Lithium is a mood stabilizer and can assist to deal with or prevent mania. It can additionally be used to decrease the frequency of clinical depression episodes.
Take this medicine as directed by your physician. It is important to consume plenty of fluids while taking this medication. Lithium may connect with certain medicines that impact serotonin (such as antidepressants, SSRIs, MAO inhibitors). Tell your medical professional concerning every one of your medications.
Mood Problems
Lithium is often used to deal with bipolar illness, a mental illness that creates really fast shifts between the extreme state of minds of clinical depression and mania. Bipolar illness can make it difficult to live a typical life and can trigger serious problems in relationships, work or school. Lithium helps to prevent these severe state of mind adjustments and lowers the severity of depression and mania.
The very early researches of lithium at Glostrup Psychiatric Hospital in the 1960s and 1970s given persuading evidence that it can minimize the regularity of hospital stays for depression (38 ). Baastrup and Schou's placebo-controlled discontinuance research study was specifically vital due to the fact that it revealed that clients slipped back on sugar pill but not on lithium (39 ).
Your doctor will inspect your blood degrees on a regular basis to make sure you are taking the right quantity of lithium. It is important to drink plenty of fluids while taking this medicine. Your physician might advise a low-sodium diet plan while you are taking this medicine.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD).
Lithium is a mineral so soft you can cut it with a blade therefore light it drifts on water. It is located naturally in the environment, with research studies linking low degrees of it to psychological and psychological illness and terrible criminal offense. The mineral was added to soft drinks in the 1960s, where it brightened moods and aided people concentrate and focus-- for this reason the name, 7-Up.
Lithium lowers mania by increasing the activity of an enzyme that manages natural chemicals, lowering glutamate degrees, and helping to stabilize various other chemicals in the brain. It has additionally been revealed to have antidepressant effects and improve rest, irritability, aggressiveness, and stress and anxiety in ADHD individuals.
Individuals taking lithium ought to have regular blood tests to keep an eye on degrees-- too high can be poisonous. It is very important to let doctors learn about various other medications and supplements taken, as some can connect with it. Tell your medical professional if you have looseness of the bowels, vomiting, sleepiness, tremblings, weakness, unsteady strolling, or fainting (especially after workout). Use effective birth control to avoid pregnancy while taking this medication.
Hyperthyroidism.
Lithium may be used as a short-term treatment for over active thyroid glands (hyperthyroidism). This is specifically essential if the person has Graves disease or other autoimmune problems like thyroiditis or Hashimoto's condition. Lithium prevents the release of thyroid hormonal agent by obstructing iodine uptake at the thyroid gland via the sodium-iodide symporter and by hindering tyrosine iodination. [9] Lithium likewise prevents thyrotropin-releasing hormonal agent (TRH) excitement and lowers the production of thyroxine from tyrosine in the thyroid gland. [10] However, lithium use might cause hypothyroidism and a goiter in some individuals. [11] For this reason, regular examination of thyroid function examinations and dimension is recommended in patients on lithium treatment.
It is essential to review the benefits and threats of this medicine with your doctor prior to beginning it. It is also vital to prevent products reduced in salt (salt) while taking this medicine and beverage sufficient liquids. If you have any kind of issues, call your medical professional or the emergency department right away.
Epilepsy.
The anticonvulsant results of lithium are well established from both scientific and speculative researches. It is important to keep in mind that in contrast to a few primitive professional records and the lithium-pilocarpine pet model, a variety of current research studies demonstrate that lithium in restorative degrees does not reduce the seizure threshold yet in fact reduces the threshold for seizure occurrence.
This is believed to be because of the truth that lithium increases cholinergic task, hinders phosphoinositide metabolic rate and GSK-3b signalling. It substance abuse counseling likewise reduces glutamate excitotoxicity by raising NMDA receptor agonist-evoked apoptotic currents and improves the endogenous nitric oxide synthase task in neurons [36]
Lithium is well tolerated by the majority of people with bipolar disorder, however it has a couple of negative effects that must be taken into account. These consist of a minimized ability to concentrate pee (nephrogenic diabetes mellitus insipidus) and an increase in the concentration of lithium in the blood (lithium poisoning). It is for that reason extremely vital to follow your doctor's directions regarding having regular blood tests.
