Lithium isn't so bad as psych meds go. The trickiest thing is getting the blood levels into the right place which can also help with the most common side effects.

My experience:

1. The time release lithium made my side effects worse than the plain old lithium carbonate capsules. The only real difference is you need to remember to take the capsules 2 or 3 times a day as opposed to the time release. This goes against common sense which would seem to indicate the time release would have less side effects. Not true for me. Big time.

2. You need to get the blood level right. The have this magic number of parts per unit of blood that is supposed to be the therapeutic range. Lazy clinicians simply go for that number and if it is under that they make you take more. (over that and it is toxic). I take lithium in combination with some other meds and haven't needed that high a dose. This minimizes the side effects.

3. Side effects: diarrhea - that's about the only side effect I personally experienced and it went away when I switched to the plain old lithium carbonae capsules. Maybe weight gain, but I think that has more to do with my personal habits than actually taking Lithium. Watch your diet and keep a tab on how much you weigh.

Give it a little time so you can work out the adjustments. I hope it works well for you.