Just got out of crisis and lithium

[manic_felinemistress]

I spent four days in a mental hospital after being basically forced into admission. I was suicidal and self harming. I feel better now, but I'm very edgy.
Anything makes me cry.
For instance, my boyfriend suggested we watch a happy movie, so he put on Totoro, because I had never seen it before. I started crying when the girl went missing.
My psychiatrist wants to put me on Lithium, but I'm hesitant, that just sounds terrifying to me due to its reputation. Also, I'm a sculptor, I work with dangerous tools. I can't be a zombie. I could accidentally hurt myself or others while welding or using power tools or something.
Aside from that I'm a full time college student, I can't afford to have less energy than I do now. My medication cocktail is already pretty intense. I feel like if I have some time to just stabilize I'll be good, or maybe not. But I'm hopeful.
I'm currently on 150 Effexor XR in the morning and 75 mg at night, 400 mg Lamictal once at night, 400 mg Zonegran at night, 10 mg Abilify at night, and 0.25 Clonazpam three times a day.
He didn't really say if he'd reduce my doses of anything else or just add the Lithium. I don't know. I just heard "Lithium" and immediately said "no".
Maybe I should be more open to it?
What have your experiences been?
What were the circumstances and what was your state at the time you were prescribed it?
What were the side effects? Did it help?
I just want to be stable again.

[Ballerina123]

The side effects I got on lithium were shaky hands and excessive thirst. I didn't get tired on it but still had to take it at night because of the blood tests.
It did help with my highs but had no affect on low mood. I still got sectioned for low mood on 1200mg

Honesty you sound a little over medicated to me. When i was over medicated I was in a worse state. It's sounds like you need to talk to your doc about how adding lithium would help if the other meds are not preventing relapse.

[Doikers]

I also get Hand Tremors and am very thirsty indeed .
When I was put on it I was inpatient and they very slowly increased the dose at 10pm and blood tested me every morning at 10am until I was at the theraputic dose which is between .6 and .7 of something they tell me. It helps me with low moods but I also take Duloxetine, Diaz, Olanzapine and Buspirone so it's hard to know what is really helping.

[Ktulu]

I was put on lithium as an inpatient when I was first diagnosed with bipolar. I haven't really had any side effects, or none that I can remember. I've been on it over 5 years. It is very effective at treating my highs but not great at the lows. It hasn't made be a zombie or made me tired. I am a full time student nurse with a 4.1GPA and work 24hrs at the weekend. I wouldn't be able to do this without lithium.