Bi-cycle built for two

I am cycling. It's not very regular, about every three to four hours or so. Lithium seems to cause a bit of nausea, but not other overt side-symptoms; it may have some other effects (see below) but nothing dramatic at the moment.

Pristiq, on the other hand, is a bear. I started with Lexipro in the afternoon, but wanted to change to evening so the inevitable drowsiness would help me sleep. Bedtime it is. However, within 20 minutes of taking Pristiq a mini-manic episode begins: restlessness, rapid speech, machine-gun thoughts, crazy legs - I was pacing the floor last night night because I just couldn't stay in bed. The torment usually lasts around 15-20 minutes; last night it was more like a half-hour. Maybe something to do with my still-weakened post-gastroenteritis system.

Then, every so often, it starts again, usually not as strong, usually not as long, although, as I mentioned earlier, it can be stronger than the initial effect. Maybe the stuff is staying in my stomach and the pulses eventually overlap; maybe the cycles are supposed to 'fill in the blanks', so to speck, and even out the effects eventually. But if that's the case, I'll end up hyper almost all the time. Yuck. Still, I'll give the medication a chance to work before condemning it.

In any case, a mini-cycle manic-phase event is NOT the time to find yourself with your wife deep within Home Depot looking for a replacement for a broken showerhead. I'm proud of myself, though: I bought the mid-priced showerhead, only dreamed up a half-dozen or so new projects and didn't actually buy anything else. I said "It's Ok if I just look, right?" (I was panting) and Mary reluctantly agreed, yes, as long as I didn't buy anything. I finally tore myself away from the new cabinet hardware and we made a clean getaway. I was really shaking as we walked to the checkout; I don't remember it being so exhilarating.

Here's the 'see below' part: I'm going to start watching my reactions to lithium more closely. Something was going on a few days ago, before I got sick. It may have just been my system fighting the virus, but it sorta starts to resemble lithium poisoning. I don't know how long it takes for toxicity to build up over regular doses (I read somewhere that, if you're at optimum level just one or two extra tablets can push you over the edge), but maybe that's the subject of today's research. I never heard back from Doc's nurse about my first blood tests, and they usually let me know fairly quickly about lab tests (although they sometimes flub up and never let me know), so I don't know how close to optimum I am. My next appointment is not scheduled for 2 more weeks.

Update:

Two hours later and I've gone sailing again. It only lasted a few minutes, but I had to walk around the house and wave my hands wildly (it feels good, I don't know why). Otherwise it felt just awful. God, I hate this! Manic was never like this, it never hurt before (well, there were a few times in the final few days before I started treatment...). I can't tell if it's not working, or if the cure is worse than the condition. No, scratch that: those last months were pure hell; this feels bad, but I don't think anything could feel as bad as it did then - except Blackness, which is something I need to get to in the next post or so.