Lithium has been a very efficacious drug in the management of bipolar and other mood disorders. There are several aspects of lithium use that Nephrologists need to be mindful of including its pharmacokinetics, its dosing and target concentrations,…
Lithium is indispensable as an effective treatment for bipolar affective disorder. However, it has a narrow therapeutic index with desired therapeutic levels between 0.6 and 1.2 mEq/L. Lithium is handled by the kidney (responsible for almost all its…
Recently in the clinic we were asked to review a patient with suspected diabetes inspidus. She had been taking lithium for more than 20 years for bipolar disorder that was very well controlled. During a routine medical examination,…
I recently saw a patient in the emergency department with chronic lithium toxicity and took the opportunity to do some review. Three broad patterns of lithium toxicity are recognized: Acute toxicity – Seen in patients not previously taking…
I recently saw a patient in my outpatient clinic who was referred for management of chronic kidney disease presumed to be caused by chronic lithium-induced nephrotoxicity. The patient presented with a serum creatinine ranging from 1.4-1.5 mg/dL over…
