Well That Explains It

I'm currently recovering from a go-round with lithium and just now found...after watching my thyroid levels, along with my energy and cognitive abilities, plummet through the floor...this informative article. Which presents the staggering realization that I could have avoided most of the past months's mess had this information had been more readily available.

Of particular note:

Red Blood Cell (RBC)/Serum Lithium Ratio

"The distribution of lithium across cellular membranes is controlled by several membrane transport and countertransport mechanisms (7). Among these, the sodium- lithium countertransport system appears to play a particularly pivotal role. The status of this membrane transport system is clearly under genetic control and is strongly associated with the risk for hypertension (81). This system also is significantly less active in African-Americans and African Blacks than in Caucasians, which might contribute to the higher prevalence of hypertension among Blacks (7). More recent studies have shown that, in addition to its hemodynamic implications, ethnic variability in the activity of this system also leads to significant differences in the RBC/serum lithium ratio (59, 60, 77). This ratio is likely correlated with the intracellular concentration of lithium, which might have important meaning not only in terms of the genetic control of cell membrane permeability to lithium, but also in terms of the clinical and side effects of lithium. Thus, the difference between Blacks and other ethnic groups in the RBC/serum lithium ratio might have important clinical significance. Such a possibility has been recently demonstrated by a study conducted by our group; this study revealed that significant differences in the lithium ratio exist between African-American and Caucasian bipolar patients, and it further demonstrated a higher rate of central nervous system (CNS)-related side effects in African-American patients, suggesting that the higher lithium ratio in this group might indeed lead to higher central toxicity (77). "

Emphasises mine.

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding!!!!!!!

This response to a letter from a lady posted on Salon contains the textual description of what my brain refused to do in the midst of the worst of last years depression.

"And never do you let the coming year rise up like a monstrous wave and crush you with unimaginable tedium. Never do you let the dread sink in until you feel cold and dead inside; if you find yourself staring into the abyss you switch seats and think of ice cream. "

For some reason, the ability to see the present day and only the present day, to limit the perspective to the future 24 hours only was completely gone. Which would have been fine if I had been planning for retirement or buying a house 24-7 but I wasn't, which means that the coming years until eternity were rising up like multiple tsunamis and pounding me under the ground.

Incidently, I like Salon very much.