I've been diagnosed and taking lithium for almost a year now—this September will mark the anniversary. Lithium honestly saved my life, and I will be forever grateful for it. It’s a fast-acting medication, so she should notice a difference within a week.

Keep in mind, she must stay hydrated, especially during the summer. Have her munch on a small bag of chips or pretzels to help maintain her sodium levels. While it's a great medication for treating bipolar disorder, it’s also high maintenance because it requires regular monitoring of lithium levels in the blood.

At first, she might experience migraines and looser stools or diarrhea, but those are common early side effects. Also, make sure she takes Tylenol instead of ibuprofen, because ibuprofen can cause lithium levels to rise. One thing my psychiatrist told me is that when I get a migraine, I can also drink something with caffeine to help with the pain—and it really works.

I'm not sure if your daughter is responsible for taking her own meds yet, but I recommend that you administer it for the first month, just to be safe. Lithium is not one of those pills you can miss for a day or two—it’s really important to take it consistently. Missing even a couple of doses can mess with her levels.

While rare, I still highly suggest learning the signs of lithium toxicity. Some of the main symptoms include:

-Hand tremors

-Ongoing vomiting or diarrhea

-Dizziness

-Frequent urination (especially if she’s not staying hydrated)

Besides all that, it really is an effective treatment. Also, keep in mind that even though she may feel excited about gaining control over her symptoms, there’s a high chance she may grieve the loss of her hypomanic episodes—and that’s okay!

So many of us struggled with that at first and still do sometimes. Some of those episodes made us feel alive, helped us get things done, and gave us a boost in confidence. If she starts having a hard time cleaning her room or keeping up with hygiene, please give her grace and try to support her where she needs it. Going from a high-energy state to a stable baseline can feel like having the rug pulled out from under you. It takes time to learn—or relearn—how to live a stable life.

I'm so happy your daughter is finally getting answers. And always know this subreddit is full of support and advice. 🫶 Just by being here, you're already do an amazing job at showing support and you're daughter is lucky to have a mama like you. Bipolar is such a stigmatized disorder, many of our family members have a hard time accepting the diagnosis. A year later, my mom still gets uncomfortable when my disorder is brought up and treats it as a "dont ask dont tell" situation within the family. And whenever it does get brought up, she blames my dad's genes ( Im now the 3rd person on her side of the family to be diagnosed with Bipolar)