Lithium (medication)
![]() Lithium carbonate, an example of a lithium salt | |
Clinical data | |
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Trade names | Many[1] |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a681039 |
License data | |
Pregnancy category |
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parenteral | |
Drug class | Mood stabilizer |
ATC code | |
Legal status | |
Legal status | |
Pharmacokinetic data | |
Bioavailability | Depends on formulation |
Protein binding | None |
Metabolism | Kidney |
Elimination half-life | 24 h, 36 h (elderly)[2] |
Excretion | >95% kidney |
Identifiers | |
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JSmol) | |
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Certain lithium compounds, also known as lithium salts, are used as psychiatric medication,[2] primarily for bipolar disorder and for major depressive disorder.[2] Lithium is taken orally.[2]
Common side effects include
Lithium salts are classified as mood stabilizers.[2] Lithium's mechanism of action is not known.[2]
In the nineteenth century, lithium was used in people who had gout,
Medical uses
In 1970, lithium was approved by the United States
Bipolar disorder
Lithium is primarily used as a maintenance drug in the treatment of bipolar disorder to stabilize mood and prevent manic episodes, but it may also be helpful in the acute treatment of manic episodes.[16] Lithium carbonate treatment was previously considered to be unsuitable for children; however, more recent studies show its effectiveness for treatment of early-onset bipolar disorder in children as young as eight. The required dosage is slightly less than the toxic level (representing a low therapeutic index), requiring close monitoring of blood levels of lithium carbonate during treatment.[17] A limited amount of evidence suggests lithium carbonate may contribute to treatment of substance use disorders for some people with bipolar disorder.[18][19][20]
Schizophrenic disorders
Lithium is recommended for the treatment of schizophrenic disorders only after other antipsychotics have failed; it has limited effectiveness when used alone.[2] The results of different clinical studies of the efficacy of combining lithium with antipsychotic therapy for treating schizophrenic disorders have varied.[2]
Major depressive disorder
Lithium is widely prescribed as a treatment for depression.[15]
Augmentation
If therapy with antidepressants does not fully treat the symptoms of
Monotherapy
There are a few old studies indicating efficacy of lithium for acute depression with lithium having the same efficacy as tricyclic antidepressants.[21] A recent study concluded that lithium works best on chronic and recurrent depression when compared to modern antidepressant (i.e. citalopram) but not for patients with no history of depression.[22]
Prevention of suicide
Lithium is widely believed to prevent suicide, and often used in clinical practice towards that end. However, meta-analyses, faced with evidence-base limitations, have yielded differing results, and it therefore remains unclear whether or not lithium is efficacious in the prevention of suicide.[23][24][25][26][27][28]
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease affects forty-five million people and is the fifth leading cause of death in the 65 plus population.[29] There is no complete cure for the disease, currently. However, Lithium is being evaluated for its effectiveness as a potential therapeutic measure. One of the leading causes of Alzheimer's is the hyperphosphorylation of the Tau protein by the enzyme GSK-3, which leads to the overproduction of amyloid peptides that cause cell death.[29] To combat this toxic amyloid aggregation, Lithium upregulates the production of neuroprotectors and neurotrophic factors, as well as it inhibits the GSK-3 enzyme.[30] Lithium also stimulates neurogenesis within the hippocampus, making it thicker.[30] Yet another cause of Alzheimer's Disease is the dysregulation of Calcium ions within the brain.[31] Too much or too little Calcium within the brain can lead to cell death.[31] Lithium is able to restore the intracellular Calcium homeostasis through inhibiting the wrongful influx of Calcium upstream.[31] It also promotes the redirection of the influx of the Calcium ions into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum of the cells to reduce the oxidative stress within the mitochondria.[31]
In 2009, a study was performed by Hampel and colleagues[32] that asked patients with Alzheimer's to take a low dose of Lithium daily for three months; it resulted in a significant slowing of cognitive decline, benefitting patients being in the prodromal stage the most.[30] Upon a secondary analysis, the brains of the Alzheimer's patients were studied and shown to have an increase in BDNF markers, meaning they had actually shown cognitive improvement.[30] Another study, a population study this time by Kessing et al.,[33] showed a negative correlation between Alzheimer's Disease deaths and the presence of Lithium in drinking water.[30] Areas with increased Lithium in their drinking water showed less dementia overall in their population.[30]
Monitoring
Those who use lithium should receive regular serum level tests and should monitor thyroid and kidney function for abnormalities, as it interferes with the regulation of
Lithium concentrations in whole blood, plasma, serum or urine may be measured using instrumental techniques as a guide to therapy, to confirm the diagnosis in potential poisoning victims or to assist in the forensic investigation in a case of fatal overdosage. Serum lithium concentrations are usually in the range of 0.5–1.3
Lithium salts have a narrow therapeutic/toxic ratio, so should not be prescribed unless facilities for monitoring plasma concentrations are available. Doses are adjusted to achieve plasma concentrations of 0.4[37][38] to 1.2 mmol Li+
/L [39] on samples taken 12 hours after the preceding dose.
Given the rates of thyroid dysfunction, thyroid parameters should be checked before lithium is instituted and monitored after 3–6 months and then every 6–12 months.[40]
Given the risks of kidney malfunction, serum creatinine and eGFR should be checked before lithium is instituted and monitored after 3–6 months at regular interval. Patients who have a rise in creatinine on three or more occasions, even if their eGFR is > 60 ml/min/ 1.73m2 require further evaluation, including a urinalysis for haematuria, proteinuria, a review of their medical history with attention paid to cardiovascular, urological and medication history, and blood pressure control and management. Overt proteinuria should be further quantified with a urine protein to creatinine ratio.[41]
Discontinuation
For patients who have achieved long term remission, it is recommended to discontinue lithium gradually and in a controlled fashion.[42][21]
Discontinuation symptoms may occur in patients stopping the medication including irritability, restlessness and somatic symptoms like vertigo, dizziness or lightheadedness. Symptoms occur within the first week and are generally mild and self-limiting within weeks. [43]
Cluster headaches, migraine and hypnic headache
Studies testing
Adverse effects
Sources for the following lists.[44][45][46][47][48][49][50]
- Very Common (> 10% incidence) adverse effects of lithium include
- Confusion
- Constipation (usually transient, but can persist in some)
- Decreased memory
- Diarrhea (usually transient, but can persist in some)
- Dry mouth
- EKG changes — usually benign changes in T waves
- Hand tremor (usually transient, but can persist in some) with an incidence of 27%. If severe, psychiatrist may lower lithium dosage, change lithium salt type or modify lithium preparation from long to short acting (despite lacking evidence for these procedures) or use pharmacological help[51]
- Headache
- Hyperreflexia — overresponsive reflexes
- Leukocytosis — elevated white blood cell count
- Muscle weakness (usually transient, but can persist in some)
- Myoclonus — muscle twitching
- Nausea (usually transient)[40]
- Polydipsia — increased thirst
- Polyuria — increased urination
- Renal (kidney) toxicity which may lead to chronic kidney failure
- Vomiting (usually transient, but can persist in some)
- Vertigo
- Weight gain
- Common (1–10%) adverse effects include
- Acne
- Extrapyramidal side effects — movement-related problems such as muscle rigidity, parkinsonism, dystonia, etc.
- Euthyroid goitre — i.e. the formation of a goitre despite normal thyroid functioning
- Hypothyroidism — a deficiency of thyroid hormone.
- Hair loss/hair thinning
- Unknown
- Sexual dysfunction[40]
- Hypoglycemia[52]
- Glycosuria
Lithium carbonate can induce a 1–2 kg of weight gain.[53]
In addition to tremors, lithium treatment appears to be a risk factor for development of parkinsonism-like symptoms, although the causal mechanism remains unknown.[54]
Most side effects of lithium are dose-dependent. The lowest effective dose is used to limit the risk of side effects.
In a systematic literature review, the authors found 250 reports containing 1100 individuals who developed lithium-related movement disorders. The abnormal movements encountered were parkinsonism, dyskinesia, myoclonus, dystonia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob-like syndrome, akathisia, restless legs syndrome symptoms, tics, cerebellar syndromes, and stuttering.[55]
Hypothyroidism
The rate of hypothyroidism is around six times higher in people who take lithium. Low thyroid hormone levels in turn increase the likelihood of developing depression. People taking lithium thus should routinely be assessed for hypothyroidism and treated with synthetic thyroxine if necessary.[53]
Because lithium competes with the
Pregnancy and breast feeding
Lithium is a
While it appears to be safe to use while breastfeeding a number of guidelines list it as a contraindication[65] including the British National Formulary.[66]
Kidney damage
Lithium has been associated with several forms of kidney injury.
Hyperparathyroidism
Lithium-associated
Interactions
Lithium
Lithium is primarily
There are also drugs that can increase the clearance of lithium from the body, which can result in decreased lithium levels in the blood. These drugs include theophylline, caffeine, and acetazolamide. Additionally, increasing dietary sodium intake may also reduce lithium levels by prompting the kidneys to excrete more lithium.[76]
Lithium is known to be a potential precipitant of
High doses of
Overdose
Lithium toxicity, which is also called lithium overdose and lithium poisoning, is the condition of having too much lithium in the blood. This condition also happens in persons that are taking lithium in which the lithium levels are affected by drug interactions in the body.
In acute toxicity, people have primarily gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, which may result in volume depletion. During acute toxicity, lithium distributes later into the central nervous system resulting in mild neurological symptoms, such as dizziness.[40]
In chronic toxicity, people have primarily neurological symptoms which include nystagmus, tremor, hyperreflexia, ataxia, and change in mental status. During chronic toxicity, the gastrointestinal symptoms seen in acute toxicity are less prominent. The symptoms are often vague and nonspecific.[82]
If the lithium toxicity is mild or moderate, lithium dosage is reduced or stopped entirely. If the toxicity is severe, lithium may need to be removed from the body.
Mechanism of action
The specific biochemical mechanism of lithium action in stabilizing mood is unknown.[2]
Upon ingestion, lithium becomes widely distributed in the central nervous system and interacts with a number of neurotransmitters and receptors, decreasing norepinephrine release and increasing serotonin synthesis.[83]
Unlike many other
Lithium both directly and indirectly inhibits
Another mechanism proposed in 2007 is that lithium may interact with nitric oxide (NO) signalling pathway in the central nervous system, which plays a crucial role in neural plasticity. The NO system could be involved in the antidepressant effect of lithium in the Porsolt forced swimming test in mice.[94][95] It was also reported that NMDA receptor blockage augments antidepressant-like effects of lithium in the mouse forced swimming test,[96] indicating the possible involvement of NMDA receptor/NO signaling in the action of lithium in this animal model of learned helplessness.
Lithium possesses neuroprotective properties by preventing apoptosis and increasing cell longevity.[97]
Although the search for a novel lithium-specific receptor is ongoing, the high concentration of lithium compounds required to elicit a significant pharmacological effect leads mainstream researchers to believe that the existence of such a receptor is unlikely.[98]
Oxidative metabolism
Evidence suggests that
Dopamine and G-protein coupling
During mania, there is an increase in
Glutamate and NMDA receptors
GABA receptors
Cyclic AMP secondary messengers
Lithium's therapeutic effects are thought to be partially attributable to its interactions with several signal transduction mechanisms.
Inositol depletion hypothesis
Lithium treatment has been found to inhibit the enzyme
Neurotrophic Factors
Various neurotrophic factors such as BDNF and mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor have been shown to be modulated by various mood stabilizers.[104]
History
Lithium was first used in the 19th century as a treatment for
By the turn of the 20th century, as theory regarding mood disorders evolved and so-called "brain gout" disappeared as a medical entity, the use of lithium in psychiatry was largely abandoned; however, a number of lithium preparations were still produced for the control of renal calculi and uric acid diathesis.
Also in 1949, the
The rest of the world was slow to adopt this treatment, largely because of deaths which resulted from even relatively minor overdosing, including those reported from use of lithium chloride as a substitute for table salt. Largely through the research and other efforts of Denmark's Mogens Schou and Paul Baastrup in Europe,[105] and Samuel Gershon and Baron Shopsin in the U.S., this resistance was slowly overcome. Following the recommendation of the APA Lithium Task Force (William Bunney, Irvin Cohen (Chair), Jonathan Cole, Ronald R. Fieve, Samuel Gershon, Robert Prien, and Joseph Tupin[109]), the application of lithium in manic illness was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1970,[110] becoming the 50th nation to do so.[15] In 1974, this application was extended to its use as a preventive agent for manic-depressive illness.
Fieve, who had opened the first lithium clinic in North America in 1966, helped popularize the psychiatric use of lithium through his national TV appearances and his bestselling book, Moodswing. In addition, Fieve and David L. Dunner developed the concept of "rapid cycling" bipolar disorder based on non-response to lithium.
Lithium has now become a part of Western popular culture. Characters in
7 Up
As with
Salts and product names
Many different lithium salts can be used as medication, including
Lithium carbonate (Li
2CO
3), sold under several trade names, is the most commonly prescribed, while lithium citrate (Li
3C
6H
5O
7) is also used in conventional pharmacological treatments. Lithium orotate (C
5H
3LiN
2O
4), has been presented as an alternative.[115] Lithium bromide and lithium chloride have been used in the past as table salt; however, they fell out of use in the 1940s, when it was discovered they were toxic in those large doses. Many other lithium salts and compounds exist, such as lithium fluoride and lithium iodide, but they are presumed to be as toxic or more so than the chloride and have never been evaluated for pharmacological effects.
As of 2017 lithium was marketed under many brand names worldwide, including Cade, Calith, Camcolit, Carbolim, Carbolit, Carbolith, Carbolithium, Carbolitium, Carbonato de Litio, Carboron, Ceglution, Contemnol, D-Gluconsäure, Lithiumsalz, Efadermin (Lithium and Zinc Sulfate), Efalith (Lithium and Zinc Sulfate), Elcab, Eskalit, Eskalith, Frimania, Hypnorex, Kalitium, Karlit, Lalithium, Li-Liquid, Licarb, Licarbium, Lidin, Ligilin, Lilipin, Lilitin, Limas, Limed, Liskonum, Litarex, Lithane, Litheum, Lithicarb, Lithii carbonas, Lithii citras, Lithioderm, Lithiofor, Lithionit, Lithium, Lithium aceticum, Lithium asparagicum, Lithium Carbonate, Lithium Carbonicum, Lithium Citrate, Lithium DL-asparaginat-1-Wasser, Lithium gluconicum, Lithium-D-gluconat, Lithiumcarbonaat, Lithiumcarbonat, Lithiumcitrat, Lithiun, Lithobid, Lithocent, Lithotabs, Lithuril, Litiam, Liticarb, Litijum, Litio, Litiomal, Lito, Litocarb, Litocip, Maniprex, Milithin, Neurolepsin, Plenur, Priadel, Prianil, Prolix, Psicolit, Quilonium, Quilonorm, Quilonum, Téralithe, and Theralite.[1]
Research
Tentative evidence in
See also
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Further reading
- Mota de Freitas D, Leverson BD, Goossens JL (2016). "Lithium in Medicine: Mechanisms of Action". In Sigel A, Sigel H, Sigel R (eds.). Metal ions in Life Sciences. Metal Ions in Life Sciences. Vol. 16. Springer. pp. 557–584. PMID 26860311.
- Phelps J (19 September 2014). "Lithium Basics". Psych.
- Phillips ML (16 February 2006). "Exposing lithium's circadian action". The Scientist.
External links
- "Lithium". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
- "Mood Stabilizers: An Updated List and Links". PsychEducation.org. April 2004. Archived from the original on 11 August 2004.
- "Lithium Carbonate". PubChem Compound Summary. U.S. National Library of Medicine. CID 11125.
- N05AN01 (WHO)