Lithium for bipolar II disorder discussions

So, I've got bipolar II and have had five depressions and some hypomania since I turned 20, now that's over 70 years ago or something crazy like that. But you know what? Desppite all of this, I managed to rack up a good honours degree in Science and even two postgraduate management diplomas in Business/HR too, which is pretty cool if you ask me. Honestly, it's kind of amazing how people can still function with serious mntal haelth stuff like bipolar.

I've had therapy and taken meds throughout my life to keep things manageable. A few years ago-seven or so-I got put on lithium, which is a powerful mood stabilizer and antipsychotic. The doc said this was the gold standard for treating bipolar, and you know what? It's true because it really does kick in faster than any other meds out there.

But,oh man, there's a downside to all of that. The side effects are no joke-shaking hands, peeing more often than you'd like, weight gain, water retention throughout your body, and just generally feeling kind of off but not depressed. There's also the risk of kidney damage, which means I had to get blood tests done all the time to keep an eye on things.

Lithium was discovered way back in the 1950s, and it's a bit concerning that we're still using such an old medication today. Fortunately, they switched me over to lamotrigine, which has been just as effective but without any of those serious side effects yet. It's like night and day compared to lithium, i mean honestly, it's so much better for my body overall