Lithium is a mood stabilizer and can help to deal with or avoid mania. It can additionally be utilized to decrease the frequency of clinical depression episodes.
Take this drug as routed by your doctor. It is essential to consume a lot of liquids while taking this medication. Lithium may communicate with specific medications that impact serotonin (such as antidepressants, SSRIs, MAO preventions). Inform your medical professional concerning every one of your drugs.
Mood Disorders
Lithium is frequently utilized to deal with bipolar affective disorder, a mental disorder that triggers extremely quick changes in between the severe state of minds of anxiety and mania. Bipolar affective disorder can make it difficult to live a typical life and can trigger severe issues in connections, job or institution. Lithium assists to avoid these severe state of mind modifications and reduces the intensity of anxiety and mania.
The very early research studies of lithium at Glostrup Psychiatric Hospital in the 1960s and 1970s supplied persuading evidence that it can decrease the frequency of hospitalizations for depression (38 ). Baastrup and Schou's placebo-controlled discontinuance study was particularly essential since it showed that clients relapsed on placebo but not on lithium (39 ).
Your medical professional will certainly examine your blood degrees consistently to see to it you are taking the proper quantity of lithium. It is very important to consume lots of fluids while taking this medicine. Your doctor might advise a low-sodium diet plan while you are taking this medication.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD).
Lithium is a mineral so soft you can cut it with a knife therefore light it drifts on water. It is discovered naturally in the environment, with studies linking reduced degrees of it to emotional and mental health problems and violent criminal activity. The mineral was included in sodas in the 1960s, where it brightened moods and helped individuals concentrate and concentrate-- hence the name, 7-Up.
Lithium reduces mania by raising the activity of an enzyme that controls neurotransmitters, decreasing glutamate degrees, and assisting to balance other chemicals in the mind. It has actually also been shown to have antidepressant results and enhance sleep, irritability, aggressiveness, and anxiousness in ADHD clients.
People taking lithium should have normal blood tests to keep track of degrees-- expensive can be harmful. It is important to allow physicians learn about other drugs and supplements taken, as some can communicate with it. Tell your medical professional if you have diarrhea, vomiting, sleepiness, tremblings, weakness, unstable walking, or fainting (specifically after workout). Use reliable contraception to avoid maternity while taking this medicine.
Hyperthyroidism.
Lithium may be made use of as a short-term treatment for over active thyroid glands (hyperthyroidism). This is especially important if the individual has Graves condition or various other autoimmune conditions like thyroiditis or Hashimoto's condition. Lithium inhibits the launch of thyroid hormone by obstructing iodine uptake at the thyroid gland with the sodium-iodide symporter and by interfering with tyrosine iodination. [9] Lithium additionally prevents thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) depression treatment stimulation and decreases the manufacturing of thyroxine from tyrosine in the thyroid gland. [10] However, lithium usage may cause hypothyroidism and a goiter in some clients. [11] Hence, regular assessment of thyroid feature tests and dimension is encouraged in people on lithium therapy.
It is necessary to go over the benefits and dangers of this medication with your physician before beginning it. It is also crucial to avoid items low in salt (salt) while taking this medicine and drink sufficient fluids. If you have any kind of issues, call your medical professional or the emergency division immediately.
Epilepsy.
The anticonvulsant results of lithium are well established from both professional and experimental researches. It is essential to keep in mind that in contrast to a couple of primitive clinical reports and the lithium-pilocarpine pet model, a variety of recent research studies show that lithium in therapeutic levels does not lower the seizure threshold however really decreases the threshold for seizure incident.
This is believed to be due to the truth that lithium increases cholinergic activity, hinders phosphoinositide metabolism and GSK-3b signalling. It likewise lowers glutamate excitotoxicity by increasing NMDA receptor agonist-evoked apoptotic currents and improves the endogenous nitric oxide synthase task in neurons [36]
Lithium is well tolerated by most people with bipolar affective disorder, yet it has a couple of side effects that need to be thought about. These include a minimized capacity to concentrate urine (nephrogenic diabetes mellitus insipidus) and an increase in the concentration of lithium in the blood (lithium toxicity). It is consequently very essential to follow your medical professional's instructions regarding having routine blood examinations.
