Background: I have diagnosed anxiety and panic attacks that started during adolescence after a traumatic upbringing. I can struggle with racing thoughts, insomnia, irritability and constant fatigue due to the toll anxiety takes on my nervous system. I also have some symptoms similar to OCD and complex PTSD. I become hypervigilant in situations that trigger me. I have social anxiety even with my own spouse, who is a supportive and kind person.

Dose: I am 26F, clocking in at about 5'7"/120 lbs. No prescription meds. I am active, a breastfeeding mom, and have a strong metabolism. I am taking 10mg of Mitolife lithium orotate as needed rather than daily. I take it in the morning with food and water, and my other supplements.

Positive effects: For the first hour, I feel no noticeable changes. Then once it begins to metabolize around the beginning of hour 2, my senses are slightly dulled. My racing thoughts, adrenaline rushes and sense of urgency cease. I don't feel euphoric, or sad, I just feel neutral in a good way. I can actually take a deep breath, and enjoy conversation, my sense of humor comes out and I can still perform my normal duties/responsibilities as a parent. I can streamline tasks easier because I'm able to prioritize what is actually the most important, rather than just running around stress-cleaning, lol. I can voice my needs with my spouse and not feel afraid to do so. I wind down easier at night on days that I take it.

Negative effects: I experience dry mouth, and a slight headache. I increase my water intake on days I take lithium to counteract this. For the first 3~ hours, I wouldn't feel comfortable driving. I believe my reaction time would be inhibited. Around the 4th hour, the effects even out for me, and I'd feel comfortable driving if needed. I have a general haziness/fogginess throughout the day. My fine motor skills seem slightly reduced.

General takeaway: I am happy I have this in my toolbox. I know there is a stigma surrounding lithium, but at this low of a dose, with occasional use, I would say it is generally safe. I feel comfortable using it as needed. Especially if you have no health contraindications and don't take prescriptions/supplements which are known to interact with lithium. I am also seeing a professional therapist in conjunction with taking lithium orotate.

Thank you for reading. I hope this helps someone!

Edit: For those worried, here is a small but high quality study on breastfeeding mothers taking 850-1200mg of lithium, and the effects it had on their infants.

https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/ajp.2007.164.2.342#d4131401e1

I'm taking 10mg and my child is 30lbs and mainly relies on solid food, so I've weighed the risks and decided my health as a parent will add to the health of my child.