosages, not much chance of overdosing considering the hair test had me at the very bottom of the scale.

The hair test isn't exact but it can be informative. It can be hard to say if an element is low because you body needs it or is holding on to too much of it. Here are some resources:

http://www.livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/hairtest/
http://home.earthlink.net/~moriam/HOW_TO_hair_test.html
http://www.noamalgam.com/hairtestbook.html