Lithium is a mood stabilizer and can help to treat or protect against mania. It can additionally be used to lower the regularity of depression episodes.
Take this drug as directed by your physician. It is very important to drink plenty of liquids while taking this medicine. Lithium may communicate with particular medications that influence serotonin (such as antidepressants, SSRIs, MAO inhibitors). Tell your doctor regarding all of your medicines.
State of mind Conditions
Lithium is commonly made use of to treat bipolar disorder, a mental illness that causes extremely quick changes in between the severe state of minds of anxiety and mania. Bipolar affective disorder can make it tough to live a regular life and can create significant troubles in partnerships, job or college. Lithium aids to prevent these extreme mood changes and reduces the seriousness of anxiety and mania.
The very early researches of lithium at Glostrup Psychiatric Hospital in the 1960s and 1970s given persuading proof that it can reduce the frequency of hospitalizations for depression (38 ). Baastrup and Schou's placebo-controlled discontinuance study was especially important because it showed that patients relapsed on placebo but not on lithium (39 ).
Your physician will check your blood levels frequently to make certain you are taking the right quantity of lithium. It is very important to consume lots of fluids while taking this medicine. Your physician 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 cut it with a knife and so light it drifts on water. It is located normally in the environment, with studies linking low levels of it to psychological and psychological illness and terrible crime. The mineral was added to soft drinks in the 1960s, where it brightened state of minds and aided individuals concentrate and concentrate-- thus the name, 7-Up.
Lithium minimizes mania by boosting the activity of an enzyme that manages neurotransmitters, decreasing glutamate levels, and assisting to stabilize various other chemicals in the mind. It has also been revealed to have antidepressant results and improve sleep, impatience, aggression, and stress and anxiety in ADHD people.
People taking lithium must have normal blood tests to keep an eye on degrees-- too high can be harmful. It is very important to allow doctors understand about various other medications and supplements taken, as some can communicate with it. Inform your medical professional if you have diarrhea, vomiting, sleepiness, shakes, weak point, unsteady walking, or fainting (particularly after workout). Use effective birth control to prevent 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 specifically important if the individual has Tomb disease or other autoimmune problems like thyroiditis or Hashimoto's condition. Lithium inhibits the release of thyroid hormonal agent by obstructing iodine uptake at the thyroid gland through the sodium-iodide symporter and by disrupting tyrosine iodination. [9] Lithium additionally inhibits thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) excitement and decreases the production of thyroxine from tyrosine in the thyroid gland. [10] Nonetheless, lithium use may cause hypothyroidism and a goiter in some patients. [11] Thus, constant evaluation of thyroid feature examinations and size is recommended in people on lithium therapy.
It is essential to review the benefits and dangers of this medicine with your medical professional before starting it. It is additionally important to avoid items reduced in sodium (salt) while taking this medicine and drink sufficient liquids. If you have any issues, call your doctor or the emergency division immediately.
Epilepsy.
The anticonvulsant results of lithium are well established from both professional and experimental researches. It mental health crisis care facilities 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 current research studies show that lithium in restorative degrees does not decrease the seizure limit but in fact lowers the limit for seizure occurrence.
This is believed to be due to the reality that lithium increases cholinergic task, inhibits phosphoinositide metabolic process and GSK-3b signalling. It also minimizes glutamate excitotoxicity by enhancing NMDA receptor agonist-evoked apoptotic currents and boosts the endogenous nitric oxide synthase activity in nerve cells [36]
Lithium is well tolerated by many people with bipolar illness, however it has a few adverse effects that must be thought about. These include a lowered ability to focus urine (nephrogenic diabetes mellitus insipidus) and an increase in the focus of lithium in the blood (lithium toxicity). It is consequently very vital to follow your doctor's guidelines about having routine blood examinations.
