[caz23]

I have just started taking Lithium (400mg) last thursday and I'm a little confused about how often my levels should be checked.

When I asked my psych he very casually just said to have a blood test in "around a week". So I called my GP to sort it out and she said she'd normally test after two weeks, but would do it after a week (so today) because of what my psych said. So, fine, I've had my first test, that's cool.

But this is where I'm getting a little confused. She (my GP) said that I might have to have another test the next time she sees me depending on the results of this one. Now thats in a month. All of the things that I have read about Lithium, including the PIL that came with my medication, say that you should have a blood test on a weekly basis until you are on the correct dosage and it's 'stable' or whatever.

So, who's right and who's wrong?! I mean, I don't want to doubt my psych and GP, and that's possibly part of the problem here. I don't relish the thought of having a blood test every week, but at the same time I don't want to end up being ill because the levels are too high or it being ineffective because the levels are too low.

Argh, so confused! Sorry this is quite long but if anyone could give me some advice on this one I would be very grateful!

Thank you