Les Croupiers Running Club Forum

Disclaimer- I have no medical expertise or qualifications. This post is based on personal experience and facts picked up from books and online. It is wise to see a GP before making any big medical decisions! I hope however that some benefit can be gained by someone from reading it and others might gain some insight. This post will also have numerous spelling errors.

Life After Lithium

I have Bipolar and it can complicate life a bit. I have been on Lithium therapy for 24 years now and have felt that enough is enough!

Why stop?

I am convinced that taking Lithium has had an impact on my running although how much is hard to quantify. I suspect that when I ran the 10 mile handicap at the beginning of the year the levels were perhaps a bit high in hindsight. These perhaps dropped and continued to rise and unfortunatly became toxic by the time the Castles came around. My six monthly test did not cover me for this.

Lithium has already destroyed my thyroid functionality which is no serious hardship just a pill a day. After 20 years of use there is also a risk of kidney cysts and possible dialysis! I feel I need to quit while I am ahead. Doctors will not warn you about these things. I have read many first hand accounts from people.

I would ocasionaly feel sluggish and running would inexpicably feel more difficult. How could you possibly know when this was affecting performance? I do know when toxic levels were reversed the difference was astonishingly dramatic!

Were levels at a theraputic dose impacting on my running? I think it is very possible a loss of performace could have been occuring without me even knowing it. I feel the only way to see how bad is to get fully fit off of it and see what can be acheived.

After 24 years on the drug I decided to stop taking it 3 months ago. The last time I tried to come off of it about 8 years ago I experienced quite a fierce bout of Hypomania which bordered on mania before I took corrective action. This time I have more experience and know how to manage things better plus a few tools at my disposal.

The risks

Coming off of Lithium in my case tends to make me "Hypomanic" over time. I could best descibe this as the oposite of being depressed. I dont get depressed possibly because of disposition or by how I manage the condition or both. The risk is that it steps up to "Mania" this is when you have actually lost touch with reality.

Hypomania

includes symptoms like:

A distinct period of persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood
Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
Decreased need for sleep
More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
Distractibility
Increase in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation
Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences

In order for the mood to be considered manic, these symptoms must cause a “marked impairment in… functioning… or relationships with others, or to necessitate hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features”

Things to avoid

Alchohol

Limited to special ocasions is aceptable but in my case it is only safe to indulge every few months. This can excassibate symptoms rapidly if done too often!

Not sleeping

Sleep is fundamental to fighting an elevated mood. Ironicaly insomnia is a symtom of hypomania and can send symptoms spiralling out of control!

Stress

You have to develop a thick skin and learn to shrug things off. Stress can quickly help fire up symptoms of hypomania and depression!

Things to do

Mindfulness

It is a huge benefit to be aware of yourself and your interaction with others. It is important to recognise what other people think of you and to know whether you should care or not.

Exercise

Running regularly for me eliminates depression completely and helps to calm and stave off Hypomania. It is of HUGE benefit in fighting Bipolar! The benefits cannot be stated highly enough!

Herbal Treatments

Valerian- Increases Gaba levels in the brain which are known to deplete in hypomania. It can calm and aid sleep which is vital.

Kava or kava-kava (Piper methysticum-Similar to Valerian but it has a more complex and dramatic drug like effect. It is also said to increase Gaba levels and it aids sleep. Scientific studies lend heaps of weight to its "anti anxiety" benefits. Good quality rest is also a benefit to athletic recovery.

Caution needs to be taken here. Root Powder only from noble Kava and in sensible short term amounts is advisable, ie a couple of sleepless nights.

There have been reports of liver failure but only 14 known cases and all in the western world and all linked to taking non noble and ethanol extracted kava, plus likely taken with alchohol or other drugs.

You wouldnt mindlesly take valium with 10 pints and a handful of pills would you? This herb is a natural drug and demands respect.

American sales topped 50million up until 1998 when the fda started making unfounded claims. Germany has recently overturned a ban on Kava and people have used it medicinally and socially instead of alchohol for hundreds of years with only minor side effects in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Marquesan, Vanatu, and pohnpei.

Is it the right thing to do?

Without jumping into "conspiracy theories" Doctors are biased and aim to tackle your symtoms with tablets and move you on. A natural holistic approach that manages and tackles the condition at its source is surely better. They wont always warn you about serious complications and do not always know best!

Sure it is recomended that you cut down treatment over a period of time to reduce the risks of relapse. I want this out of my system so can get on with my life and I believe I can suceed here. Coming off this drug is not for everyone and could cause you some serious problems! It requires dicipline and careful Management every step of the way!

For me personaly besides potentialy ruining my running it takes something away from me. It is difficult to put into words and perhaps impossible for me in my position to make a perfectly accurate acessment of what it does. Sometimes you have to go with your gut and do what you think is best for you.

It is worth noting that all of my PB's were acheived on 800mg I was since put on 1200mg and have not had a PB since.

If one person can benefit from my experiences then I feel it is worth putting them out there. Too many men have become statistics by not facing up to or being open about their problems. I say men because its men in particular but could involve women too!

If you think you cant be a productive member of society if you have Bipolar, Mozart, Behthoven, Isaac Newton, Picasso, Albert Einstein, Christopher Columbus, Learnado da Vinci and Michael Angelo had it to name but a few, in fact the list of famous suffers is quite staggering and inspiring.

Dont stop believing!

lyndon,

I've always admired your honesty.

Now, does this also mean you will at the club every Thursday again ? your missed. I'm away this Tuesday but will be back in a week for reps too..

Glad to see your back doing events at the club.

James the Bruce

I echo Gwen. It takes bravery to be honest about mental health problems and I wish you luck in your journey to good mental health.

I'm pretty sure Paul Merton has bipolar disorder, so you can add him to your list. Good luck in your efforts to manage things without Lithium.

Alan

Good luck Lyndon, I guess it won't be easy but if you keep up the healthy lifestyle I guess you will make it easier. All good things in moderation and you might get a few more pbs before the natural decline in running performance that we all have to adjust to.