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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

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Exp 50 years

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Can Taking Lithium Lead To Weight Gain?

I take lithium 300mg once daily and 600mg at night.. For awhile i have been complaining of weight gain, thirsty constantly, these thingss have been excused, But recently i have been having chest pains, i also have mvp, Can the Lithium be causing my chest pains? Im a 40yr old female, 5'5 180lbs, was 150 before Lithium, I suffer from anxiety and depression due to childhood trauma.
posted on Fri, 14 Mar 2014
Twitter Thu, 18 Dec 2014 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 18 Dec 2014 Last reviewed on
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Dietitian & Nutritionist,  's  Response
Lithium is like two different medications: low doses are pretty easy to manage and produce few side effects. High doses are tricky to manage, require close monitoring to stay safe, and can cause side effects which make people want to consider alternative treatments.
Weight gain can occur with lithium. At first almost everyone will gain a few pounds as their body hangs on to more water (salt effect). Some people can continue to gain weight, though. This is much less of a problem with lithium than with valproate, both in how often it happens and how much weight is gained. Usually at this point we will switch medications, but some people can control the weight issue with regular exercise, wise eating, and avoiding alcohol entirely -- all good health habits anyway.
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Can Taking Lithium Lead To Weight Gain?

Lithium is like two different medications: low doses are pretty easy to manage and produce few side effects. High doses are tricky to manage, require close monitoring to stay safe, and can cause side effects which make people want to consider alternative treatments. Weight gain can occur with lithium. At first almost everyone will gain a few pounds as their body hangs on to more water (salt effect). Some people can continue to gain weight, though. This is much less of a problem with lithium than with valproate, both in how often it happens and how much weight is gained. Usually at this point we will switch medications, but some people can control the weight issue with regular exercise, wise eating, and avoiding alcohol entirely -- all good health habits anyway.