Lithium is a mood stabilising medicine used to treat certain mental illnesses, such as: mania (feeling highly excited, overactive or distracted) hypomania (like mania, but less severe) bipolar disorder, where your mood changes between feeling very high (mania) and very low (depression)
Descriptions. Lithium is used to treat mania that is part of bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness). It is also used on a daily basis to reduce the frequency and severity of manic episodes.
They're used for the treatment of mania and depression. Although lithium is mostly used to treat bipolar disorder, it's also sometimes used to treat schizophrenia.
Adopted by modern psychiatry in 1949, lithium has mainly been considered a treatment for bipolar disorder, mania, and hypomania. Lithium has also been used as an augmentation treatment for depression.
It has the lowest density of all metals. It reacts vigorously with water. The most important use of lithium is in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and electric vehicles. Lithium is also used in some non-rechargeable batteries for things like heart pacemakers, toys and clocks.
People use lithium supplements for alcohol use disorder, Alzheimer disease, depression, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support any of these uses. Lithium carbonate and lithium citrate are approved by the U.S. FDA as prescription drugs for bipolar disorder.
Lithium and its compounds have several industrial applications, including heat-resistant glass and ceramics, lithium grease lubricants, flux additives for iron, steel and aluminium production, lithium metal batteries, and lithium-ion batteries.
The reputation that lithium got for being "toxic," "mind numbing," and so forth, certainly those things have an element of truth to them. But they come from earlier studies where people were kept at a much higher doses and blood levels of lithium.
It has long been known that lithium has toxic effects on the thyroid gland and the kidneys. The thyroid toxicity, caused primarily by lithium's interference with thyroid hormones' release from the gland (19) affects up to 19% of treated patients (20).
“Based on the research conducted on this issue, the average weight gain that people who take lithium experience is usually between 10 and 26 pounds,” says Faisal Tai, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and CEO of PsychPlus, a mental health services provider in Houston.
Long term effects. The most concerning side effects of long term lithium use are hypothyroidism and kidney problems.
Short-term side effects can include nausea and diarrhoea, muscle weakness or a dazed feeling. A long-term side effect can be weight gain. Your lithium dose needs to be adjusted to suit you. Go for your blood tests to make sure you have the right amount in your system.
Dietary changes, particularly those containing caffeine and salt, may affect lithium levels and increase your risk of developing lithium toxicity. Salt consumption can cause fluctuations in serum lithium levels. While taking lithium, do not make sudden changes to your salt intake.
Yes, Lithium can cause weight gain. It's a common side effect of the drug and can be significant in some people. Weight gain from Lithium can vary widely between individuals depending on dose, duration of treatment, and if any other drugs are taken at the same time.
Lithium causes metabolic changes in the body and results in excessive weight gain.
Substantial affect and mood changes are induced by lithium carbonate. Lethargy, dysphoria, a loss of interest in interacting with others and the environment, and a state of increased mental confusion were reported.
Although it has been argued that lithium has a superior efficacy over antidepressants in the long‐term treatment of unipolar disorder (Greil 1996), in a previous meta‐analysis the comparison of lithium with other antidepressants in prophylaxis showed no conclusive advantage for lithium in unipolar illness (Souza 1991).
Lithium can have beneficial effects for people suffering from anxiety. However, because people with anxiety are at a higher risk for depression, it is good to bear in mind that special care must be taken to offset the potential side effects that may aggravate this condition even as the medication works to treat it.
One of the side effects of lithium maintenance therapy is weight gain. Scientists believe that lithium-associated weight gain occurs due to various reasons, such as increased thirst, increased appetite, alterations in metabolism, sodium retention, hormonal fluctuations, constipation, and fatigue.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of lithium in the 1940s because of fatalities but lifted the ban in 1970.
Despite its overall advantages, lithium-ion has its drawbacks. It is fragile and requires a protection circuit to maintain safe operation. Built into each pack, the protection circuit limits the peak voltage of each cell during charge and prevents the cell voltage from dropping too low on discharge.
Lithium is a mood stabilizer that is used to treat or control the manic episodes of bipolar disorder (manic depression). Manic symptoms include hyperactivity, rushed speech, poor judgment, reduced need for sleep, aggression, and anger. Lithium also helps to prevent or lessen the intensity of manic episodes.
Compared to lithium-ion batteries, solid-state batteries are more efficient, packing more power with the same size battery. As a result, EV batteries could become more compact, charge faster and weigh less, which could increase range.
Lithium also stimulates proliferation of stem cells, including bone marrow and neural stem cells in the subventricular zone, striatum, and forebrain. The stimulation of endogenous neural stem cells may explain why lithium increases brain cell density and volume in patients with bipolar disorders.
For roughly one-third of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder, lithium is a miracle drug, effectively treating both their mania and depression.