Lithium is a mood stabilizer and can assist to deal with or protect against mania. It can also be utilized to minimize the regularity of clinical depression episodes.
Take this drug as directed by your physician. It is necessary to drink lots of liquids while taking this medication. Lithium may communicate with certain medicines that influence serotonin (such as antidepressants, SSRIs, MAO inhibitors). Inform your medical professional about every one of your drugs.
State of mind Problems
Lithium is frequently made use of to treat bipolar disorder, a mental disease that causes really fast changes between the severe moods of clinical depression and mania. Bipolar disorder can make it tough to live a normal life and can create major troubles in relationships, job or school. Lithium assists to prevent these severe mood modifications and lowers the seriousness of clinical depression and mania.
The early researches of lithium at Glostrup Psychiatric Hospital in the 1960s and 1970s offered persuading evidence that it can minimize the regularity of hospitalizations for clinical depression (38 ). Baastrup and Schou's placebo-controlled discontinuance study was particularly vital since it revealed that patients fell back on sugar pill but out lithium (39 ).
Your medical professional will examine your blood levels on a regular basis to make sure you are taking the right quantity of lithium. It is essential to consume a lot of fluids while taking this medicine. Your medical professional may suggest a low-sodium diet regimen while you are taking this medication.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Lithium is a mineral so soft you can suffice with a blade and so light it floats on water. It is located normally in the environment, with research studies connecting reduced levels of it to emotional and psychological illness and violent criminal offense. The mineral was included in sodas in the 1960s, where it brightened moods and assisted individuals concentrate and concentrate-- thus the name, 7-Up.
Lithium minimizes mania by raising the action of an enzyme that regulates neurotransmitters, reducing glutamate degrees, and assisting to stabilize other chemicals in the mind. It has additionally been shown to have antidepressant results and enhance rest, irritability, aggressiveness, and stress and anxiety in ADHD people.
People taking lithium needs to have routine blood examinations to keep track of degrees-- too high can be hazardous. It is important to allow medical professionals understand about various other medications and supplements taken, as some can connect with it. Tell your physician if you have looseness of the bowels, vomiting, sleepiness, tremors, weakness, unstable walking, or fainting (particularly after workout). Use efficient contraception to avoid maternity while taking this medicine.
Hyperthyroidism.
Lithium might be made use of as a short-term treatment for over active thyroid glands (hyperthyroidism). This is especially crucial if the person has Graves illness or various other autoimmune problems like thyroiditis or Hashimoto's illness. Lithium prevents the launch of thyroid hormone by blocking iodine uptake at the thyroid gland with the sodium-iodide symporter and by hindering tyrosine iodination. [9] Lithium also prevents thyrotropin-releasing hormonal agent (TRH) stimulation and decreases the manufacturing of thyroxine from tyrosine in the thyroid gland. [10] However, lithium usage might lead to hypothyroidism and a goiter in some clients. [11] For this reason, constant assessment of thyroid function examinations and dimension is advised in clients on lithium therapy.
It is very important to review the advantages and risks of this medicine with your physician prior to beginning it. It is additionally important to avoid products low in sodium (salt) while taking this medication and beverage sufficient liquids. If you have any kind of troubles, call your doctor or the emergency department right now.
Epilepsy.
The anticonvulsant impacts of lithium are well developed from both professional and experimental research studies. It is very important to keep in mind that in comparison to a couple of primitive clinical reports and the lithium-pilocarpine animal model, a number of recent studies demonstrate that lithium in therapeutic levels does not decrease the seizure threshold but actually lowers the threshold for seizure occurrence.
This is thought to be due to the fact that lithium enhances cholinergic activity, inhibits phosphoinositide metabolism and GSK-3b signalling. It also reduces glutamate excitotoxicity by increasing NMDA receptor agonist-evoked apoptotic currents and enhances the endogenous nitric oxide synthase activity in nerve cells [36]
Lithium is well tolerated by the majority of people with bipolar illness, yet it has a dual diagnosis treatment programs few side effects that must be thought about. These consist of a decreased capability to concentrate urine (nephrogenic diabetes insipidus) and an increase in the concentration of lithium in the blood (lithium toxicity). It is therefore really vital to follow your medical professional's directions regarding having regular blood tests.
